The BBQ has been declared a man’s domain for too long. Personally I’m not entirely opposed to that since it means a lot less work for me. But when the boys are away the girls will play with the fire left unattended and that’s precisely what my friends and I did this past weekend. Now, it’s only the middle of July and I’ve indulged in more beer and burgers than I care to admit, which maybe you can relate to. Why are we so set in our ways around the BBQ when it has endless potential for the creation of delectable dishes that don’t leave you stuffed with ground beef and regret for wearing a fitted dress? When planning the menu for this recent ‘que I made a point of avoiding all things burger and instead made fresh Ontario produce, colour and flavour a priority.

At a backyard BBQ my favourite appetizer is a refreshing and albeit boozy bevy. So I swirled up a little ice, Hendricks gin, cucumber, lime, soda and mint cocktail to wet our whistles. General consensus was two saucy thumbs up. I won’t impose a recipe but I’ll caution that mason jars are deceivingly large.

The menu kicked off with the Sriracha Glazed Chicken Skewers (Bon Appetit July p.69).

Then, on a skewer trend, Grilled Tarragon Shrimp and Mango Bean Salad got involved (Food & Drink Summer p.193).

For lighter fare we opted for Grilled Watermelon Feta & Arugula (recipe) alongside a Pesto Cherry Tomato & Basil Pasta Salad (recipe).

Then, of course, we had corn on the cob, green beans and pineapple on deck.

We polished off the dinner with homemade blackberry and fro yo popsicles (recipe). Ok so we weren’t eager to do jumping jacks or bust out bikinis but we were definitely proud of ourselves for masterfully and healthily getting our grill on!

What non-burgery treats you’re serving at your next BBQ?