the treadmill diaries

Grilled Veal Steaks & Veggie Skewers

We’re heading into that time of year when we can take out our grills and use them to whip up healthy, tasty main courses and side dishes.     

At our house, the grill rarely gets put away for the winter.  In fact, if there’s something I want badly enough, I’m very much like our mail carrier  where I’ll weather the snow, rain, dark, you name it.  Of course, in Spring, Summer and Fall, the use of the grill becomes much more frequent than during the off-season.     

Grilling is such a phenomenal way to flavor up most foods without adding a ton of fat and calories to the dish – and what’s even better for us neat freaks is that it’s also a quick, low mess option.  Cook it and serve it.  No muss, no fuss.     

Like most, there are several common staples that are grilled to perfection at our place:     

• mouth-watering burgers and dogs - either made from extra lean beef, of the turkey or chicken variety, and even several veggie and bean classics
• kabobs – a mix of lean proteins like pork, chicken, and beef, tossed in a marinade and skewered up with a medley of seasonal vegetables
• BBQ whatever – pork tenderloin, chops, and sirloin / beef steaks, tips, and flank / chicken breast, wings, and thighs

But, grilling shouldn’t stop with the standard fare.  If it doesn’t fall through the grate on the grill, my philosophy is to try cooking it outside.  A few wins that I’ve discovered along the way include:     

• Grill Pizza – your oven pizza won’t taste as good as the fluffy, crispy version that you can pull together on the grill – and it only takes 10 minutes tops to cook from start to finish.  Plus, the topping combinations are endless. 
• Appetizers – anything that can be baked in the oven to a crisp will also do really well on the grill – like Mrs T’s Pierogies (any variety), ravioli (any variety), egg rolls, and potato/zucchini cakes
• Vegetables – whether you skewer them up or wrap them in a foil pouch with a tsp of olive oil, a clove of garlic, and kosher salt – you can’t beat the chargrilled taste and crunchy texture.  Bonus, this is another case where your food will be ready in 10 minutes or less.
• Seafood – a great way to make some of your favs.  Fillets of fish, lobster and shellfish all fair mighty well on the grill and they just need a bit of seasoning to get them there.

My advice to you would be to take advantage of this highly versatile cooking method – you’ll get lots of taste, trim out the fat, and cut your prep to serve time signficantly.  And, it’s also fun to see what else we can get away with successfully roasting up on the grill.  (Be sure to share your findings!)  Mangia and enjoy.