Use your grill for more than hamburgers and brats this summer. Check out these easy, nutrient dense, and tasty dishes to add flavor, flare, and healthy options to your backyard BBQs, provided by Wendy Brookhouse, Registered Dietitian with The McCahill Group.
Grilled Sweet Potato
Cooking sweet potatoes on a grill allows the vegetable to retain vitamins that would be lost if they were boiled. It also gives them a crisp, charred edge that contrasts with the sweet interior. Tossing them with the lemon-olive oil dressing brightens the flavor.
Ingredients
- 3 large sweet potatoes (2 1/4 pounds)
- Cooking spray
- 6 green onions
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
How to Make It
- Preheat grill to medium heat.
- Peel sweet potatoes, and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place sweet potato slices on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 18 minutes or until tender, turning once. Place onions on grill rack during last 2 minutes of cook time; cook onions 2 minutes or until browned and tender, turning once. Cut onions into 2-inch pieces.
- Combine olive oil and next 4 ingredients (through red pepper) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add sweet potato and onions; toss well.
Grill Corn with Cilantro and Chile Flakes
This technique steams the corn in its husk right on the grill. Some smoke flavor permeates the corn, but not as much as when it rests on the grill rack without husks. The husks and silk are very easy to remove after the corn is cooked.
Ingredients
- 4 large ears fresh corn with husks
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 3/4 teaspoon ground red pepper flakes.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 lime wedges
How to Make It
- Preheat grill to medium-high (about 450°F). Place corn on grill grate; grill, uncovered, 15 minutes or until husks are charred and corn is tender.
- Remove corn from grill; let stand 10 minutes. Pull husks back; discard silks. Brush corn with oil. Sprinkle with cilantro, chile powder, and salt. Serve with lime wedges.
Grilled Vegetables with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Healthy antioxidant rich vegetables get a flavorful punch when marinated in balsamic vinaigrette and grilled.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 plum tomatoes, halved
- 2 zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 (1-pound) eggplant, cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 8 wedges
- 1 onion, cut into 2-inch-thick wedges
- 1 small bunch kale (about 8 ounces)
- Cooking spray
How to Make It
- Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl.
- Combine tomatoes and next 5 ingredients (tomatoes through kale) in a bowl. Divide balsamic vinaigrette and vegetable mixture evenly between 2 large zip-top plastic bags. Seal; marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning bags occasionally.
- Remove vegetables from bags; reserve marinade. Prepare grill. Place vegetables on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 7 minutes on each side or until onion is tender, basting with reserved marinade.
Grilled Asparagus Rafts
Pinning asparagus spears together with skewers makes them easier to flip and grill evenly on both sides.
Ingredients
- 16 thick asparagus spears (about 1 pound)
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Dash of salt
How to Make It
- Prepare grill to high heat.
- Snap off tough ends of asparagus. Arrange 4 asparagus spears on a flat surface. Thread 2 (3-inch) skewers or toothpicks horizontally through spears 1 inch from each end to form a raft. Repeat procedure with remaining asparagus spears.
- Combine soy sauce, oil, and garlic; brush evenly over asparagus rafts. Grill 3 minutes on each side or until crisp-tender. Sprinkle evenly with sesame seeds, pepper, and salt.
Hot-Sweet Grilled Watermelon
Make sure the grill is very hot when adding watermelon, or the slices will steam instead of caramelize and char. Kosher salt adds a little crunch with each burst of flavor.
Ingredients
- small seedless red watermelon (about 5 lb.)
- 2 lemons
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne, chipotle, or ground red chile powder
How to Make It
- Preheat grill to high (about 500°F).
- Slice watermelon crosswise into 5 (1 1/2-inch-thick) slices. Cut each slice into quarters to make 20 wedges. Grate 2 tablespoons lemon rind from lemons; set aside. Slice lemons into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
- Add watermelon wedges and lemon slices to grill grate; grill 1 minute on each side or until nicely charred. Place watermelon on a serving platter. Squeeze juice from a few charred lemon slices over watermelon; add remaining slices to platter. Sprinkle watermelon evenly with salt, chile powder, and lemon rind.
Jerk Chicken with Grilled Pineapple Salsa
Traditional jerk recipes marinate meat for a day or more. This dish lends huge flavor with just an hour-long marinade.
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups sliced green onions, divided
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
- 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon lower-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 bay leaves, finely crumbled
- 1 small habanero pepper, chopped
- 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
- 3 (1-inch) slices fresh pineapple
- Cooking spray
- 3/4 cup diced red bell pepper
How to Make It
- Place 1 cup sliced onions, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, sugar, and next 8 ingredients (through habanero pepper) in a mini food processor; process until almost smooth. Pour mixture into a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal bag. Marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning occasionally.
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Let chicken stand at room temperature 20 minutes.
- Place pineapple on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill pineapple 6 minutes, turning once. Cool 5 minutes. Chop pineapple; place in a medium bowl. Add remaining 1/3 cup onions, remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, bell pepper; toss to combine.
- Place chicken on grill rack; grill chicken 5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from grill; let stand 5 minutes. Cut chicken into slices. Serve with pineapple salsa.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@wzzm13.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter.