Tasty Treats for Labor Day

Fire up the grill, Labor Day is here! Like most families, we love to use the holidays to get together and enjoy great food and company. Burgers, fries, cole slaw, pie and ice cream are staples at our Labor Day gatherings. This year we decided to jazz up our menu and incorporate more fruit and vegetables. Check out our menu below, followed by the recipes. Give them a try, be safe, stay hydrated, and HAVE FUN!

POP Menu for Labor Day…
Lean beef/turkey burger with vegetable mixture
Baked sweet potato fries
Zesty vegetable kebab
Frozen 100% fruit juice pop
Fresh fruit

Recipes:

Turkey/Chicken Burger

Ingredients:
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil/canola oil
½ cup White Onion, finely diced
½ cup Red Bell Pepper, finely diced
1.25 lbs Extra lean ground turkey or beef
1 cup corn flakes, crumbled
2/3 cup Carrot, finely grated
1 tbsp Your favorite BBQ sauce or Bragg
2 tsp Garlic powder
2 tsp Onion powder
2 tsp Mrs. Dash herb seasoning/Italian seasoning
Salt and Black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Heat a skillet with the olive oil/canola oil and a little bit of water
2. Saute the onion, then add garlic, onion powder, red bell pepper as well as carrot
3. Cook the vegetables until tender
4. In a separate mixing bowl mix the ground turkey, BBQ sauce/Bragg, and the Mrs. Dash herb seasoning.
5. Add in the vegetable mixture and mix well into the turkey mixture
6. Form 6 patties and chill for at least 1 hour
7. When ready, heat the skillet with 2 tsp of canola oil and water and cook the patties for about 4-5 minutes on each side or until cooked
8. Enjoy the burger on whole-wheat buns with lots of vegetables (such as the spring mix salad) along with tomatoes, and slices of avocado. (Low carb option: Wrap burger in lettuce)

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:
1 large Sweet potato/Yam, peeled and cut into long strips or wedges
2 tsp Olive oil
½ tsp Mrs. Dash herb seasoning
1/4 tsp Black pepper or Cayenne pepper
Salt to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degree
2. In a large mixing bowl mix sweet potato with olive oil, Mrs. Dash, and black pepper
3. Line a flat baking pan with foil and spray/brush a thin layer of canola oil
4. Spread sweet potato strips on baking pan
5. Bake for about 10 minutes and turn over; bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown
Allow to cool and enjoy!

Zesty Vegetable Kebabs

Material: Wood/Metal Skewers

Ingredients:

4 yellow squash, cut into 1-1/2 inch thick pieces

3 zucchini, cut into 1-1/2 inch thick pieces

3 red bell peppers, cut into large pieces

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp honey/Agave

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, honey/agave, Dijon mustard, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper

2. Place all cut vegetables into the bowl and coat vegetables

3. Prior to grilling, use the skewers to thread an assortment of the vegetables

4. Place the vegetable kebab onto the grill

5. Grill for about 5 minutes or until desired color and texture have been reached

Makes about 16 Kebabs