Memorial Day Roundup: Gluten-Free Recipes for Your Cookout

I’m not a big Memorial Day person. I don’t know how to grill. I’m not a fan of donning a bikini in late May when I’m still winter pale. And, most importantly, I’m usually preoccupied with another holiday: my birthday. Do you know how annoying it is to try to plan a birthday party when each year everyone is “off to the beach for Memorial Day weekend?” Trust. It’s annoying.

However, this year, not only does my birthday fall on Memorial Day itself – May 26th – making it a two-fer holiday, but my brother-in-law, his wife and their two kids will be visiting us from Scotland. Instafriends! Instaparty! Needless to say, this year I’m willing to embrace the holiday, embrace the cookout (because other people will be there to grill for me) and I might even embrace the bikini. Hahaha, I kid.

To help you embrace the holiday, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite recipes that will be perfect for a summer cookout. They’re low maintenance, grill-averse, and ALL GLUTEN-FREE! YESSSS! I remember when I was a kid – about 20 birthdays ago – I used to love cookouts because they were a chance to stuff myself full of fatty chips, dips and pasta salads. Now, I hate cookouts for that reason. They’re usually full of unhealthy eats for which my feeble willpower is no match. I often go home overly full, sick and unsatisfied. Here’s the thing with unhealthy – I no longer want to blindly eat onion dip until I pass out. If I’m going to indulge, I want it to be a flavor explosion in my mouth. Sticking to a gluten-free menu means you have to get creative with your side dishes and appetizers which means no boring, overly dressed macaroni salads or stale hot dog buns. And, if you have gluten intolerant family and/or friends, they don’t have to worry about what they can and can’t eat.

For starters, you want some appetizers that will pack a flavor punch but leave room for the next round.

Goat cheese-stuffed, bacon-wrapped jalapenos