10 Irresistible Recipes for Your Summer BBQs

Summer barbies are an Aussie tradition! Impress your guests with these mouth-watering recipes that’ll leave your guests begging for the recipe (and your waistlines thanking you!).

1. Tropical Grilled Pineapple Skewers

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe pineapple, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• Fresh mint, for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat grill to medium heat.
2. In a bowl, toss pineapple chunks with brown sugar, cinnamon, and lime juice.
3. Thread the pineapple pieces onto skewers.
4. Grill for about 5-7 minutes on each side, or until surface caramelises.
5. Serve hot, garnished with fresh mint.

2. Tropical Chicken Salad with Honey Roasted Cashews

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 cups spinach
• 1 mango
• 1 punnet cherry tomatoes
• ½ cucumber
• ¼ tsp chilli flakes
• ½ can beans
• ½ cup cashews
• 1 lime
• 1 tbsp and 1 tsp honey (separated)
• 1 crushed garlic clove or 1 tsp garlic paste
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Coriander to serve

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 150oC (fan-forced).
2. Mix cashews with 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp olive oil and ¼ tsp salt & pepper.
3. Cook in the oven for 10mins.
4. Dressing: Mix lime juice, 1 T honey, garlic, 2 T olive oil, ¼ tsp chilli flakes, salt & pepper.
5. Marinade chicken in 2 T of the dressing.
6. Heat a drizzle of olive oil on a grill pan at medium heat.
7. Cook chicken 10 – 12 mins on each side.
8. Prepare salad: Dice mango, slice cherry tomatoes, peel cucumber to make ribbons.
9. Construct salad: Put all raw salad ingredients together, add chicken, beans & cashews.
10. Serve with rest of dressing and coriander.

3. Herbed Lemon Chicken Shish Kebabs

Ingredients:

• 500g chicken breast, cubed
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
2. Add chicken, tossing to coat. Marinate for at least 1 hour.
3. Thread the marinated chicken onto skewers.
4. Grill for 12-15 minutes, turning until cooked through.

4. Healthy Sliders

Ingredients:

• 500g minced chicken or beef
• 6-8 mini rolls or slider buns
• 100g spinach leaves
• 100g cherry tomatoes
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 1 medium avocado, sliced
• 1 tsp breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp garlic powder or 1 minced garlic clove
• 1 tsp paprika
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Tomato sauce, mustard and/or other condiments of choice

Instructions:

1. To prepare the patties, combine the mince, garlic powder, paprika, breadcrumbs, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix well until ingredients are evenly incorporated.
2. Using your hand, shape tablespoons of the mixture into slider-size patties.
3. Fry or grill the patties over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side.
4. While the patties cook, toast the buns by place then on the grill or in the pan for 1-2 minutes (optional).
5. On the bottom half of each bun, layer spinach leaves, a patty, sliced avocado, tomatoes and red onion. Spread some condiment on the underside of the top bun, then place it on top.
6. Serve and enjoy!

Tips:

• You can substitute the minced meat with mashed black beans and/or chickpeas and other veggies of choice for a plant-based alternative.

5. Grilled Veggie & Halloumi Skewers

Ingredients:

• 1 block halloumi cheese, cut into chunks
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 1 red onion, cut into wedges
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat the grill to medium heat.
2. In a bowl, combine halloumi, bell pepper, zucchini, and onion. Drizzle with olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper.
3. Thread the vegetables and halloumi onto skewers.
4. Grill for 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally until golden and tender.

6. Caprese Bruschetta Bites

Ingredients:

Homemade Pesto

• 45g pine nuts
• 1½ cups fresh or frozen basil leaves
• 2-3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 50g parmesan cheese
• 4-5 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Other

• 2-3 fresh tomatoes, halved
• 200g bocconcini or mozerella, sliced
• 1 baguette
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Pesto

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (or 160°C fan-forced). Spread pine nuts over a lined baking tray and bake for 5-7 minutes, or until nuts are gold and toasted. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
2. In a food processor, combine the toasted pine nuts with the remaining pesto ingredients and blend until finely-chopped into a smooth paste.

Assemble

1. Halve the baguette and divide it into several smaller pieces that are at least 2-3 inches wide. Arrange the bread onto an oven tray and toast in the oven for about 5 minutes (or until just toasted).
2. Spread a thick layer of pesto, the arrange some cheese and tomato slices on top, seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve and Enjoy!

7. Tangy Grilled Honey Sesame Prawns

Ingredients:

• 650g large prawns (approximately 16-18 prawns)
• 5 tbsp coconut, seasame or olive oil
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 30g ginger
• 1 red chilli, chopped (optional)
• 1-2 tbsp coriander
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 tsp lemon juice (plus extra lemon wedges to serve)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, mix oil, ginger, honey, lemon juice, onion powder chilli, coriander, salt and pepper and whisk with a fork until completely smooth and combined.
2. Add the prawns to a large bowl and coat in the mixture. Cover with cling wrap and allow to marinate for a few hours or overnight.
3. Once ready to cook, preheat a barbeque on medium to high heat. Thread prawns onto skewers and grill, turning occasionally, until charred and cooked through (around 4-5 minutes on each side).
4. Remove the prawns from the heat. Lay the sesame seeds out onto a plate and carefully roll the prawns in them. If they don’t stick on their own, drizzle a little more honey onto the prawns. Add some extra salt flakes and serve with lemon wedges.

7. Beef Skewers with Roast Veggie Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 medium potatoes (diced)
• ½ bunch coriander (leaves picked, chopped)
• 400g rump steak (sliced into 2cm strips)
• 2 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 clove garlic (crushed)
• 2 zucchini (diced)
• 1 red onion (finely sliced)
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

1. Using a small scoop or spoon, hollow out the center of each strawberry.
2. Fill with a scoop of ice cream and top with blueberries.
3. Garnish with mint leaves before serving.

8. Hot Honey Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

• 500g chicken wings
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder or 2 tsp minced garlic,
• ½ tsp paprika
• 2½ tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp hot sauce of choice (tabasco, sriracha, etc) or 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp (25g) butter
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• A few sprigs of fresh parsley (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan forced) and line a baking tray.
2. In a large bowl, toss the wings with olive oil, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper until evenly coated.
3. Place the seasoned wings for 40-45 minutes, turning them halfway through, until they are golden-brown and crispy.
4. While the wings bake, heat the butter in a saucepan on low heat, careful not to burn it. Stir in honey and hot sauce until combined. Adjust the spiciness to your liking by adding more hot sauce. If it gets too spicy, cut the heat with more honey.
5. Once the wings are baked, transfer them to a large bowl and pour the hot honey sauce over them until they are completely coated.
6. Garnish with parsley. Serve and enjoy immediately.

Final Thoughts

Make your next BBQ unforgettable with these creative, unique, delicious, and (most importantly) balanced and nutritious recipes that all your friends and family will love!