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Tasty extras
Ideas for herbs, spices, dips and desserts!
Why not try herbs and spices?
Use herbs to add flavour instead of salt. Choose garlic, chillies, lemongrass, rosemary, sage, dill etc. For example, add rosemary to lamb chops and barbecue. These are also excellent eaten cold for picnics. Add dill and lemon to trout or salmon. Herbs also provide excellent flavour if added to the barbecue coals and burnt.
Spices like cardamom, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, vanilla and nutmeg can add the flavour of sweetness without adding sugar. All these are available in your local supermarket. Mix allspice or nutmeg with oats and use as a topping on fruit pies or tarts. Add cinnamon to brewing coffee.
Add ginger and fruit juice to frozen berries and liquidize to make a glaze. This glaze can then be used over fresh fruit or as a dip with fruit slices.
Sumptuous dips and desserts
Bring savoury dip platters alive with sugar snaps, green beans, baby potatoes, olives, gherkins, pickled onions and capers. These add interest to the traditional vegetable strips, baked tortilla chips, low fat crisps, rice cakes, crackers and bread sticks. Choose low fat dips like salsa, relish (e.g. mango, sweet pepper or tomato relish) and mustard etc.
Dessert dip platters are enjoyable and could include seasonal berries (e.g. strawberries, raspberries etc.), fresh fruit kebabs, nuts or dried fruit. Fabulous dessert dips include low fat yogurt, ground spices like cinnamon, fruit glaze (see above), vanilla custard, mascarpone cheese, citrus juice and zest etc.
Get loads of tips on healthy barbecues and picnics.
This information was provided by the Community Nutrition & Dietetic Service of the Health Promotion Department, HSE Dublin North East.
