Tips for Healthy Cookouts

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Think beyond the traditional favorites. Build a healthful barbecue of lean meats paired with seasonal fruits and vegetables. Here are a few ideas for your barbecue:

Go Lean
– Choose healthier options, such as lean cuts of beef, pork, poultry or fish.
– Make ground turkey burgers. Turkey burgers can be as lean as 99 percent fat-free. Add cilantro, shallots or chili sauce to spice things up. Remember to use a food thermometer to ensure ground turkey reaches a safe temperature of 165°F.
-Grill tofu, tempeh or bean-based burgers as vegetarian and vegan alternatives.

Roast Veggies
-Baste vegetables such as red peppers, corn on the cob, eggplant, summer squash, sweet potatoes, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms or onions with olive oil and season with herbs.
-Place directly on a hot grill (or a piece of tin foil) until they are tender and brown.
-Surprise them with grilled marinated Portobello mushrooms. Marinate mushrooms in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, whole ground mustard and fresh herbs for about 30 minutes at room temperature. Grill mushrooms for about 5 minutes on each side. Serve with tomato and onion slices, lettuce, and with or without toasted bun.

Try These Easy Mayo-less Salads
– Make caprese. Slice tomatoes and layer a small, thin piece of mozzarella cheese and fresh basil on each tomato slice, sprinkle with olive oil and lightly salt.
– Combine fresh fruit with fresh fennel. Thinly slice fennel and let it soak in lemon juice for 20 minutes. Toss sliced peaches into fennel and add rice vinegar, lemon zest and salt and pepper
-Whip up a quick avocado salad. Avocados contain heart-healthy fats and are packed with vitamins and minerals. Cube avocados and toss with vinaigrette, fresh herbs, capers, sliced green onions and roasted pine nuts.

Grill Up Dessert
– Cook fruit kabobs, pineapple slices or peach halves on low heat until the fruit is hot and slightly golden for a tasty and nutritious dessert.
– Grill watermelon for 30 seconds on each side to bring out unique flavors. You also could carve out a watermelon to use as a bowl for fruit salad!
– Marinate strawberries in balsamic vinegar for 30 minutes, toss in fresh mint and serve a refreshing savory dessert.

Healthy Cookout Recipes:

Grilled Chicken and Veggie Kabobs
Tomato and Cucumber Salad