Snap-Ed NY:
Get your grill on!
by Wendy Beckman, MS, RD, CDN
Grilling is a healthy way to make all kinds of foods. It’s healthier because you usually don’t have to add a lot of extra oils or fat to your cooking. You can cook all kinds of things on the grill. The first that come to mind are chicken and steak, but you can grill vegetables like cauliflower, asparagus, broccoli, zucchini and summer squash and even tomatoes.
Seafood is great for grilling. Salmon can go right on the grill, and other types of fish and seafood can be grilled by placing it in a foil packet. The foil packet method is my favorite for making fish on the grill. I will often make salmon or tilapia by placing the fish on a large piece of foil. I can then add lemon, onion, garlic, dill or whatever seasoning I like. I wrap the foil around the fish making sure I crimp up the sides and top and then just let all of those flavors steam in the foil. You can cook other small types of shellfish like shrimp this way, too. I love making fish on the grill, because I don’t always love the way it makes my kitchen smell when I make it in the oven.
Using wooden skewers is a great way to grill vegetables, and even fruit! You can grill strawberries by placing them on a wooden skewer and brushing on a mixture of lemon juice and honey. Grill for about 10 to 12 minutes, turning once in the middle of the grilling time. Pineapple can also be grilled in the same way. You can cut up other vegetables like peppers, onions, zucchini and summer squash and grill them on wooden skewers as well.
Trying some leaner options for the grill can be fun and healthy. Instead of hot dogs, try chicken sausage. Instead of hamburger, try some ground chicken or ground turkey burgers. You can make black bean burgers on the grill too.
Here’s a wonderful recipe for a meatless dinner - black bean burgers from the SNAP-Ed New York web site: https://www.snapedny.org/2020/05/black-bean-burgers/
So go ahead and use that grill – it’s not only for cooking meat. You can grill your vegetables and meat all at the same time. The vegetables will sometimes need more time on the heat than the meat will, so start your vegetables, and then add your meat and you will have your whole meal in one easy step.
Don’t miss the July edition of the NYSOFA/Snap-ED New York live Facebook stream What’s Cooking with Wendy! Visit NYSOFA's Facebook and find out how to watch.
I’ll demonstrate how to make vegetable packets for the grill.
Wendy Beckman, MS, RD, CDN is a Registered Dietitian with the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA). She has over 13 years working as a Registered Dietitian in long term care and acute care settings and currently oversees the NYSOFA SNAP-Ed Nutrition Education program for older adults in New York State.
This material was funded by USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This institution is an equal opportunity provider. For more information on how to save time, save money and eat healthy, visit www.snapedny.org
