HealthiNation Text Summary
Healthy Grilling

Hosted by Sheila Kelly, Registered Dietitian

Healthy Barbeque: Steaks & Chicken
Steaks and chicken can be a healthy option at a barbeque. It is important to choose low fat selections. For steaks, this means trimmed, lean beef, like sirloin or eye cuts, and keeping portion size to about four ounces per person. For chicken, select white meat and trim off the skin and fat, and serve a six ounce portion per person. To increase the flavor, try rubs and marinades from Chris Leahy, the chef at New York City’s BLT Prime restaurant.

Porcini Chili Rub for Grilled Steak
Ingredients
¼ c dried ground porcini mushrooms
3T kosher salt
2T ground coriander
2T smoked paprika
1T coarsely ground black pepper
1T granulated garlic
1T Coleman’s English mustard powder
2t chili powder

Preparation
* Mix porcini rub spices in a shallow dish
* Thoroughly coat steak with spice mix on all sides
* Spray grill with cooking spray to prevent sticking
* Place steak on medium-high grill
* Cook 5-6 minutes on each side for medium-rare
* Remove steak from grill and allow it to rest for 4-5 minutes before cutting

Nutrition
A four-ounce serving contains 172 calories, 8g fat and 1g saturated fat.

Chimichurri Marinade for Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
½ c chopped parsley
½ c chopped cilantro
1T crushed red chili flakes
¼ c diced red onion
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2T red wine vinegar
2T extra virgin olive oil

Preparation
* Remove skin and fat from chicken breast
* Combine marinade mixture in large bowl
* Set aside ¼ of marinade for later use
* Add chicken breasts to marinade
* Cover and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes
* Spray grill with cooking spray to avoid sticking
* Place chicken on medium-high grill for 5-6 minutes per side
* Remove chicken from grill and spoon extra marinade over chicken

Nutrition
A six-ounce portion contains 226 calories, 6.5g fat and 2.5g saturated fat.

Healthy Barbeque: Burgers & Dogs
Hamburgers and hot dogs are must-have at a barbeque, but the traditional burger or hot dog are extremely high in calories and fat. As a healthy substitution for traditional burgers, use lean ground beef, turkey, or vegetable burgers, and limit portion size to five ounce patties. For hot dogs or sausages, choose chicken, turkey, or tofu varieties that are about 100 calories per link. It is also important to choose smaller, whole wheat rolls or buns, and to choose condiments that are low in fat and sugar.

Mediterranean Burger with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
Burger
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 ¼ lb. 96 % lean ground beef
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon dry oregano

Cucumber Mint Sauce
¾ cup low fat yogurt
1 Tablespoon mint, sliced thinly
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
½ large cucumber, peeled and diced

Whole wheat pita pockets

Directions
Burger
* Sauté the garlic cloves until golden brown in a small sauté pan. Put on the side to cool.
* Place the lean ground beef, feta cheese, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, and browned garlic in a bowl and mix with your hands. Form four five-ounce patties, place on a plate and refrigerate until needed.

Cucumber Mint Sauce
* Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix until incorporated, refrigerate until you are ready to use them.

* Cook burgers on high flame for 5-6 minutes to achieve medium-rare cooking level. Turn only once. Remove burgers from grill, and put in whole wheat pita, along with tomato, onion, and lettuce. Spoon one tablespoon of cucumber mint sauce onto a burger.

Nutrition
A five-ounce patty with sauce on a pita contains 400 calories and 15g of fat.

Chicken Sausage with Sriracha Yogurt Sauce
Sriracha Yogurt Sauce
1 cup yogurt
3T freshly squeezed lemon juice
1T siracha

Chicken Sausage
Store-bought chicken sausage
1 large thickly sliced onion
1 red pepper

Whole wheat rolls

Directions
* Spray grill will cooking spray, place onions & pepper on grill. Cook through, remove from grill and slice into larger chunks. Cook sausages on grill for 6-7 minutes, or until completely cooked through & browned.
Sriracha Yogurt Sauce
* Combine ingredients in a bowl.

Healthy Barbeque: Seafood
Seafood is low in fat and calories and is a great addition to a barbeque.

Shellfish Medley with Mango Mustard Salsa
Ingredients
Shellfish
4 pieces large sea scallops
4 pieces jumbo shrimp
1 piece lobster tail

Mango Mustard Salsa
2 mangoes, peeled and ¼ inch diced
½ c scallions, greens only sliced on the bias
1 red bell pepper, ¼ inch diced
2T Dijon mustard
1t black mustard seeds
2T white wine vinegar
2T mustard oil
2T chopped cilantro
Juice from 2 limes
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

Directions
Shellfish
* When cooking fish and other seafood, make sure the grill is very hot. It is also good to lightly spray the grill with a cooking spray or lightly rub the grates with olive oil.
* Next, season the shellfish with salt and pepper and place them on the medium-hot grill. Cook the scallops for 4-5 minutes, and the shrimp until they turn red (about 4-5 minutes.) The lobster tail will need to cook for about 5 minutes, or until it turns red.

Mango Mustard Salsa
* Combine all ingredients into a bowl.
* Remove the shellfish from the grill and spoon Mango Salsa over shellfish.

Nutrition
A serving of the shellfish medley contains 337 calories, 3g of fat and 0g of saturated fat.

