Healthy, Affordable Recipes for the Grill

[encinc]

I bought DH a new BBQ for his birthday. He doesn't help out much with the cooking on a day to day basis, but he loves to BBQ! So, the more grilled foods we eat, the more DH will cook.

Right now, I have hamburgers and turkey burgers in the freezer (made them last week when extra lean ground beef was on special). Here's a link to the turkey burger recipe (I just made up the recipe for the beef burgers): http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Kittencals-Moist-Turkey-Burgers-for-the-Grill-Low-Fat-122838

I'm looking for ideas to keep some variety in our meals that are cooked on the BBQ. We try to eat as healthy as possible, and keeping the meals affordable is also important. Any vegetarian recipes would also be appreciated. The kids love tofu!

What's your favorite recipe for the grill?

 

[Carl Fredricksen]

Sign up free at Weber Nation and they have about 400 grill recipes available for free on the site. They also have a weekly (or so) recipe they will delivered to your email if you want. You don't have to own a Weber grill to access the site. Also many of the Weber cookbooks can be gotten very cheap from Amazon, and they specialize in grilling recipes.

I'm a big fan of Weber if you can't tell! They are the best for the outdoor cook IMO

 

[KLAIT]

Marinated and grilled pork chops are my absolute favorite. I love red wine vinagrette dressing and throw them on the grill....yummy

 

[charming23]

We love to marinate boneless skinless chicken breasts in italian dressing and then grilling them. The dressing gives it a sweet/ tart flavor and they are always moist. If corn on the cob looks good we will take that strip all the husks off and wrap the cobs in foil with a small pat of butter and roast on the grill. We also love sliced zuchinni, yellow squash, and eggplant grilled on the grill. We usually marinate that with italian dressing as well or grill it plain both ways are good.

 

[HeatherC]

Portabella Mushrooms! Just sprinkle with some salt/pepper and brush with olive oil. It's like a meatless burger!

Don't forget...you can also grill fruit on the grill. Pineapple is particularly yummy!

 

[Tinkerbelle9980]

We like to brine pork chops and chicken breasts for a few hours then grill them plain. They are so juicy and have great flavor that way.

 

[lovesmurfs]

Get one of those pans with holes in the bottom -- it's totally worth it! I cut up whatever veggies I have, spray them with non-stick spray and some mixed seasoning spices, and grill. Yum! I'll also add shrimp if I've got some on hand.

Last summer I had a great garden and most included zucchini, yellow squash, green pepper, red cabbage, onion, green beans -- whatever I picked that day.

ETA: You can also grill corn on the cob on the grill -- I cut off the silk, but then grill with the husk on.

 

[Them!]

Sign up free at Weber Nation and they have about 400 grill recipes available for free on the site. They also have a weekly (or so) recipe they will delivered to your email if you want. You don't have to own a Weber grill to access the site. Also many of the Weber cookbooks can be gotten very cheap from Amazon, and they specialize in grilling recipes.

I'm a big fan of Weber if you can't tell! They are the best for the outdoor cook IMO

I am having trouble signing up at that site. I keep getting redirected back to the front page and it won't take my sign up info. I will keep trying....

We just upgraded from our 10 year old Weber. That one is going to my daughter who is buying her first house. We got a new Genesis in a nice brown color for $649 and then a 10% Military discount at Lowe's. It is a fantastic grill and I am glad we didn't cheap out. We grill ALOT! (BTW it is HUGE and it actually will fit in the back of a Saturn Vue..LOL)

Recipe idea:: I peeled and chopped an eggplant then tossed with balsamic and olive oil. Added some greek seasoning and put it into the grill pan mentioned in an earlier post. It was the perfect side dish to my grilled chicken. Served with pitas, my homemade hummus, and my "fake"-ziki sauce. (that is just plain greek yogurt, seasoning, a little feta and a bit of minced cuke) Easy clean up too.

 

[prncess674]

Rub baked potato in oil oil, salt and pepper. Wrap in foil, the prick with a fork. Place on grill. They are so yummy.

I also make foil packets of chopped veggies: zucchini, squash, red bell peppers all grill up yummy.

I also do aparagus on the grill. Just make sure you put them perpendicular to the grill grates!

 

[Panna]

Kebobs are yummy. You can use chicken, beef, veggies, shrimp, even do fruit kebobs.

We love marinating top sirloin for a few hours, grilling then slicing for Phily Cheesesteak sandwiches. You can grill the onions, peppers and mushrooms to top it, or cut it up with a salad.

