Grilling Season is Here! - By Devin Alexander

The AHA is grateful for volunteers, like Devin Alexander - Chef for NBC’s Biggest Loser and author, to lend her voice on topics like this. Devin shares her personal perspective as a chef in this blog entry.

Ahhh it’s finally time… grilling season is upon us! When I’m dating, men often volunteer, given what I do, that they can’t cook – but they can grill! Grilling is a very manly thing (though we ladies certainly can be great too!). I love grilling so much, I do it a few times a week ALL year! Thus, also why I’m a spokeschef for Lynx Grills. I love it because grilling is one of the absolute best ways to add flavor without fat or sodium. Especially with recipes using leaner meats, like my Honey Lime Marinated London Broil, grilling locks in taste like a charm.

Here are some of my other favorite foods to grill:

• Vegetables, especially bell peppers, onions and asparagus

  A lot of people think steamed vegetables are one of the only way to make them “healthy” and without a lot of oil. Well that’s silly! You certainly don’t need a lot of oil.
  

  Simply brush or mist your grill before placing your veggies directly on the racks or toss a pound of veggies in about a teaspoon of a high quality oil (grapeseed oil and avocado oil are preferred over olive oil for grilling due to their higher smoking points). Or, if you’d prefer to use absolutely no oil, wrap your veggies in nonstick foil or grill foil and throw them on.

  I ALWAYS use a salt-free seasoning blend as well. There are so many you can always change it up!

• Pineapple (and other fruit like peaches and nectarines too!) are amazing on a grill

  Grill pineapple rounds as a dessert or chop them to put them in salsa – the heat adds a whole other flavor component. The pineapple salsa is especially awesome atop fish!
  

• Salmon or Monk fish

  Grilling fish is a phenomenal way to get that restaurant quality taste in your own home... without a whole stick of butter. I love to “smoke” salmon on my grill using a grill plank. If you haven’t tried them, they’re life altering…so so easy and flavor abounds! They’re easily found at tons of cooking stores these days – just soak the planks (you don’t want them going up in flames), add your fish and some basically seasonings and prepare to be wowed!

   

All in all, experiment! And ladies, don’t be afraid to get in there, grilling is DEFINITELY not just for men.

If you’d want a couple of great recipes to get you started, check out my Honey Lime Marinated London Broil and “Smokey” Salmon.