9 Healthy Summer Cookout Recipes for a Crowd

Written by
the Editors of Runner's World
It's officially summer-cookout season. Don't show up empty-handed or ruin your diet! Make one of these healthy and simple portable recipes to share with the party. For even more workout-friendly meals, check out our Ravenous Runner column for creative recipe ideas.
Tomato-Watermelon Salad
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If you have access to fresh, ripe tomatoes this time of year, try combining them with watermelon, mint and a few other ingredients. The result tastes like summer.
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Guacamole-Topped Bacon Bites
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This simple hors d'oeuvre combines two of the tastiest foods ever created: bacon and guacamole. Bring napkins—these can get a little sloppy to eat, but that won't stop people.
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Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzel Bites
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Tasked with making a dessert, but don't feel like steaming up your kitchen? This one is simple to make and great for sharing. Plus, these are delicious.
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Potato Salad with Bacon Dressing
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Traditional potato salad recipes call for mayonnaise, a tasty but heavy mixer that's known to go very bad, very quickly in the sun. To avoid poisoning the guests at your next barbecue, try this alternative preparation. The combined flavors of the cider vinegar, stone-ground mustard, onion and garlic more than make up for the missing mayo. And, hey, there's bacon.
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Dill Pickle Dip
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This particular recipe has a lot in common, taste-wise, with classic French Onion dip, excluding the added salt-and-vinegar kick. It pairs best with wavy potato chips.
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Curried Apple Slaw
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The spicy-sweet flavor from the apples and curry powder elevates this recipe above traditional coleslaw. The apples, along with the raisins, break up the cabbage crunch with some softer textures.
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Beer and Cheese Dip
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The recipe is deceiving—despite containing cheese, sour cream and beer, the finished product is much lighter than you'd expect, and the rosemary adds some fresh notes.
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Sour Cream Apple Coffee Cake
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This cake is simple and easy to prepare. It takes 15 minutes to make and 45 minutes to bake; the only time-consuming part is peeling the three apples.
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Chilled Apple Iced Tea
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Add a hint of sweetness to a traditional iced tea using apple juice and honey. This is perfect for sipping on a sunny summer day.
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