BBQ Hero Sidekicks

BBQ season is here….

...and we have everything you need for the perfect side dishes for your backyard party! After months of being in quarantine we know that you need to spend some quality time with your friends and family and what better way to do that than creating delicious dishes for them to enjoy!

Let’s start off by beating the Toronto heat with cool and refreshing salads to accompany your grilled favourites. Whether you’re grilling burgers, hotdogs, chicken or steak, you’ll always need something refreshing to go with it. Forget about the hassle of chopping and gathering ingredients for a gourmet salad, Fresh Attitude provides salad kits that will take you seconds to prepare! Try out their Caesar Salad Kit that suits as a side dish for almost anything that you plan on grilling.

Grilling fish or shrimp skewers?

 A refreshing garden salad or coleslaw is a must! Dole prepackaged salads are the quickest addition to your BBQ, just add a simple dressing and you’re good to go! Briannas offers a wide variety of gourmet salad dressings that will provide quality taste with minimal effort.

Another backyard must is pasta salad. If you need a super quick side dish, you must try our Antica Fusilli. This spiral pasta holds onto all of the ingredients and sauces that you incorporate in your dish, making it the perfect type of pasta for a burst of flavour with every forkful! We apologize in advance if this dish steals the spotlight from your grillables  – oops! Here is one of our must try recipes..

PASTA SALAD

1 pound dried pasta like fusilli, penne, rotini or farfalle (bow tie)

1 cup sliced bell pepper (1 medium)

1 cup thinly sliced zucchini (1/2 medium)

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions (5 to 6)

1/4 cup sliced pepperoncini or banana peppers, optional

1 cup (4 ounces) halved mixed olives

1 cup (2 ounces) grated parmesan cheese or hard cheese

1 cup (6 ounces) fresh mozzarella balls, chopped

1/3 cup fresh parsley or basil, optional

HOMEMADE DRESSING

1/3 cup red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 to 3 tablespoons juice from pepperoncini jar, optional

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender, 6 to 10 minutes (check the package for recommended cook time). Drain and rinse well under cold water.

While the pasta cooks, in the bottom of a large bowl, make the dressing. Whisk the red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, oregano, pepperoncini juice (if using), and the olive oil until blended. Add the drained and rinsed pasta to the dressing and mix well.

Stir in the bell pepper, zucchini, tomatoes, scallions, pepperoncini (if using), olives, parmesan, mozzarella, and the herbs (if using). Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as needed. Serve or for the best results, cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 5 days

Meat doesn’t always have to be the main, stay tuned for more recipes and tips that will make your summer the best!

Mangia Mangia!