NOTICE: In preparation for the UnDiet Recipes book this site will no longer have new recipes added to it . But don't despair - if you place yourself on the UnDiet Update list you'll recipe new recipes each month, many of which will not even be in the recipe book!

4th of July Picnic Barbecue

Whether it's a picnic in the park or a barbecue at the beach 4th of July themed food is just too much fun! Please forgive the corniness of dishes such as the Flag Pizza and Red ~ White & Blue Ice Cream; I just couldn't resist the opportunity to make fun food. I've given you lots of recipes because I believe that a picnic or barbecue should have lots of food choices to accommodate varied tastes and also just because it's a special occasion. However if you want to keep things simple, you can just pick several dishes. I would suggest a meat dish that can be barbecued, a salad, a vegetable dish and a dessert. Make lots of whatever you make and then you can enjoy leftovers the next day.

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Picnic Tips

Instead of ice for your cooler fill clean plastic bottles 3/4 full with filtered water and/or an assortment of beverages and freeze overnight. As they thaw you'll have deliciously cool drinks.

Clean out your refrigerator and cut up any leftover carrots, broccoli, celery, cukes, bell peppers, cauliflower, or jicima into bite-sized pieces or sticks. Soak them in ice water to perk them up and pack in plastic bags. You might want to pack each bag with an assortment of veggies so you can just grab a baggie to munch on. Also pack any small amounts of salad dressings and mayo (add a little lemon or lime juice to the mayo) in small plastic containers or snack-size baggies to use as a veggie dip.

Slice up and pack up any leftover Fruit into plastic baggies for munchies. Just remember to eat Fruit on an empty stomach.

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Games

What are games doing on a recipe page? Well they're part of the whole picnic/barbecue experience and just because they don't require food (unless you're doing an Egg Toss) doesn't mean they should be barred from a recipe site.

You can play just for the sake of playing, have small prizes for the winners or let the winners pick their picnic chores, losers get last pick.

Water Limbo

Hold a hose parallel to the ground so that there's a steady stream of water at least 2 feet long. Play music as you take turns doing the limbo under the water. Lower the water after each round. Whoever stays dry the longest wins!

Sponge Relay Race

Divide into 2 teams. Each team stands in a line. A bucket filled with water is place at the front of each line and a smaller empty bucket is placed at the end of each line. The team member at the front of each line soaks a sponge in the water filled bucket. The first player then passes it over his/her head to the next team member and so on. When the sponge reaches the last person, they run to the empty container and squeeze the sponge out, then run to the front of the line, soak the sponge and pass it over his/her head, and so-on. The team to first fill their bucket is the winner.

Ice Cream Roll

Everybody's a winner with this game!

In an empty 1 pound coffee can combine your favorite ice-cream recipe Just remember to use only date sugar, maple sugar, or honey for sweetener and no cow's milk. If you'll be using Fruit in your ice cream eat it on an empty stomach. If you have a large crowd and can easily consume 3 cans of ice cream then try this red, white, and blue treat.

Tip: Since I like to make my eggs with 1 whites for each whole egg I use and hate throwing the yolks away I save the yolks and use them for custard in the winter and ice-cream in the summer.

Blue Ice Cream

Puree in blender

5 egg yolks
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 - 1/2 cup unrefined sugar (taste the mixture before freezing to determine if you want to add more sweetener)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
2 cups heavy cream

Pour into 1 pound coffee can. Cover with the plastic lid. Spread a layer of ice cubes or crushed ice along the bottom of a 5 pound coffee can. Top with rock or table salt. place the smaller can inside the larger can, surround with alternating layers of ice and salt, then cover the larger can.

Have kids sit about 10 feet apart and roll the can between them for 15-30 minutes. As the ice melts, empty out the water and replace with new ice/salt mix.

You'll end up with soft ice cream, which you can eat immediately or put in the freezer to harden.

Red Ice Cream

Substitute raspberries, strawberries or cherries for the blueberries.

White Ice Cream

Eliminate all Fruit or use apples, bananas, or pears.

Variations:
Add up to 1 tablespoon Fruit-flavored liqueur that matches the Fruit you're using. For the white ice cream add up to 1 tablespoon any clear liquor.

Melted leftover ice cream can be poured into baggies or ice-cube trays, frozen and used in Fruit Shakes the next morning.

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Vegetarians look for the Veggie or Non-Dairy Version following many of the Protein recipes.

Flag Pizza

This is really a Tomato-Mozzarella Tart with some cosmetic changes.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Oil a baking sheet with a lip. Spread Protein Bread batter to cover bottom of sheet. Bake 15 minutes.

Stack 3 slices of pre-sliced Cheddar cheese (or thinly slice some Cheddar yourself). Press star-shaped cookie cutter through in 4 places to end up with 12 stars.

Slice 3 large tomatoes and overlap them on top of crust to completely cover. Arrange stars in left-hand corner. Cut 5 string-cheese sticks in half length-wise and place in rows (or thinly slice some mozzarella and cut into rows for flag).

Bake about 9 minutes until cheese is melted.

Cut into squares and pack for picnic or serve from the pan for a barbecue.

Variations:
Sprinkle any of these on the crust before adding tomato slices.

