Summer may be coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean the festivities are over quite yet! Labor Day is just around the corner—which means a day off from work (whoo hoo!) and backyard BBQ’s with lots of delicious food!

In case you hadn’t given much thought to what dish you’ll be bringing to the party – we’ve complied some inspiration courtesy of our favorite food bloggers.

Hope you enjoy!

1 – Quinoa and Corn Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing

Ingredients

3 cups cooked quinoa
4 tablespoons honey
Juice of 2 limes
3/4 cup corn
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

1. Cook Quinoa.
2. Stir honey and juice of limes with a whisk in a ramekin. Set aside.
3. While quinoa has 5 minutes left in cooking, heat coconut oil (or your oil on hand) in a pan over medium high heat.
4. When oil is hot, add tomato halves and corn with salt and ground pepper. Stir to combine and quickly heat for about 5 minutes through until softer and heated through.
5. When quinoa has finished cooking, stir in the honey lime mixture into the quinoa and using a wooden spoon, turn over a few times to combine.
6. Add the corn and cherry tomatoes and stir again to combine.
7. On a serving plate, add quinoa salad and top with feta cheese.
8. Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over and garnish with chopped herbs. (optional)

Source: Jessica in the Kitchen 

2 –  Caprese Quinoa Bake

Ingredients

1¼ cups uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 cups petite Roma or cherry tomatoes, halved (I used a blend of red and yellow tomatoes, but all red is fine.)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
2 small shallots, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup packed basil leaves, thinly sliced
4 ounces fresh part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated (about 1 cup of grated cheese)
8 ounces fresh part-skim mozzarella cheese, sliced into 1/4–inch rounds
2 beefsteak tomatoes, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
¼ cup balsamic vinegar

Instructions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a small pot, bring the quinoa and 1¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons water to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook, covered, for 15 minutes until all of the water has been absorbed. Let the quinoa rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
3. While the quinoa is cooking, place the halved tomatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and fresh ground pepper. Transfer to the oven and roast for 10 minutes until they’re tender and the skins have started to burst.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. When hot, add the minced shallots and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the shallots have become translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
5. In a large bowl combine the quinoa, roasted tomatoes, cooked shallots and garlic, and basil. Stir in the grated mozzarella and season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
6. Transfer the quinoa mixture to a large skillet and smooth the top. (Yes, you can use a round, square or rectangular baking dish if that’s what you have. Duh.)
7. Starting in the center, overlap slices of tomatoes and mozzarella in a small circle. Make a second circle of overlapping tomatoes and mozzarella, covering the surface of the quinoa. (If you’re using a square or rectangular dish, just make two lines of overlapping tomatoes and mozzarella and call it a day.)
8. Cover the skillet loosely with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and lightly browned.
9. While your quinoa bake is in the oven, place the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 3-5 minutes until the vinegar becomes syrupy. Remove from the heat and set aside.
10. Sprinkle your quinoa bake with freshly sliced basil and drizzle with the balsamic reduction. Serve immediately.

Source: Domesticate me

3 – Orzo and Wild Rice Salad

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked wild rice
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta white or wheat
2 Tbsp . dried cranberries
2 Tbsp . golden raisins
1 shallot minced
1 yellow orange, or purple bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup toasted cashews
handful of fresh parsley chopped
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp . honey
2 Tbsp . red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp . balsamic vinegar
1 tsp . dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Soak the golden raisins and cranberries in the orange juice to soften.
2. Cook the orzo in plenty of salted water according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
3. Cook the wild rice according to package directions. Fluff with a fork and remove from heat.
4. While the rice and orzo are cooking, chop the shallot, bell pepper, cashews, and parsley and set aside.
5. Combine the rice and orzo with a drizzle of oil to keep it from sticking together. Add the shallot, bell pepper, cashews, and parsley.
6. Remove the cranberries and golden raisins from the orange juice and toss in the salad. Reserve the juice for the vinaigrette.
7. Add both vinegars, orange juice, dijon mustard, honey, salt and pepper, and whisk. Whisk in olive oil until emulsified. You can also just shake it in a mason jar to combine.
8. Toss all the ingredients with the dressing and serve immediately warm, or chill in the fridge and serve cold.
9. Can be made up to a day in advance.

Source: Bessie Bakes

4 – Grilled Peach, Basil and Goat Cheese Pizza

Ingredients

1 1/2 grilled/roasted peaches , pitted and sliced
1/4 cup chopped basil
1 pizza dough, homemade or store-bought + olive oil to brush (gluten free if necessary)
4 oz / 113 g goat cheese
Balsamic Reduction Sauce

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1-2 tablespoons coconut sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat up your grill to high heat. If you have a coal grill, set it so that your pizza is over the direct heat. I make that in the centre of the grill. You can grill your peaches from beforehand, or right before.
2. Have all your toppings on a table beside the grill for when you’re ready to use them.
3. Flour a clean working surface lightly and roll out or stretch the pizza dough with your hands to about a 12-inch circle (or as thick or thin as you desire, just ensure it is even throughout). Don’t do a rimmed crust since it will give difficulties while cooking on the grill.
4. Brush one side of the dough with olive oil.
5. When the grill is heated, place the olive oil brushed side down onto the grill. Cook for about 2-4 minutes until grill marks appear and dough begins to cook. Your dough may begin to get air pockets on the top side of the pizza. Check after it’s been on for 2 minutes to ensure the crust doesn’t burn.
6. When you’re ready to flip the dough, ensure all your ingredients are ready. Flip the dough and begin arrange the ingredients quickly on the pizza. Close the grill and allow to cook through for about 3 to 5 minutes, checking periodically for doneness and to ensure the crust doesn’t burn. If it begins to burn, move to an indirect part of the grill so that it can continue to cook. Check to ensure the dough is completely cooked and remove and slice accordingly.
7. Drizzle with balsamic reduction. Allow to cool slightly, then slice and enjoy!

Balsamic Reduction

In a pot over medium high heat, heat all the ingredients and stir. Watch carefully – the glaze should begin to thicken after 5 minutes and you want it thick enough to stick to the back of a spoon, but not to thicken into a glob. It becomes very thick very quickly so watch carefully.
Once glaze has thickened, remove from heat.

Source: Jessica in the Kitchen 

5 – Greek Yogurt Fruit Tart

Ingredients

15 Medjool dates, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes1
1 and 1/2 cups raw unsalted cashews2
1 cup Greek yogurt (I use vanilla, but any flavor works)
assorted sliced fresh fruit.

Directions

1. Spray the bottom of a 9-inch tart or cake pan or a pie dish with nonstick spray and line the pan with parchment paper on top. Set aside. (The spray helps the parchment stick to the pan, making spreading the crust easier. The parchment prevents the crust from sticking to the pan. If you don’t mind the taste of nonstick spray on the crust, you don’t have to use parchment. Just spray the pan with the nonstick spray and add the crust.)
2. Make sure your dates are soft by soaking in warm water for 10 minutes. Make sure you drain them and chop in half before using.
3. Pulse the dates and cashews together until thick “dough” is formed and the cashews are all broken up, as pictured above.
4. The dough will be moist from the oil in the nuts. Press evenly into prepared tart pan and partly up the sides.
5. Spread the yogurt on top of the crust. Decorate with fresh fruit. Slice, serve, enjoy.
6. Make ahead tip: The crust can be made 1-2 days in advance. Cover tightly and keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
7. Continue with step 4. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Source: Sally’s Baking Addiction

Hope you Enjoy all the recipes! Which one is your favorite? Go ahead and try it this weekend!! 😉