4th of July, and summer time in general, is a great season for grilling! Here are my top grilling tips for your holiday weekend and beyond!
As you know we are all about eating simple, real food- specifically the meats and the veggies!
The Meat
As with everything, there is a spectrum of quality of products. If you aren’t purchasing the meat, do your best with the options available!
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Good - Meat that is not breaded with flour or breadcrumbs, or loaded with sugary or processed sauces. Note: The first ingredient in many BBQ sauces is high fructose corn syrup.
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Better- I would love for the animal you are consuming to have been healthy, had a chance to walk around and eat its natural diet while it was alive. If you are purchasing meat, look for words like pasture raised, grass fed (for beef), or wild caught (for fish).
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Best- Visit a local farmer’s market and meet the farmer! Ask them how the animals are raised, and get the meat from them!
Grill the meat, and keep it simple! If you have good quality meat, the flavor will be great. You don't need to add much to it.
What About the Bun?
In my opinion, the bun is not an important part of the grilling experience! Read the ingredient list on most bread products and I bet you’ll agree with me. It tends to be a long list of many names that you have trouble pronouncing, and wouldn’t want to eat on their own. So what should you do? Skip the Bun!
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If there are plates, use a fork and a knife. If there is lettuce or salad, add the meat to your salad!
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Wrap the meat in lettuce. In my opinion, the meat and toppings are the part that tastes the best anyway, so who needs a bun to dilute that awesome flavor!
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Try a kebab! Meat or meat and veggies on a stick is a great way to skip the bun!
My Top 10 Grilling Veggies
It's easy to get stuck in a rut of always buying the same veggies. Hopefully this list will give you some new ideas to spice things up this summer! I won’t talk about timing here because this varies quite a bit based on the veggie you are grilling, and how thick you slice it.
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Eggplant – One of my favorites! Just cut it into patties (I do about ½ inch)
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Asparagus – Just cut off the ends (not the pretty flowery end, the other end silly!)
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Zucchini - Best sliced into “patties”- I do about ¼-⅓ inch.
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Onions - Try just cutting it in half and grill that way. You could chunk it smaller to add to a kebab!
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Bell Peppers - The traditional Kebab veggie
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Mushrooms - Portabellas are a good size for the grill, but others are great in a grill veggie tray or on a kebab!
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Cauliflower – Take a head of cauliflower. After getting the green leaves off, slice it in about ½- ¾ inch slices to make large cauliflower “steaks”. This shape allows for easy grilling!
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Brussel Sprouts - You’ll need the grill veggie tray for these, but they are delicious.
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Yellow Squash - About the same as zucchini
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Cabbage - Make it into “steaks” like the cauliflower!
I know grilled corn is delicious, but it's not on the list because corn is not a vegetable (it is a grain)!!!
Make foil packets to many any combination of vegetables. Cut the veggies into pieces, wrap in foil, add a bit of fat (e.g. coconut oil or ghee), some seasonings, and grill.
Dessert
Grilled fruit is delicious! Peaches and pineapples are my favorite! These make an easy and tasty dessert!
What do you like to grill? Hop over to facebook and share!
Bon Appetit,
Dr. Jamie