Roundups
I’m having trouble believing next this weekend is Labor Day weekend.
Source
Labor Day weekend. The end of white pants, white shoes, and more importantly, the symbolic end of summer. Kids are back in school and the mornings are damp with a dew. The chill in the air suggests the whisper of the impending fall, but it quickly fades and is replaced by the muggy summer heat we’ve become so familiar with the last few months.
I’m looking forward to fall like you wouldn’t believe: hoodies, scarves, boots, and lattes. Apples, pumpkins, cloves, and nutmeg. But part of me is mourning the end of summer. There were no weekends on the boat this year. No wakeboarding adventures. No wine festivals. No concerts on the lawn and no running races.
But our summer was full of plenty of joy: laughing, reaching, crawling, standing. The milestones we watched this summer were far more important than a few extra moments basking in the sun.
The cooler weather means more walks and runs with baby. Maybe some family bike rides. Hikes and hopefully some apple picking. But first we have to send off summer in style. With good food of course. 
Pull out that grill one more time and use it to add that unmistakable flavor to your burgers, buns, and veggies. Your Labor Day feast doesn’t have to mean mayo-laden potato salad and coleslaw, hot dogs and cheeseburgers. Think outside the box and keep things light and fresh this time around with some of these healthy labor day food ideas:
Black Bean and Roasted Corn Nacho Bites with Avocado Crema
Chickpea Quinoa Pineapple Burgers
Potato Rolls
Oven “Fried” Pickles with Skinny Herb Buttermilk Ranch Dip
Grilled Pesto Potatoes
Grilled Corn-on-the-Cob
Honey Balsamic Roasted Cherries
White Peach Cardamom Crumble
A unique burger, scratch made buns, fun veggie sides, and out-of-the-box desserts with end-of-summer fresh fruit. What better way to celebrate the end of a wonderful season?
BACARDÍ Classic Cocktails Light is a new line of low calorie, ready to serve cocktails. At less than 95 calories for a 4-ounce serving, BACARDÍ Classic Cocktails Light is available in Pina Colada and Mojito flavors and is made with natural flavors, real juice and pure cane sugar. Whether enjoying a favorite cocktail after a long day or throwing a party, BACARDÍ Classic Cocktails deliver classic cocktail taste that’s a hit with friends, won’t add inches to your waistline and won’t take all day to prepare.
Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Bacardi via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Bacardi.
Join Bacardi in sending summer off in style tomorrow night for a chance to win $100 & $150 gift cards from Sur La Table during their chat on the ‘best of’ summer entertaining tips.
*Images belong to posts they are linked to.
Recipe
What? Some of you don’t like tomatoes? Blasphemy.
Oh, right. I’m one of them. Hence the cooked salsa. Cooked tomatoes I can do. Raw? No thanks.
So sometimes a non tomato based salsa is just what you need.
Since I already had Chipotle’s rice on the brain, this seemed like the perfect salsa to add to the repertoire: roasted corn salsa.
Mild poblano peppers; plump juicy corn; the bite of red onion & cilantro; the tang of lime juice…who needs those silly tomatoes?
You can certainly skip the roasting step, but it’s worth the extra few minutes; it’s really what gives this corn salsa a real bang.
by Heather Neal
Keywords: appetizer snack vegetarian vegan Mexican Southwest
- 2 cups sweet yellow corn kernels
- 1 poblano pepper, seeded
- 1 small red onion, chopped {~1/4 cup}
- 2 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- Squirt of lime juice
Mix corn, pepper, and onion together.
Spread on baking sheet and place under broiler for ~10 minutes. Cooking time will varying based on stove- keep an eye on it and remove when just starts to brown.
Stir in cilantro and lime juice.
Let cool before serving.
Powered by
What are your favorite non-tomato salsa flavors?
PS. There’s a new Nasoya tofu giveaway winner…is it you?!
Dinner
One of my favorite things to grill are stuffed peppers. Sometimes it can be hard to get in on the grilling action when you’re not into meat. Sure veggies & fruits are fun, but they’re not a meal by themselves.
Stuffed peppers, however, are an awesome veggie option, and just seem to taste so much better with a little char on the outside. 😉
Black Bean Stuffed Bell Peppers
2 red bell peppers
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 cup cooked barley
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves
Chopped jalapenos (optional)
Seasonings to taste: garlic & onion powder, cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin
Slice tops of peppers to form “bowl”. Chop pepper tops and sauté with onions & garlic. Stir together barley, black beans, and onion mixture; add in seasonings. Fill peppers, and place on grill over medium-high heat.
Cook until outside begins to char or bubble. Top with cheese of choice. (Veggie cheddar for me, real deal mozz for the husband.)
Since it’s physically impossible to grill without an adult beverage, I of course had one.
The peppers were served alongside some creamed corn. (For some reason the husband really wanted “creamy corn”. His wish is my demand. Trust me, it’s just easier that way.;)) [This was Green Giant’s version- good & fairly light too.]
It was definitely a bright & colorful dinner- and very good too!
These peppers turned out much better than my last attempt at stuffed peppers– although those weren’t bad- these were just better!
Now if only I can wiggle out a little room for a cinnamon roll dessert! 😉
