Labor Day weekend is our official cue that summer is coming to an end. So what better way to celebrate the occasion than with a festive food spread? We're loving any excuse to whip out seasonal, flavor-packed recipes, and these 10 options fit the (meal) ticket.
From grill-friendly entrees (like this teriyaki burger recipe) to light and zesty sides (chips and guac? yes please!) to delicious desserts that'll cool you down, here's what's on our list for the long holiday weekend.
1. healthy teriyaki turkey burgers
Yields 4 Burgers
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 medium-size zucchini, grated and squeezed of excess moisture
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 t freshly grated ginger
- 1 T maple syrup (can swap with honey or a finely chopped medjool date)
- 1 T coconut aminos
- 1 T pineapple juice
- 1 T coconut flour
- 1 t salt flakes
- 1/2 t black pepper
- 2-4 scoops Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides®
Additional toppings: Romaine lettuce, purple cabbage, finely sliced, avocado, fresh dill, finely sliced, coriander
Directions:- Place all your burger ingredients in a medium-size bowl and stir to combine.
- Use your hands to shape the mixture into 4 burger patties and set aside.
- Place a pan over medium-high heat and coat with olive oil, or ghee.
- Cook each burger for 2-3 minutes each side. Repeat and set aside to rest.
- To serve, place each burger into a couple of romaine lettuce leaves, top with shaved purple cabbage, followed by a heaping spoonful of salsa, a few chunks of creamy avocado, a little extra chili, a sprinkling of fresh cilantro and a drizzle of BBQ sauce. Enjoy!
2. zesty fry dip
Yields ⅔ C Zesty Fry Sauce
Ingredients:
- ⅓ C mayonnaise (non-GMO or homemade, where possible)
- 2 T organic ketchup
- 2 T pickle juice
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- ½ t paprika
- ½ t onion powder
- 2 scoops Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides
- Sea salt & black pepper, to taste
Directions:
- Whisk all of the ingredients together until smooth.
- Enjoy immediately with your favorite home-cooked fries!
3. grilled summer chicken salad
Yields 4 Servings
Ingredients:
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- ½ C cherry tomatoes halved lengthwise
- ½ C red peppers, chopped
- ½ C carrots, sliced
- 1 C cucumber, thinly sliced
- ¼ C red onion, sliced
- 1 grilled avocado, chopped
- 2-3 chicken breasts
- ¼-lb. mixed greens (6 cups lightly packed)
- 3/4 C extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 2 t Dijon mustard
- 2 t honey (optional)
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 2-4 scoops Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides
Directions:
- In a small bowl, mix Dijon mustard, honey, ¼ cup of olive oil and lemon juice.
- Add Collagen Peptides and whisk until fully mixed.
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Coat carrots and peppers with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill for 10-12 minutes.
- On a baking sheet, baste chicken breasts with olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Add chicken on grill, basting with olive oil, until cooked through, 6 minutes per side. Once chicken is grilled, chop into cubes.
- Cut avocado in half, remove pit, coat with olive oil and seasoning.
- Place on grill flesh side down and grill for 2 minutes.
- Combine mixed greens in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of dressing.
- Top with cherry tomatoes, red peppers, carrots and avocado.
- Top with grilled chicken and sprinkle with green onion. Enjoy!
4. fresh and chunky guacamole
Yields 5-6 Servings
Ingredients:
- 4 ripe avocados
- 2-3 T fresh cilantro (diced)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 jalapeño pepper (chopped; remove seeds)
- ½ red onion (chopped)
- 1-2 tomatoes (chopped)
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 scoop Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Cut and peel avocados. Remove the pit and scoop the avocado flesh into a medium-sized bowl.
- With a spoon or fork, mash the avocado together until it becomes smooth. The texture is based on preference. I like to leave some avocado chunks in it.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients including cilantro, garlic, jalapeño pepper, red onion, tomatoes, lime juice, collagen powder, salt and pepper.
- Add additional lime juice, salt and pepper to give it the taste you desire.
- Serve with taco chips, on tacos, with crackers or veggies, and enjoy!
5. pineapple chicken kebabs
Yields 5-6 Kebabs
Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breasts (cut into 1-inch cubes)
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 red union
- 1 zucchini
- 1 pineapple (cubed)
- 10-15 skewers
Marinade Ingredients:
- 1 t onion salt
- 1 t ginger
- 1-2 T minced garlic
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 scoop Vital Proteins Chicken Bone Broth Collagen
- 1/3 C honey (melted)
- 1/4 C tamari sauce
- ½ C warm water
Directions:
- Mix together marinade ingredients into a small bowl. Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes and add to the marinade. Set chicken in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Chop up pineapple and vegetables into small cubes.
- Soak the wooden skewers in water for 15-20 minutes.
- Once the chicken is marinated, thread the vegetables, chicken, and pineapple onto the skewers. Drizzle the leftover marinade over the kebabs.
- Grill the kebabs for 5-10 minutes. If you are baking them in the oven, preheat the oven to 425°F and bake them for 15-20 minutes.
6. creamy potato salad recipe
Yields 4 Servings
Ingredients:
- 4 large yellow potatoes
- 1 T capers
- ¼ C fresh parsley, finely chopped
Dressing Ingredients:
- 1 scoop Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides
- 2 T mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 T extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Thoroughly wash and peel potatoes.
