4 Kidney-Friendly Recipes for Labor Day

Labor Day is around the corner and that means fall isn't too far behind. Now is the perfect time to have summer fun before the season is over. Here are four tasty recipes that will awe your guests without taking up too much of your time so you can also enjoy time in the sun.

Appetizer: pasta salad

Looking for a light, refreshing appetizer to help your guests cool off? This easy-to-make pasta salad is sure to do the trick.

Serving size: ½ cup

Ingredients:

• Two cups of cooked fusilli pasta
• ½ small tomato, diced
• ½ red onion, diced
• ¼ cup olives, pitted and sliced
• ½ green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 cup cauliflower, chopped

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to the directions on the box.
2. Drain pasta.
3. Add vegetables.
4. Toss with your favorite low-fat dressing.
5. Enjoy!

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Main dish: chicken salad

This chicken salad is summer in a sandwich- it’s creamy, crunchy, slightly sweet, and salty. Plus, it only takes 20 minutes to prepare!

Serving size: ½ cup

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of canned chicken packed in water
• ½ cup grapes
• 2 green onions
• 3 Tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 2 medium Gala apples
• 1 Tablespoon sugar

Directions:

1. Rinse and drain cans of chicken.
2. Cut grapes in half.
3. Chop green onions.
4. Core and chop apples.
5. Mix all ingredients together.
6. Allow to rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.

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Side dish: balsamic marinated mushrooms

Even meat-lovers will be drooling over this mushroom dish. We highly recommend taking an extra few minutes to create a savory sauce by reducing the leftover vinegar.

Serving size: 3 mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 12 button mushrooms, stems removed
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chopped chive and extra for garnish
• Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In a medium-sized bowl, place the mushrooms with the rest of the ingredients and cover.
2. Use hands to mix everything and then place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours and a maximum of 2 days, shaking every so often to redistribute the vinegar dressing.
3. To serve, take the mushrooms out of the bowl, separate them from the vinegar, and sprinkle with extra chives. You can also add an extra drizzle of the leftover vinegar on top of the mushrooms. Or get even fancier by reducing the vinegar (by placing it in a pot on the stove and cooking over medium heat) and using it as a thicker sauce.

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Dessert: fruit crisp

Round off your BBQ with a warm, gooey dessert. It's so delightful that you may want to cook up two batches just in case guests come back for seconds.

Serving size: 1 peach plus topping

Ingredients:

• One can (21 ounces) of peaches in juice (drained)
• One teaspoon of lemon juice
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup white flour
• ¾ cup oats
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ stick cold butter, unsalted

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a buttered muffin tin, put peaches and sprinkle with lemon juice.
3. Combine brown sugar, flour, oats, and spices.
4. Cut in butter until mixture resembles wet sand.
5. Sprinkle over the fruit mixture.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until browned and bubbly.
7. Serve warm.

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Find a recipe that's right for you

If these recipes don't quite fit the bill, don't worry. We have plenty to look through. Check out our extensive catalog of kidney-friendly foods.