Celebrating Father’s Day with Summer Fresh #FreshBBQ

Father’s Day is a day to celebrate Dad.

Though we appreciate the important men in our lives every day, Father’s Day is a great time to remind them of how special they really are to us.  In our family, we celebrate with gathering together and sharing a meal.  On special occasions like Father’s Day, we let Daddy and Grampy choose their favourite dish.  It seems that Father’s Day and BBQ go hand in hand!  Everyone loves getting together and enjoying a family meal on the patio!  Sunshine, warm weather, good food and the BBQ going…nothing more perfect than that!  Oh, yes…celebrating the important dads in our lives!

Celebrating Father’s Day BBQ with Summer Fresh

To accompany some favourite BBQ dishes, we have some of our favourite Summer Fresh dips.  Summer Fresh Tzatziki goes perfectly with Souvlaki!  Little One loves Summer Fresh Roasted Red Pepper Hummus on everything!  It’s great on a homemade burger barbecued  on the grill with some avocado, red onion, and lettuce!  Little One loves the Summer Fresh Baba Ghanouj on toasted pita as a snack or an appetizer.

For variety (and because I’m Filipino and Filipinos always worry that we don’t make enough food for parties), both chicken and beef souvlaki are on the menu!  I would have made pork souvlaki, but we’re beef farmers and had beef on hand.

Super Fast and Easy Souvlaki Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 lbs chicken breasts (or 2 lbs beef or pork)
• juice of 1 lemon
• oregano
• garlic
• salt & black pepper
• 1 container of Summer Fresh Tzatziki
• 1-2 packages of pita bread
• lettuce, chopped
• tomato, sliced
• onion, sliced
• olives, pitted

Instructions

1. Cut meat into bite-sized cubes and in a large bowl, marinate in lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. I prefer to marinate overnight, but if you don’t have time, an hour or two will do. Soak bamboo skewers in water so they don’t burn when you put them on the BBQ.
2. Heat BBQ to high (450-500 F).
3. Arrange meat cubes on bamboo skewers, leaving a few inches at the bottom so you can handle the skewers.  If you leave too much space, your sticks/skewers will burn.
4. Place meat skewers on BBQ grill and cook for 5 minutes or until done.
5. Once cooked, remove kebabs from BBQ grill and transfer to serving tray. Let rest.
6. To assemble your souvlaki, one a pita, arrange lettuce, BBQ’d meat (removed from bamboo skewer), tomato, onion, olives and add a generous helping of Summer Fresh Tzatziki. Fold like a wrap and enjoy!  Let guests assemble their own souvlaki!  It makes for a fun, interactive dining experience.

Want to REALLY WOW Dad this Father’s Day?

In keeping with the tzatziki and BBQ theme, this Summer Fresh Tzatziki Mozzarella McCain® Spicy Wedges & Ribs recipe looks delicious! This is definitely a “must-make” for Father’s Day BBQ!  Though I know souvlaki is a favourite for everyday BBQ in our house, Father’s Day is  a special occasion.  Hubby, being a farmer, is a veritable meat and potatoes kind of guy.  Kicking off a Father’s Day BBQ with this as an appy makes things a bit more exciting! With McCain wedges, the recipe possibilities are virtually endless!  They’re more than just sides!  They can become appys or even part of a main!

My six year old daughter is all about the dipping!  She likes to think that she invented dipping McCain wedges into Summer Fresh Dips!  She thinks she was the one who first thought of dipping the wedges into tzatziki!  I won’t burst her bubble.

The bottom line?

Dip them, use them as part of a dish, dress them up…go wild!

We can’t forget about our veggies!  The aroma of grilled vegetables to me is intoxicating!  I cannot get enough of grilled eggplant, zucchini or peppers!  Summer Fresh Baba and Parmesan Veggie Stacks will make you look like a rock star this Father’s Day or at any BBQ party!  Do you have a pot luck to attend?  The Summer Fresh Baba and Parmesan Veggie Stacks are sure to impress!  We’re big fans of Summer Fresh Baba Ghanouj, so coupled with my favourite grilled veggies, they make a heavenly side or appetizer! 

Seriously, how incredible does that look?

The above recipe calls for Grande Cheese Shaved Parmesan Petals, which are most widely available at Costco.  Oh. I’m salivating just thinking of the grilled veggies, Summer Fresh Baba Ghanouj and Grande Cheese Shaved Parmesan Petals!  You can also go for Greek-Italian fusion by using the Grande Cheese Shaved Parmesan in a Greek salad!

It’s not a proper celebration without good food (and lots of it)!  These recipes are the perfect accompaniment to any BBQ and will help make this Father’s Day BBQ celebration a special and perfect one!

For more delicious BBQ recipe ideas, visit the Summer Fresh BBQ microsite!  I’ve already bookmarked the site for future reference!  I know what I’ll be making for BBQ potlucks this Summer!

How will you be celebrating Father’s Day this year?

For more information on Summer Fresh dips, hummus and sauces, visit the Summer Fresh website.  Connect with Summer Fresh on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram as well!