Sensational sides
Side dishes and appetisers are a host’s secret weapon. Simple to prepare ahead of time and easily loaded up with fresh fruit and veggies, they’re a cost effective way of making sure your guests get their fill.
We’ve compiled a quick cheat sheet of simple, tasty dishes, packed with flavour to give you some extra inspiration.
Appetisers
Delicious appetisers will keep your guests happy until the BBQ is fired up. To avoid guests filling up before the main course, keep them light, skip the processed snacks and serve up a range of healthy dishes. Be sure to place your platters in a cool, shady location.
- Veggie sticks with homemade dips
- Roasted chickpeas
- Vegetarian spring rolls
Sides
A fresh, healthy salad is the perfect BBQ accompaniment. Keep salads interesting by using a variety of flavours (sweet, salty, tart) and textures (crunchy, soft, hard). You can also add a carbohydrate like pasta, rice, couscous or quinoa to make the dish more filling. Limit creamy, oily dressings by making your own using healthier oils like olive, canola and sunflower. Experiment with different ingredients such as the below if you’re feeling adventurous, or keep it simple – sometimes a squeeze of lemon juice and a little olive oil is all you need. Here are some ingredients you could try in healthy salad dressings:
- Citrus juice and zest
- Fresh herbs
- Crushed garlic
- Vinegars
- Mustards and chutneys
- Low-salt soy sauce
- Honey
You can prepare your salads up to 24 hours before your event, but be sure to leave dressing to the side until you are ready to serve. For maximum freshness, place salads in a cool, shady spot, keep them covered and consider serving them ‘on-ice’.
Need some salad inspiration? Check out the recipes below!
