4 Healthy Recipes for a backyard BBQ

Fresh Summer Foods include turkey burgers, two bean salad, jalapeno corn and strawberry shortcake… of course, the healthier version!    Enjoy a fun, flavorful and healthy meal with good-for-you grilling recipes.

Turkey Burgers

Ingredients
Meyer Lemon-Honey Mustard:
1/4 cup Dijon mustardturkey-burgers
1 heaping tablespoon clover honey
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon fresh Meyer lemon juice, from Meyer lemons, if possible
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Burgers:
1 1/2 pounds 90-percent lean, freshly ground turkey (not all white meat), chilled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 slices goat cheese, sliced 1/2-inch thick
4 sesame seed hamburger buns, split and lightly grilled
Watercress, for serving
Notes
Cook’s Note: If you are unable to find Meyer lemons, mix 1/2 teaspoon fresh orange juice and 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice.

For the Meyer lemon-honey mustard: Whisk together in a small bowl the mustard, honey, orange juice, lemon zest, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours to allow the flavors to meld.

For the burgers: Preheat the grill to high. Form the meat into four 6-ounce burgers. If you are not going to cook right away, keep the burgers cold in the refrigerator. Sprinkle the burgers on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. During the last minutes of cooking, add 2 slices of cheese to each burger, cover the grill and let the cheese soften slightly, about 1 minute. Put the burgers on the buns, drizzle with some of the Meyer lemon-honey mustard and top with a few sprigs of watercress. Serve with extra mustard on the side.

SERVES: 4 (Main); Calories: 560; Total Fat 28 grams; Saturated Fat: 13 grams; Protein: 47 grams; Total carbohydrates: 30 grams; Sugar: 8 grams Fiber: 1 gram; Cholesterol: 151 milligrams; Sodium: 1,175 milligrams

Two Bean Salad

Serve as a simple side dish. It’s super satisfying from the synergy of protein and fiber.FNK_TWO_BEAN_SALAD_H_.jpg

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
One 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 scallion, green and white parts, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/4 small red onion, minced
Directions
Whisk together the oil, vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Add the beans, parsley, celery, scallions and red onions and stir until well combined. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Jalapeno-Lime Corn on The Cob

Six ears of grilled corn with pieces of lime on a white and blue dishRub grilled corn with a spicy jalapeno, lime, garlic and paprika butter to make a foolproof Mexican-style side dish.

Ingredients
1 stick butter
1 lime, juiced and zested
1 small jalapeno, seeded
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
6 ears corn on the cob, husked
1 slice bread, of any kind
Coarse salt
Directions
Combine butter, lime, jalapeno, garlic and paprika in food processor and pulse process until smooth. Place on waxed paper or plastic and roll. Place in freezer until ready to serve.

Cook corn by boiling, steaming or grilling. Cut disks of butter and rub onto corn, nesting the butter in a slice of bread to apply it to the hot corn. Season ears with salt (and fight over the hot buttered bread slice!)

Strawberry Shortcakes

Sweet endings for a perfect backyard BBQ while keeping your diet & nutrition in check!  Get LOTS of flavor naturally with aromatic citrus in this dessert: there’s lemon zest in the shortcakes and orange zest in the macerated strawberries. Tangy Greek yogurt is a great substitute for whipped cream.

Ingredients
Shortcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cold (salted) butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon sliced almonds
Filling
4 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 to 3 tablespoons sugar (depending on the ripeness of the berries)
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice
2 tablespoons 0 percent or 2 percent fat Greek Yogurt per serving, for garnish
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting (optional)

Strawberry-ShortCakeDirections
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

Shortcakes: Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and work it into the flour mixture with your fingers until it resembles coarse meal.

Whisk together 1/2 cup buttermilk, the egg, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Add to the flour mixture and lightly mix with your hands just until the dough just comes together. Do not over mix. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. With lightly floured hands, gently pat the dough into a 7-inch round about 1/2-inch thick. Cut into 8 equal sized wedges. Space the shortcakes evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with the remaining 1 tablespoon buttermilk and sprinkle with the almonds. Bake until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Filling: Combine the strawberries, sugar, zest, and juice in a large bowl. Let stand until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is syrupy, about 15 minutes.

Split the shortcakes. Place the bottom halves of the shortcakes on plates and top evenly with the strawberry mixture and the yogurt. Cover with tops of the shortcakes. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if using.

Nutritonal analysis per serving: 1 shortcake with 1/2 cup filling and 1 tablespoon topping.

Calories 215; Total Fat 6 g; (Sat Fat 3 g, Mono Fat 2 g, Poly Fat 0.5g) ; Protein 6 g; Carb 35 g; Fiber 2 g; Cholesterol 39 mg; Sodium 270 mg

Courtesy Television Food Network, http://www.foodnetwork.com