Grilling Healthy Food

Summer is the best time to get the BBQ fired up. It is time to swap that winter comfort food for healthier options. This doesn’t mean you have to compromise on flavor or enjoyment. There are many ways you can prepare your food to taste good that still carry healthy standards.

Salads are a great option in summertime and don’t need to be full of high fat creamy dressings.

Start off with a lettuce base of your choice, baby spinach leaves are a great option as well. Use your BBQ to create great tasting protein additions, chargrilling vegetables are fabulous too. I have included some of my favorite ways of preparing a great tasting salad.

PROTEIN SOURCES

Marinade for roughly 500g (1.1lbs)  meat

General marinade (for chicken, fish or lean red meat): One grated onion,  juice of a lemon, tablespoon of olive oil, 2 teaspoons of dried oregano and 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika.

Fish Marinade: 4 tablespoons natural yogurt, juice of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon of crushed ginger and garlic, 1 teaspoon turmeric and handful shredded mint.

Chicken Marinade: One grated onion, juice of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon crushed garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, handful each of shredded coriander and mint, salt and pepper.

Lamb Marinade: One grated onion, 1 teaspoon crushed garlic, juice of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon seeded mustard, 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, salt and pepper

OTHER ADD – INS

Toss some sweet potato, pumpkin slices, zucchini’s, asparagus and eggplants in some olive oil, salt and pepper. Chargrill them on the BBQ, cut them up into small bite size pieces and add into your salad.

Add olives, dried cranberries, nuts, seeds, avocado, chickpeas, lentils, beans, quinoa or feta

Include some of your favourite raw vegetables like tomato, cucumber, celery, snow peas, beetroot or any type of fresh herbs.

Dressings can add life to your salad. Below are a few suggestions of making them less calorie and fat dense. All recipes are for one serving

Sweet Balsamic

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon xylitol

2 teaspoon olive oil

salt and pepper

Lemon & Mustard

juice of one lemon

1 teaspoon xylitol

2 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard

salt and pepper

Soy Dressing

2 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon crushed garlic and ginger

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon xylitol

Coconut/Lime Dressing

2 tablespoon low-fat coconut milk

juice of half lime

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 teaspoon xylitol

Creamy Yogurt Dressing

2 tablespoons low-fat plain yogurt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

1 teaspoon xylitol

salt and pepper

The main points to remember when making summer salads are the quantities of each component. The bulk of the salad should be the lettuce leaves, the protein serve should be the size of your fist, everything else should be a small handful. It is vital to also be conscious about the amount of dressing. It is a salad with dressing, not dressing with salad! Only add enough to coat the ingredients without drowning the fresh produce.

I hope you all have a fun, fit and healthy summer!

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