Healthy Grill Recipes For Dinner

Nothing says summer like firing up the grill. The grilling-focused menu that follows will guarantee that you’ll be clamouring to get outdoors and cook up a storm all season long.

Canadian summers are fleeting. Which means we should take every opportunity possible to spend ample time in the great outdoors. So why be cooped up in your kitchen, when warmer days and nights are the perfect excuse to cook up a storm using the trusty grill?

Regardless of where that may be—your backyard or at the cottage—grilling imbues foods with that cherished summertime flavour. If you think outside the box and expand your grilling repertoire, you can count on grilling season to be a health-boosting one as well.

To help steer you toward grilling bliss, we’ve put together healthy grill recipes to feed a family or outdoor party replete with a selection of burgers you’ll flip over. And what also follows is plenty of handy tips to help you grill like a pro.

Tools of the trade

Arm yourself with this grill gear to make your outdoor cooking a refreshing breeze.

1. Long-handled brass bristle brush

This allows you to clean the entire surface of your gunked-up grill grate without charring your fingers.

2. Long-handled large head steel spatula

A wide head spatula helps you flip with confidence by increasing the chances you’ll serve burgers and fish in one piece. A plastic spatula may melt when exposed to the high heat of the grill.

3. Long-handled tongs

These are ideal for moving around fruits and vegetables on the grill and even cuts of meat such as chicken breast.

4. Silicone basting brush

Silicone bristles can handle the heat, making them ideal for lubricating grates and food alike.

5. Vegetable basket

An ideal way to hold small pieces of vegetables and items such as cherry tomatoes without the fear they’ll be sent to the flames below. For burgers, especially delicate legume-based ones, place a cast iron griddle on the grill grate. This will make flipping them easier.

A sticky situation

There are some important measures you can take to prevent burgers and other grilled foods from adhering to the grill grate like cement.

Scrub away

A spotless grate goes a long way toward reducing sticking and avoiding a burnt flavour. The best time to clean the grate is immediately after you remove your food from the grill or after it has been preheated for several minutes and is piping hot.

Hot stuff

Food is less likely to stick to a very hot grill grate. Preheat your grill on high for at least 10 minutes. You can reduce the temperature after preheating. Preparing meats at lower grill temperatures helps lessen the risk of charring. Those blackened bits of meat can contain potentially carcinogenic compounds. Be sure to scrape off any charred pieces before consuming.

Oil slick

For double protection against sticking, grease the grill grate and apply a light coating of oil to the food itself. In fact, applying some oil to meat helps promote good caramelization and seals in juices (read: yum!). To grease a hot grill grate, use a silicone brush or a paper towel dipped in oil and rubbed on the grate using tongs. Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.

Fresh grill

Meat shouldn’t get all the BBQ love. Fresh produce such as bell peppers, mushrooms, peaches, tomatoes, and mangoes taste even better when infused with a little smoky essence.

• Slice items such as peppers, pineapple, and broccoli florets large enough so they don’t fall through the grate.
• For zucchini, yellow squash, and eggplant, slice lengthwise instead of in rounds to make them easier to handle on the grill and less likely to burn.
• Anything that may fall apart or slip through the grate, such as cherry tomatoes, radishes, fennel, green beans, onions, button mushrooms, and, yes, even berries, should be skewered together or placed in a vegetable basket. Wood skewers need to be soaked for 30 minutes to keep them from burning.
• You want to grill vegetables and fruit just to the point of tenderness with some darkened areas, but not to the point of becoming mushy or completely charred.