This Fourth of July hasn’t even happened and it’s already my favorite one yet! I’m excited to avoid the traffic and crowds of the city and instead: watch fireworks from the awesome view in our new backyard, fire up the grill on our deck, and eat SO MUCH delicious food with my friends & family! I’ve been drooling over so many summer recipes lately that I couldn’t resist putting together a little roundup of my top picks for this week’s festivities!
No cookout would be complete without The Best Veggie Burger Ever! This recipe calls for frying in the pan but I bet these would be delicious on the grill, too. I’m gonna try to lightly cook them as called for and then throw them on the grill for a traditional Fourth of July finish.
I already love avocado on my burgers (just like pictured above!) but I can only imagine this Gilled Avocado recipe taking them to the next level!
Baked beans will forever remind me of my childhood. No summer get together was complete without them. I haven’t ever cooked them myself, but the day I do I will be using this Vegan Baked Beans recipe from Pickles and Honey. It looks like an entire meal in itself!
We have been making grilled veggie skewers since Memorial Day. You don’t even really need a recipe for them— we just take all our favorite vegetables (peppers, onion, zucchini, potatoes, tomatoes, pineapple, mushrooms, or anything we have on hand) and cut them up. Then we dump a bunch of italian dressing on there and sprinkle with salt and pepper and throw them on the grill. But if you want more detailed instructions then this recipe is a good place to start! 
To cool down from the heat, I recommend this Watermelon Cucumber Salad. I don’t think anything has looked so perfect in my life! (For a vegan version, try this instead of feta!) 
This vegan and gluten-free Raw Berry Tart would look amazing on any dessert table! The best part is that you can make this baby ahead of time and spend more of your day outside instead of in the kitchen! Another quick option is the Patriotic Berry and Cake Dessert Platter at the top of this post. It sounds just as easy as it looks pretty!
Feel free to grab a beer, but to wash it all down I’ll take a refreshing Lemon Thyme Tequila Spritzer! It’s cooling me down just looking at it!
What are your favorite summer, outdoor, or Fourth of July dishes? My partner was upset there’s not a pasta salad on the list, so here ya go!
Thanks for linking to my baked beans recipe! I don’t think I’ll ever buy the canned ones again – these are so good and really easy! Off to go check out some of the other recipes you included… :)
oh my gosh it was a pleasure =] it was so hard choosing between the beans and the watermelon margarita italian ice! i just want to try everything watermelon all the time!
What an amazing spread!
thanks! i’m loving the pita bread on your blog— i’ll have to try that soon!
Thanks!
Grilled avocado, watermelon cucumber salad – oh my, I don’t even know where to start. All these recipes look so summer perfect! I had grilled veggies skewers yesterday as a pre-4th celebration and fireworks around the lake at my house and I just want more!
Happy 4th of July (tomorrow)!! xx Marisa
haha thanks! it was so much fun to put together but i will admit i was practically drooling by the time i hit “publish”! hope your fourth was lovely as well!
My mouth is WATERING. Seriously, I’m looking down at my lunch of romaine and chickpeas and wishing so badly that it were that veggie burger and grilled avocado.
the sad part is that we forgot the avocado on wednesday— eep! but now we have an “excuse” to grill out again soon!
your blog is adorable and all of that food looks to die for! as a former vegetarian who still eats veg most of the time… i appreciate this!