The warm weather has truly arrived in most parts of Australia. One of the great things about this time of year is that we often get to spend more time outdoors – whether that’s on the beach or having a BBQ with friends and family.

If you are entertaining guests or preparing for parties throughout the festive season, you will be asking yourself  the question, ‘What am I going to cook?’.

It’s likely that your guests will appreciate having some healthy options available so we’ve put together some tasty recipe ideas from our Healthy Food Healthy Planet recipe library to provide some inspiration!

You’re having a BBQ:

• Try barbequeing corn on the cob by brushing with a little oil and smoked paprika for a smoky Mid-West flavour.
• Make your own high fibre burger patties by using lean beef mince, tinned lentils and herbs.
• Choose lean sausages as regular barbequing sausages are often very high in saturated fat.
• Offer a few salads for variety and to balance out all that meat that typically comes with an Aussie barbeque. Our Roast Pumpkin and Walnut Salad and Green Quinoa Salad with Pistachio Pesto Dressing are both crowd pleasers.
• Instead of a large dessert selection, make up a big platter of fresh fruit now that the warmer weather is bringing us the best fresh produce. Frozen grapes, strawberries and mango slices will be a sure hit on a hot day.

When you’re asked to bring a plate:

• Why not whip up a quick homemade dip using a food processor? Our vegetable based homemade Beetroot and Chickpea Dip  can be ready in minutes.
• A plate of fresh fruit kebabs is a great choice to share with others. Fresh, colourful and quick to prepare. Cut fruit into interesting shapes with cookie cutters or use a melon baller.

You want to try something a bit fancy, but still healthy:

• Couscous is a really versatile food that is easy to prepare with impressive results. Choosing wholemeal couscous and adding lots of colourful vegetables will create a high fibre, eye-catching side dish. For recipe inspiration try our Tangy Broccolini Couscous which can be made in advance.

• Canapés. If you haven’t cooked with wonton wrappers, now is the time! Wonton wrappers are available from the refrigerated section of the supermarket and can be baked in mini muffins trays to form little tart shells perfect for filling with a sweet or savoury filling. This is a much healthier alternative to pastry and gives a very crunchy result. See recipe here 

More healthy swaps:

• Replace high fat mayonnaise based dressings with a mix of reduced fat plain yoghurt, Dijon mustard and lemon juice. A great dressing for pasta salads or coleslaw.
• If using frozen pastry, look for reduced fat varieties to cut down on saturated fat.

For more healthy recipe inspiration visit:  www.healthyfoodhealthyplanet.org