If you haven’t used your grill yet this year, now is the time to do so. When it’s nice enough to break out the sundresses and shorts, it’s definitely time to eat long, leisurely dinners outdoors. Grilling doesn’t only make food taste incredibly delicious, but it’s a quick, generally healthy way to enjoy your favorite easy recipes for dinner. Marinades don’t typically call for heavy cream or loads of butter; the grill adds plenty of flavor on its own, making grilling a cooking technique with a lot of healthy potential.
Where nutrition can get tricky, however, is when you load up on nothing but cheeseburgers and hot dogs all summer long. It’s completely fine to indulge in a beefy burger every so often, but if you’re going to be grilling all summer, red meat and carb-loaded buns may not make your body thank you in the long run.
Luckily, there are dozens of easy grilling recipes out there that are a little on the lighter side. This summer, alternate your burgers and hot dogs with lighter proteins such as grilled chicken, turkey burgers, or veggie burgers and hot dogs. You can even grill tofu—marinate it in the fridge overnight for great flavor.
The first recipe below is for Veggie Burger Pitas, and it’s a yummy way to put a lighter, vegetarian twist on your grilling this season. It uses whole grain pita for fiber, tomatoes, chilies and onion for a slight kick, and black bean veggie burgers for a delicious meatless option.
Veggie Burger Pitas
Serves: 4 (2 filled pita pockets each)
Ingredients:
1 10 oz. can Ro*Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, drained well
3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
¼ cup sour cream (use Greek yogurt for a healthier version)
¼ cup light ranch dressing
1 12 oz. package frozen Lightlife™ Kick’n Black Bean Veggie Burgers
4whole wheat pita pocket breads (6 ½ inch), cut in half and warmed
8 small romaine lettuce leaves
Combine drained tomatoes and red onion in a small bowl. Stir together sour cream and ranch dressing in another small bowl; set aside.
Prepare burgers according to package microwave directions or grill for 5 minutes on each side (until heated through). Spread sour cream mixture inside each pocket. Add lettuce and 1 half burger patty to each pocket; top with tomato mixture. Serve immediately.
Another delicious grilling option for this summer is seafood, and lots of it. Many people get intimidated by the thought of cooking fish, (it might seem too “fancy” for a weeknight dinner, or maybe the thought of dealing with raw fish is slightly scary!) but if you can cook a chicken breast, you can certainly cook yourself a delicious seafood dinner.
It’s easy to marinade fish fillets in soy sauce and spices for a few hours or simply brush them with olive oil before you slap them on the grill, but don’t be afraid to get creative with your grilling either! This recipe for grilled shrimp tacos takes easy grilled shrimp up a notch by adding a little spice and a fresh, zesty salsa. Tacos aren’t just an indoor dinner anymore—try them out on your grill ASAP! You’ll be glad you did.
Grilled Shrimp Tacos
Serves: 4 (2 tacos each)
Ingredients:
PAM® Grilling Spray
1 large avocado, pitted, peeled, diced
1 can (10 oz. each) Ro*Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, drained
1/2 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp (31/40) with tail, thawed if frozen
1 tablespoon Pure Wesson® Canola Oil
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
8 white corn tortillas (6 inch), warmed
Spray the cold grate of a gas grill with grilling spray. Preheat grill to medium heat. Meanwhile, toss together avocado, drained tomatoes, corn, onion and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
Remove tails from shrimp; toss with oil and chili powder in a large bowl. Thread shrimp evenly onto metal skewers; grill 2 to 3 minutes on each side or just until shrimp turn pink.
Divide shrimp evenly between tortillas. Top each with about ¼ cup avocado mixture. Serve immediately.
Author Bio: This is a guest post by Meredith K. on behalf of ReadySetEat®. For more summer grilling dinner ideas, visit www.readyseteat.com.
MMMMM I love shrimp tacos 🙂 Thanks for sharing the recipes!
Both the veggie burger pitas and shrimp tacos look so good! Can’t wait to try making both! 🙂
Yum!!! I love grilling 🙂 Definitely keeping pitas in mind this summer!!
Those tacos look pretty awesome! Shrimp is one of my favorites. Too bad I only have a George Forman grill! Haha
Great recipes! I love to grill out – lately, my favorite has been kabobs! Super easy:)