I’m back! Hope you had fun kicking off the Memorial Day weekend with a good ole BBQ. Did you try the beet dip on your DIY Burger?

Like I promised last week, here is my classic marinade and some simple healthy side dishes to go with any BBQ: a classic slaw with a low-fat twist, a tangy potato salad and an asparagus-avocado-tomato salad. To keep things simple, I have created a basic dressing for all three. Making your own dressing is the way to go — you can keep the calories down and nutrients up. Plus, fresh dressing just tastes better.

Classic Meat Marinade
Will help tenderize, lock in moisture & add great flavor. For 4 steaks or 8 chops.

Ingredients

• 2 garlic cloves crushed
• 4 good lugs of olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon – I like to use the zest as well, especially for lamb
• 3 tsp fresh finely chopped herbs – rosemary, thyme, parsley
• ½ -1 tsp dried chili flakes or ground – chipotle is my choice
• Cracked pepper
• Salt: use sparingly in marinade as salt draws out moisture & can make meat tough

Directions
Mix in a bowl, zip lock bag or pour over meat tray, coat well, rest ½ – 1hr.  Grill or broil meat as you would normally.

Simple Scrumptious Sides
Try keeping salad sides raw for maximum nutrients, crunch & less washing up.  My master vinaigrette can be easily tweaked to make three different salads.

Karina’s Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 6 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 lemon, juice
• 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tsp seeded mustard
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• Salt & pepper

Directions
Put all ingredients in a jar with a lid and give a good shake.  Dress salad just before serving

Classic Slaw – low calorie style
Shredded carrot, red & white cabbage, broccoli stems & whatever else you love; fresh parsley, bell peppers, kale, broccolini & spinach make great additions.

Ingredients

• 4 cups shredded vegetables: carrots, cabbage, broccoli stems
• 1 batch Karina’s Vinaigrette

Directions
Combine slaw ingredients in serving bowl.  Add half of the dressing and toss; taste and add more dressing as needed.

Baby Potato Salad with Mustard Dressing
Using a mustard-based dressing instead of mayonnaise ups the flavor while lowering the calories and fat.

Ingredients

• 1 pound fingerling potatoes
• 1 pound baby red potatoes
• 1 batch Karina’s Vinaigrette
• 2 spring onions, chopped
• Parsley, chopped

Directions
Add potatoes to pot of cold water, bring to a boil and simmer until tender; cool & slice potatoes.

Dress with the classic slaw dressing but add an extra teaspoon of seeded mustard, 2 chopped spring onions and a handful of chopped parsley.

Asparagus, Cherry Tomato & Avocado Salad
This salad has it all: awesome nutrients, good fat and beautiful colors.  Plus, it goes with anything you put on the grill!

Ingredients

• 1 bunch asparagus, snap off woody end stems & cut into thirds
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 2 avocados, skinned, deseeded & diced
• 1 batch Karina’s Vinaigrette
• 1/2 lemon

Directions

1. Bring saucepan of water to boil, add asparagus. Cook for just 1 minute, drain & refresh in cold water: this stops the cooking process and helps retain nutrients & crunch.
2. In a bowl, add cherry tomatoes, asparagus & avocado.
3. Dress with slaw dressing but don’t add seeded mustard, just Dijon + an extra squeeze of lemon juice.  Stir gently.

Download recipes now

Enjoy your BBQ and let me know how you liked the recipes!