Our Top Recipes for BBQ Season

To start:

Summer Nachos

Serves 4 (as a side).

Ingredients

• Corn tortilla chips or 3 corn tortillas
• 3 large tomatoes, chopped
• A handful of coriander, chopped
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• A wedge of red cabbage, shredded

For the 'cheese' sauce

• 125g water
• 250ml rapeseed oil
• 50g buckwheat flour
• 25ml rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp Malden sea salt
• Crack of black pepper

Method:

1. If you are using corn tortillas, preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius. Slice the whole tortillas into triangles as if you were cutting a pizza.
2. Place on a baking tray and drizzle with some olive oil, then bake for 5-10 minutes until golden and crispy.
3. Make your sauce by adding all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Once your chips have cooled, layer your ingredients by starting with the a base of the chips, then adding the chopped tomatoes, followed by half of the coriander.
4. Top with the mixed chopped peppers, the shredded red cabbage.
5. Then drizzle over your 'cheese' sauce until covered. Top with the rest of your herbs and enjoy as a delicious starter for your summer party or BBQ!

For the main event:

Beetroot and Lentil Burgers

Makes 4 burgers.

Ingredients

• 2 beetroot, cut into quarters
• 200g puy or brown lentils
• 2 heaped tbsp plain gluten-free flour
• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
• Good pinch of salt and pepper

Method

1. Place the chopped beetroot on the grill, drizzle with oil and bbq for 15-20 minutes or until tender and slightly charred.
2. Place the cooked beets in a food processor and blitz to a rough paste. While your beets are cooking place the lentils into a saucepan with three times the amount of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are soft. Drain and add them to the beetroot paste. Stir in the flour, oil, salt and pepper.
3. Form 4 patties, keep them quite rounded rather than flattened, place them on a lined baking tray and cook in the oven for 25-35 minutes until crispy.
4. Serve with a bun, tomatoes, gherkins, lettuce, onions, mustard and homemade ketchup (basically just blitzed tomatoes!). Enjoy

For the salad:

Grilled Aubergine Salad

Serves 4 as a side.

Ingredients

• 1 aubergine, sliced into rounds
• 1 can of chickpeas
• Handful of fresh mint, chopped finely
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Zest of 1/2 lemon

For the creamy sauce:

• 80g cashews, soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes and drained
• 3 heaped tablespoons of oat yoghurt
• 50 ml water
• 50 ml rapeseed oil
• 1/2 tsp Malden salt
• Pinch cracked black pepper

For the caramelised tomato sauce:

• 200g chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp date syrup/maple syrup
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tsp chilli flakes

Method:

1. Put your aubergine on the grill until the aubergine discs are scored, transfer them to a lined baking tray and roast in the oven for 20 minutes until softened.
2. Make your caramelised tomato sauce by reducing all the ingredients on the hob for 2-3 minutes.
3. Make your creamy sauce by whizzing all your ingredients together in a blender until smooth and velvety.
4. Drain the chickpeas and mix with the creamy sauce, mint, olive oil and lemon zest until combined.
5. Spoon the chickpeas onto a wide dish and top with the aubergine.
6. Spoon over the tomato sauce. Finish with a little chopped coriander. Enjoy alongside your BBQ feast!

To have on the side:

Corn elotes with cashew cream

Serves 4 as a side

Ingredients

• 4 x corn on the cob
• Handful coriander, chopped
• 1 tsp flaked chillis
• Handful cashew nuts, roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp Malden salt

For the cashew cream

• 100g cashew nuts
• 50ml water
• 50ml rapeseed oil
• 1/2 tsp Malden salt
• Good pinch pepper

Method

1. Place the cob into a large pan of boiling water. Boil for 20 minutes until soft. Remove from the water and chop the cob in half then place them on the grill, drizzle in oil and turn occasionally, until golden.
2. To make the cashew cream place all the ingredients in a small food processor or nitro bullet. Blitz until smooth.
3. Assemble the dish, place the cob on a serving platter, smother over the cashew cream then top with the coriander, chilli and salt. Enjoy as a starter or as the perfect bbq accompaniment.

For dessert:

Raw Mars Bars

When there's a lot going on outside on the grill, it always seems best to have something quick, easy and refreshing to hand out after the savoury stuff. This is like a Mars Bar ice cream but better (for you)!

Makes 15 bars.

Ingredients

For the nougat layer:

• 120g cashews
• 65g ground almonds
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp almond butter
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tbsp melted coconut oil
• 2 tbsp almond butter
• 3 tbsp coconut milk from a tin (the thick part)

For the caramel layer:

• 14 dates (about 120g)
• 3 tbsp coconut milk from a tin (thick part)
• 2 tbsp almond butter
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 150g dark chocolate

You will also need:

• 23cm square tin
• Baking paper
• Skewers

Method

1. Line a 23cm square tin with baking paper. Add the nougat ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. This might take a few minutes - use a spatula to push the mix away from the sides of the food processor if necessary. Once smooth and well combined, spread the mixture into the lined tin and put into the freezer to set.
2. Pop the dates into a mug or small bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to sit for 5 minutes before draining. Add the drained dates to the food processor with the other caramel ingredients. Blend until smooth.
3. Remove the base from the freezer and spread the caramel over in an even layer. Place back into the freezer for at least half an hour to set again.
4. Carefully lift the baking paper out of the tin and place flat on a chopping board. Line a medium-sized tray with baking paper. Run a sharp knife under hot water and then cut the layered base into equal size “bars” and lay them out on the lined tray. Place back in the freezer for 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a medium sized bowl. Remove the bars from the freezer and place the baking paper with the bars on a flat surface. Re-line the tray with baking paper. Gently press the skewer into the nougat layer of the first bar and hold it over the bowl. Spoon over the melted chocolate — keep turning the skewer until the bar is fully covered.
6. Lay the chocolate-coated bar on the lined tray and carefully remove the skewer. Repeat until all of the bars are coated and then place the tray into the fridge or freezer to set. Once hard, the bars can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge or freezer.

For when you don't want to heat up the grill, enjoy our fresh, summery, ready-to eat meals on our meal plans. Sometimes its just not worth patiently waiting for the BBQ to heat under an umbrella, ya know?