Barbecues are as essential to summer as sunny days and warm, starry nights. Why not make this popular summer tradition more unique and healthy this year? All you need are the right ingredients and the perfect setting.
To begin, swap out your traditional charcoal grill for an electric or gas grill. You can also grill on lava or granite stones. If you must stick with the classics, ensure the grill is clean, use high-quality charcoal, and wait for the flames to subside. For fattier meals, grill over a drip tray to avoid the formation of carcinogens and irritants.
Lighten the menu. Opt for leaner foods and marinate them before grilling. A great and popular lighter dish is vegetables. Tomatoes, courgettes, aubergines, peppers, corn, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and celery are all delicious options, with kohlrabi being a delightful surprise. Vegetables can be complemented perfectly with mushrooms, tofu or cheeses such as halloumi. Did you know that you can also create an interesting dishes with fruit? Apples, mango, peach or pineapple are great for grilling.
Grilling with essential oils
While grilling imparts a distinct flavour to food, you can elevate it even further. Everything needs to be seasoned first. For this purpose, quality salt, for example finely ground BEWIT Himalayan Pink Salt, freshly ground BEWIT Black Pepper, fresh herbs, quality vegetable oils. You may be surprised to learn that you can use essential oils as well.
But be careful—when it comes to those, less is often more. Essential oils are a concentrated power of nature. They are full of active substances, so they should be dosed more carefully than mother herbs. Their flavouring properties are also considerably stronger. In other words, if you overdo it, the oil can overpower the other ingredients, ruining the balance of flavours.
What is the procedure of using essential oils for flavouring? Dip the tip of a toothpick in essential oil and stir it in 20 ml of your favourite edible vegetable oil (e.g. sunflower, olive, etc.). Season the dish with a few drops of this mixture.
Only essential oils from certain types of plants can be used in the kitchen. From those, choose only certified, 100% pure and natural oils. BEWIT products suitable for this purpose include BEWIT Coriander, BEWIT Cumin, BEWIT Rosemary, BEWIT Thyme, BEWIT Oregano or BEWIT Marjoram.
The basis for success is the perfect marinade
Surprise your guests with an oriental taste and marinate the ingredients in a bright yellow marinade with turmeric. Mix the juice of one lemon, half a cup of good quality BEWIT Sunflower Oil, 2 teaspoons of BEWIT Turmeric Powder, three chopped garlic cloves, a quarter teaspoon of ground ginger, a pinch of cumin and smoked paprika, dried oregano, dried dill, BEWIT Himalayan Pink Salt - finely ground and BEWIT Black Pepper whole. You can replace some herbs in the composition with essential oil, e.g. BEWIT Caraway or BEWIT Oregano.
Minimalist, yet full of flavour is the Italian-style marinade. Include a cup of BEWIT Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Crete in Organic Quality, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 2 crushed garlic cloves, leaves from 2 sprigs of rosemary and 2 bay leaves to crush in your hands. If you want to accentuate the aroma of rosemary, replace the herb with BEWIT Rosemary essential oil.
Fans of healthy food will be delighted with fresh salad and vegetable spread
It wouldn´t be the proper barbecue without a crispy salad. Its preparation is simple. Just chop and season your choice of fresh vegetables.
Try the spicy vinaigrette with apple cider vinegar. Stir or shake thoroughly in a sealed jar 1/3 cup BEWIT extra virgin olive oil from Crete in organic quality, 1/4 cup BEWIT apple cider vinegar in organic quality, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon Provençal herbs, BEWIT Himalayan pink salt - finely ground and freshly ground BEWIT whole black pepper. You can also use an essential oil for this dressing, for example BEWIT Thyme. This is the herb that forms the basis of the Provencal mix and will make your salad wonderfully fragrant.
Of course, you can refine the salad to your taste. Nuts or various seeds are perfect when you want to increase the nutritional value of your dish, such as BEWIT Hemp seeds peeled in organic quality, pumpkin, or sesame seeds.
To diversify your table, consider adding one-dish cakes topped with vegetable spreads. Enhance their flavour with freeze-dried powders like BEWIT Broccoli Freeze-Dried Powder from BIO RAW.
A sweet treat at the end is a must
The feast can be topped off with the popular raw brownies flavoured and decorated with BEWIT Beetroot - juice powder, BIO RAW or homemade ice cream. Our tip - ice cream with sour cherries, vanilla and BEWIT Plum oil in organic quality. Thanks to its marzipan flavour, it adds an unsuspected dimension to the ice cream. And because it contains a great deal of good-for-your-body substances, it will justify this somewhat more calorie-dense dessert after a light grilling.