- In a medium-sized pot, boil water. Place your potatoes in the pot, reduce the heat to medium, cover and let them cook until they are tender. You can check if they are cooked by piercing a potato with a fork.
- After cooking on the stovetop, strain water, and let potatoes cool down before chopping them into 1-inch chunks.
- In a large salad bowl, combine capers, potatoes and finely chopped parsley.
- Add Collagen Peptides, mayonnaise, olive oil, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Carefully whisk all ingredients together.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss the potatoes for all the ingredients to combine. Let it sit in the fridge for 45 minutes and 5 minutes before serving take out the salad so that its cool and refreshing when served.
7. blueberry lemon mint collagen popsicles
Yields 12 Popsicles
Ingredients:
- 21/3 C fresh blueberries
- 10 mint leaves + 1 T minced mint
- 1 t lemon juice + 1 T lemon zest
- 1 Vital Proteins Lemon Slice Collagen Water™
- In a blender, add 2 C fresh blueberries, 10 mint leaves, 1 t lemon juice and 1 bottle Vital Proteins Lemon Slice Collagen Water™. Blend on high until all ingredients are combined.
- In a silicone popsicle mold, drop a couple of blueberries, chopped mint and lemon zest at the bottom of the mold. Fill halfway with blended collagen fruit, add more blueberries/mint/lemon, fill the rest of the way up. Leave a tiny bit of room to insert popsicle sticks.
- Freeze for 8 hours & enjoy! Popsicles can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.
8. dreamy orange creamsicle mousse
Yields 4 Servings
Ingredients:
- 2¼ C fresh orange juice, divided
- Zest of 1 orange
- 4 scoops Vital Proteins Beef Gelatin
- 3 eggs
- ⅓-½ C raw honey (adjust to taste)
- 2 T tapioca starch
- 2 T butter, ghee or coconut oil (softened)
- 1 T vanilla extract
- Large pinch sea salt
- 1 C coconut cream or heavy whipping cream, chilled (plus more for garnish)
Directions:
- In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup of the fresh orange juice with the 4 scoops of Beef Gelatin. Mix and set aside to bloom.
- Combine the remaining 2 cups fresh orange juice with the orange zest, eggs, raw honey, tapioca starch, butter, vanilla, and sea salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk well until the mix is fairly smooth. Place over medium-low heat and cook until the mixture thickens, whisking continually. It will take about 10-15 minutes. Don’t leave the stove or stop whisking or the eggs may curdle.
- Add the reserved juice/collagen mix into the pan and whisk vigorously until the collagens have dissolved completely about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, pour the creamy mix into a bowl, and place it in the refrigerator until chilled, about 1 hour.
- Place the chilled coconut cream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until whipped and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the chilled orange cream mix. Whisk again about 30 seconds.
- Portion out into bowls and serve immediately for a lighter mousse. For a thicker mousse texture, portion into bowls and chill them before serving for about 30 minutes. Garnish with additional whipped cream, as desired.
9. gooey collagen s’mores
Ingredients:
- 2 scoops Vital Proteins Beef Gelatin
- 1 C water
- 1 C honey
- 1/2 t vanilla
- Dash of salt
Other Ingredients:
- 2 chocolate bars
- 1 box graham crackers
Marshmallow Directions:
- Heat 1/2 cup of the water until hot. Add to a mixing bowl with the Beef Gelatin and stir until all gelatin dissolves. Set the bowl of gelatin aside.
- Heat the other 1/2 cup of water on the stovetop with the honey or sugar of your choice until it bubbles (approximately 5 minutes). Bring the mixture to a simmer for 5 minutes, continuously stirring.
- Pour the hot mixture into the bowl of gelatin and stir briefly until combined.
- Using a mixer (standing or handheld), whip for 15-20 minutes straight.
- Once complete, your mixture should be thick and hold a fluff-like consistency.
- Transfer into a flat pan, lined with a greased piece of parchment paper.
- Let the mixture sit overnight or a minimum of 4 hours.
- Remove the marshmallow mix from the container.
- Option to dust with collagen, cinnamon, cocoa or any powder of your choice.
- Cut into cubes and store in the refrigerator.
S’mores Directions:
- Break graham crackers in half.
- Place chocolate on one half.
- If making indoors, toast the cracker and chocolate in a toaster for 30-60 seconds; If making outdoors, toast marshmallow over the fire.
- Place the marshmallow in between the graham crackers and enjoy!
10. strawberry lemon kombucha gummies
Yields 20 Large Gummies
- 1 C low-sugar plain kombucha
- 3 scoops Vital Proteins Beef Gelatin
- 2 C chopped strawberries
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 2 T honey (adjust based on the sweetness of your kombucha)
- Pinch sea salt
Directions:
- Pour the kombucha into a wide bowl. Stir in the Beef Gelatin and leave it to bloom for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the chopped strawberries, lemon juice, honey, and sea salt to a blender. Blend on high. Pour it out into a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Cook until the strawberry mix is hot but not simmering. Turn the heat off and add the bloomed gelatin/kombucha to the saucepan. Whisk until the gelatin has dissolved.
- Pour into silicone molds or a glass baking dish. Chill in the refrigerator about 1 hour. Enjoy immediately or keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