Dairy-free version:
Use nondairy cheese in Protein Bread.
In place of cheese for stars use yellow peppers or yellow squash.
In place of mozzarella for stripes use parboiled (2 minutes) and peeled zucchini, pre-cooked onions, or fennel cut in strips.

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Feta Salad

Allright, it's a Greek salad at a 4th of July picnic, but it works so well with the Italian influenced Flag Pizza. Come to think of it, it's perfect that a 4th of July menu should include dishes from the many different countries which make up the foundation of our own country. So, no apologies and the rest of the recipes for this picnic will reflect our varied American cultures.

Make this salad up at least 1 hour before serving so that the cucumber and tomato have a chance to release their juices which will become part of the dressing.

Stir together

1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped red onion or scallion
24 olives, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Add 2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped, 2 small cucumbers, coarsely chopped. Taste and adjust seasoning. Just before serving stir well to distribute tomato and cucumber juices.

Dairy-free version:
Use crumbled firm or extra-firm tofu in place of feta cheese. You may want to marinate it with a little balsamic vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil (just enough to coat the tofu), salt and pepper for 30 minutes before adding to the salad, or for a subtler taste, marinate in very strong veggie broth, drain and gently pat dry with towel.

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Grilled Eggplant

Peel eggplant and slice into half-inch-thick rounds. Brush or spray both sides with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper (optional). Grill about 4-5 minutes per side, until a fork pierces the middle of a slice with little or no resistance. Arrange on a platter and serve with one or more Bruschettas.

Black Olive Bruschetta

Here's one Bruschetta recipe I've provided just so you can print out the entire menu from this page, but you can also check out the Bruschetta recipes I've provided at Salsas & Bruschettas . Just remember to use a Bruschetta that's compatible with a Protein Meal. Spread on grilled Protein Bread or Grilled Eggplant slices.

Puree

14-ounce can black olives, pitted
1/2 onion, preferably red
1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
(2 cloves roasted or fresh garlic)
salt and black pepper to taste
(1 tablespoon capers)

Pour into small dish, in middle of large platter and surround with Grilled Eggplant slices and Protein Bread if you have any around.

Herbed Goat Cheese

You could use all goat cheese instead of the nondairy cream cheese. I like to use nondairy products so that I'm eating less dairy, yet not sacrificing the taste.

Mash together with fork

1/2 cup nondairy cream cheese or tofu
4 ounces chévre goat cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped chives or scallions
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
sea salt to taste
black pepper to taste

Spread on grilled Protein Bread or Grilled Eggplant slices.

barbecue recipes

Southwestern Shrimp

Cover 16 large dried corn husks and kitchen string with boiling water. Let soak for at least an hour. If you can't get hold of dried corn husks use aluminum foil instead (no need to soak in water).

Peel and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices 2 red onions. Brush with oil and season with sea salt and black pepper. Grill, turning until lightly charred, about 5 minutes.

Drain corn husks and open flat. Overlap the wide ends of 2 corn husks to make a package. Repeat to make 8 packages. If you're using aluminium foil cut into 8-10-inch squares. Divide grilled onions among corn husks and top each with 2 jumbo shrimp (16 total jumbo shrimp), about 1 pound, peeled and deveined, and 2 tablespoons of Charred Chile Salsa.Fold corn husk edges firmly around filling and tie ends with kitchen string.

Place packages on grill. Grill without turning until shrimp is opaque, about 10-15 minutes.

Garnish with 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into strips, chopped cilantro or cilantro sprigs, and 4 limes cut into wedges.

Meat-free version
Use assortment of veggies in place of shrimp:

Charred Chile Salsa

Brush with oil

2 red, yellow or orange bell peppers
8 tomatillos, husked
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/2 small white onion, peeled

Thread garlic onto skewer that has been soaked in water for at least 30 minutes (or use a metal skewer).

Grill vegetables, turning, until charred 5-15 minutes.

Lightly grill 3 dried New Mexico chilies, turning often, for about 1 minute (do not allow to burn), or brush with oil 2 green chilies and char with rest of veggies.

Peel, core and quarter the bell peppers. Peel garlic. Core tomatillos. Stem and seed chilies.

In a food processor or blender, coarsely chop bell pepper and chilies. Add tomatillos, garlic, onion, 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice,and 2 teaspoons date or maple sugar. Coarsely chop. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

After spooning on top of shrimp add 1 large chopped tomato to remainder and use as garnish for shrimp.

If you'd like to prepare the salsa the day before and don't want to fire up the grill just roast in the oven instead of grilling.

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Beverages

Berry Lemonade

Puree in blender or food processor

1 cup unrefined sugar or honey
1 ½ cup fresh lemon or lime juice
1 cup berries

Strain through fine sieve or cheesecloth lined colander into large pitcher or thermos. Add 5 cups filtered water. Chill or freeze in plastic bottles to use in cooler.

Iced Zinger Tea

Pick up one of the Celestial Seasonings Zinger teas. Make it up as a sun tea. Chill or freeze in plastic bottles.

Resources

SeafoodS.com your one-stop source for quality seafood. You'll love their fresh products and fast delivery.

Tupperware.com packable, stackable, durable.

Publishers Pipeline carries ice cream makers and barbecue supplies, which are FREE or nearly so after rebate.

OmahaSteaks

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