Pork Tenderloin - either pre-marinaded, or add a rub yourself. You can do the veggies on the grill as well (foil packets are wonderful, broccoli, cauliflower, beans)..and once again left overs make great sandwiches.

The ever favorite Ribs - yummm, and chicken wings.

Enjoy! I love the bbq, means the dbf cooks and I just do the bread

 

[MiniGirl]

We use our grill 4 or 5 times a week -- esp. this time of year.

We all love shrimp. We will peel them and marinate them in bbq sauce and a fruit juice -- usually pineapple, and add a bit of garlic. Yum!!!

My favorite is grilled fish. I love fish steaks like tuna or mahi, but we also grill have a thing to grill other fish, too. My oldest loves grilled fish. I will make a mango/pineapple salsa to top it with. Love it!!!

 

[encinc]

Yum! Thanks everyone for all the great ideas!

We had grilled chicken this evening. I wish I'd seen that eggplant recipe before I grocery shopped yesterday because it sounds yummy! I think we're going to have grilled salmon tomorrow night. I love the idea of fish on the grill. Our previous BBQ had such a terrible grill on it that we didn't like to make anything that might flake through the gaps in the grate. The new one is soooo much nicer!

Keep the ideas coming! The weather is only going to get better for grilling!

 

[tommya60]

London Broil marinated then grilled is a summer staple around here. I love eggplant on the grill (generally the long skinny Japanese ones), zucchini, potatoes, almost any vegtable. I did buy a "frying pan" with holes in the bottom--I got it at TJ Maxx/HomeGoods. DH really likes it and uses it a lot.

 

[daughtersrus]

We do everything... burgers, brats, italian sausage, hot dogs, ribs, pork chops, pork roast, rib-eye roast, steak, chicken, hot wings, turkey, shrimp, ham, veggies, fruit, potatoes, pizza...on the grill.

My family loves potatoes, onions and green pepper thinly sliced cooked in a foil packet with a little margarine and seasoning to taste (I use Petey's Cajun). This is a staple of ours in the summer.

DH also cooks corn in the husk. You soak it in water for a few minutes to keep the juices in and the husk from burning. Rotate it on the grill for about 10 minutes.

We cook mostly with indirect heat.

 

[sherreis]

Veggies on the grill are great -- I sometimes will brush them with lemon juice, sprinkle some herbs on them and grill till tender. I sometimes will use olive oil but trying to keep the fats down now.

I usually do zucchini, yellow squash, red onions, vidalia onions, asparagus, eggplant, tomatoes. YUM! Can't wait.

 

[AmongMadPeople]

Someone mentioned asparagus - we only eat it cooked on the grill! I'm not into asparagus any way other than how my hubby does it! This is a good one for spring months, as it's coming into season in Mexico and will be in the next few months around the US. I'll write out the recipe from memory for those of us who can't do anything without written steps

Grilled Asparagus

Snap or cut off ends
Rinse
Coat in olive oil and lemon juice
Sprinkle with black pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder
Cook 6-10 minutes on grill, turning occassionally (Adjust time for how you like it...the skinny stuff we have now is great at 6, the thick stuff we'll be getting from my mother in law later this spring does better at 10)

As a total side note - I like making our own hamburgers, but when we did it they totally fell apart on the grill. My hamburger recipe includes bread crumbs...should I add an egg? I don't know, I'm totally clueless on how to fix it

 

[lovesmurfs]

As a total side note - I like making our own hamburgers, but when we did it they totally fell apart on the grill. My hamburger recipe includes bread crumbs...should I add an egg? I don't know, I'm totally clueless on how to fix it

I don't like breadcrumbs and egg in our burgers (that recipe's reserved for meatloaf!). What I do is premake the burgers, layer them between wax paper and lightly freeze them (sorta ice crystally) before cooking.

Also, you do need to let them cook for several minutes before turning on the grill.

 

[pintamino]

Grilled peaches! Slice in half and just enough to warm them, drizzle with honey and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. My ex's mom used to make them when I was in high school... I think it's the perfect summer dessert.

 

[AmongMadPeople]

I don't like breadcrumbs and egg in our burgers (that recipe's reserved for meatloaf!). What I do is premake the burgers, layer them between wax paper and lightly freeze them (sorta ice crystally) before cooking.

Also, you do need to let them cook for several minutes before turning on the grill.

My husband thought a freezer might be involved...we'll try this out next time. Thanks!

 

[lovesmurfs]

My husband thought a freezer might be involved...we'll try this out next time. Thanks!

My other post wasn't clear, either. You need to cook them on the grill (brown) for a few minutes before turning the burgers to the other side.