Crispy Black Bass with Sweet Corn Relish
Ingredients
1 2 lb black sea bass
2 large porcini mushrooms, sliced thickly
4 ears sweet corn
1 sweet onion, thickly sliced and grilled
1T Preserved lemons, skin only, small diced
1 Jalapeno, diced
2T Chives, chopped
Extra virgin olive oil

Directions
Fish
* When cooking fish and other seafood, make sure your grill is very hot. It’s also good to lightly spray the grill with a cooking spray or lightly rub the grates with olive oil.
* When the grill is hot, place the whole fish on the grill and cook for 8-10 minutes.
* Carefully flip the fish only once while it is on the grill.

Sweet Corn Relish
* Cut the porcini mushrooms into thick slices, about ¼ inch in size and place on the grill, being careful they don’t slip through the grates.
* Place the 4 ears of corn on the grill and cook for 3-4 minutes. Cook sweet onion slices on the grill for 4-5 minutes, or until browned.
* Remove the mushrooms, onion and corn from the grill. Using a knife, cut the kernels of corn from the cob into a mixing bowl. Dice porcini mushrooms and onion, and add to bowl.
* Combine the rest of the ingredients into the mixing bowl, adding the extra virgin olive oil last.
* Spoon the relish over the cooked fish.

Nutrition
An eight-ounce portion contains 178 calories, 4g of fat and 1g of saturated fat.

Healthy Barbeque: Side Dishes
Side dishes are great way to add excitement to a menu.

Smashed Fingerling Potato with Confit Garlic, Rosemary and Truffle Oil
Ingredients
1 lb. fingerling potato, scrubbed
Kosher salt
1 whole head garlic
2 sprigs rosemary
1 teaspoon of finely chopped rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon truffle oil
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Directions
* Rinse fingerling potatoes, and do not dry them. Place fingerlings onto a sheet of aluminum foil and lightly spray with cooking oil. Season with the salt, and lay one sprig of rosemary on top. Wrap aluminum foil into a tightly sealed tent, leaving space for air to circulate. Place on the grill and cook until tender, 12-13 minutes.

* Slice the top of the garlic off leaving the stem attached and place onto a sheet of aluminum foil and lightly spray with cooking oil. Season with salt and lay one sprig of rosemary on top. Wrap aluminum foil into a tightly sealed tent, leaving space for air to circulate. Place on the grill until cloves are tender, 5-6 minutes.

* Once both items are cooked place into a bowl and mash together with a fork. Fold in rosemary and a small amount of truffle oil and olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Nutrition
A half-a-cup serving of the potatoes contains 150 calories and 3g of fat.

Grilled Radicchio with Roasted Bell Peppers and Eggplant
Ingredients
2 heads radicchio, cut into quarters with the stem attached
1 yellow bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 eggplant, sliced into thick rounds
3 sprigs thyme, finely diced
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
Salt
Black pepper
½ cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Directions
* Roast whole bell peppers on the grill until charred then place into a bowl and wrap with plastic to steam the skin off. Once cooled, peel and discard the skin. Keep the oil the peppers have released into the cooling bowl. Slice the peppers into thin strips, removing seeds.

* Salt and pepper radicchio, place on grill that has been sprayed lightly with cooking oil, Grill until crispy, 3 minutes.

* Brush the eggplant with lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill until tender, 6-7 minutes. Slice thinly.

* Combine the reserved pepper oil with the remaining olive oil, ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, thyme and whisk together, adding salt and pepper to taste. Toss the peppers, eggplant, feta cheese together with the dressing and place over the grilled radicchio.

Nutrition
A half-a-cup portion contains 60 calories and 5g of fat.

Healthy Barbeque: Dessert
Traditional desserts like brownies contain a lot of fat and calories. A grilled fruit salad, however, is filled with nutrients and is much healthier, too.

Grilled Fruit Salad
Ingredients
2 peaches, pitted and sliced into quarters
1 lb. watermelon, with the rind removed and sliced thickly
½ cup fresh blueberry, washed
½ cup fresh black berry, washed
2 Tablespoons mint, julienne
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Directions
* Lightly spray the grill grates with cooking spray. Once the grill is hot place the fruit onto the grill until marks are made, but not until fruit has softened too much – approximately 3-4 minutes.

* Combine honey & vinegar in a bowl. Once fully combined add berries gently to avoid bruising the fruit. Remove melon and peaches from grill, cut into bite size pieces, and add to bowl while fruit is still warm.

* Add mint and mix. Plate and serve.

Nutrition
A one-cup portion contains 110 calories and 0.5g of fat.

HealthiNation offers health information for educational purposes only; this information is not meant as medical advice. Always consult your doctor about your specific health condition.

Author: Ms. Diane Sylvester
Host Reviewer: Ms. Sheila Kelly
Last Review Date: December 2, 2009
Reviewed by: Dr. Preeti Parikh

Sources:

1. Healthy Grilling: Low Calorie and Low-Fat Recipes for the Barbecue. New York, NY.: Epicurious, 2009. (Accessed October 19, 2009, at http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/healthy/nutritiousdishes/grilling.)
2. Grilling Tips. Scottsdale, Arizona.: bellybytes, 2009.(Accessed October 19, 2009 at http://www.bellybytes.com/recipe/grill/grill01.html.)
3. Recipes. New York, NY: Good Housekeeping, 2009. (Accessed October 19, 2009 at http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipes.)