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Start the New Year out right with these protein and nutrient-packed Healthy Grilled Recipes. Healthy doesn’t just mean salad. Grilling and smoking meat is a delicious and lower calorie option to deep frying or other fat-centric cooking methods.
Eating a rainbow of fruits and veggies can help with winter blahs
First, let me say that I am not a trained nutritionist. However, I have been eating food for a while now, 😉 and noticing how it impacts my mood and body. I go to these dishes when I want healthy grilled recipes.
‘Healthy’ is a pretty broad term that means different things to different people. I believe there are no intrinsically good and bad foods. What is ‘good’ for one person’s body may not work well in someone else’s. Additionally, I love what my fellow food blogger friend Samantha says: “Some foods nourish our bodies, while others cater more to our souls”. (If you’re looking more for the latter, try our Comfort Food round-up.)
Every January my family does a 10-day sugar detox. It’s not that sugar is evil. But for us it’s a great way to start the year feeling fresh and the commitment is doable. We teach the kids the difference between natural and artificial sugar, and how to read food labels.
That said, most doctors would probably say that eating a variety of fruits and veggies will help improve your health and may even help you fight the winter blahs. So here are our favorite veggie forward and protein packed recipes for a healthy new year.
Grilled Protein
Grilling requires much less oil than pan frying, making for a healthier end product.
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Grilled Salmon
Grilled Salmon recipe and tips and tricks for how to grill the perfect, juicy, and tender salmon every time! No marinade required!
Food is all about balance. Balance a rich main dish with one of these lighter side dishes.
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Collard Greens Recipe With Smoked Turkey Leg
How to make smoked collard greens with a homemade smoked turkey leg. One key tip is to be sure the collards are gently rolled or massaged to tenderize them.
Grilled Sweet Potato Recipe with Smoked Honey Butter
A grilled sweet potato with savory dry rub. Soft, flavorful, and easy to make on any grill. This is a great alternative cooking method for a baked sweet potato.
Recipe for Smoked Bacon and Tomatillo Guacamole. Take your guacamole to the next level by adding smoked bacon and smoked tomatillos! Smokey, creamy, delicious!
Smoking beets adds incredible flavor to this earthy root vegetable. The smoked beets are slowly smoked until tender, and then served with a creamy goat cheese ranch dip. This recipe was inspired by a restaurant dish I had at the Bird & The Bottle in Santa Rosa, California.
Grilled Carrots with a Honey Brown Sugar Glaze are a fantastic side dish to any holiday or casual meal. Perfect side dish for Easter or Christmas dinner or summer grilling season.
Salad may be one of the first things you think of when you think ‘healthy’. You may also immediately think of dieting and being hungry. Well it doesn’t have to be that way! These salads boast a hefty dose of protein to keep you feeling full and fueled until dinner time.
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Grilled Chicken Salad with Candied Pecans and Balsamic Dressing
Candied Pecans for crunch, perfectly grilled chicken with a savory honey balsamic dressing makes this a grilled chicken salad with amazing flavor.
A simple and delicious grilled romaine Caesar salad elevated with some smoky crispy pancetta (or bacon), grilled lemon, and grilled baguette slices to sub for croutons, and instructions on how to grill romaine lettuce.
As a parent, you want to feel good about the snacks you’re handing to your kids. Let out a sigh of relief because these snacks are delicious and healthy.
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Smoked Almonds
Roasting almonds using a low and slow method to get an amazing smoky flavor and crunch. We add a touch of extra virgin olive oil and kosher salt to finish.
Grilled Crudités Platter with Tarragon Dipping Sauce
An incredible way to serve both raw and grilled vegetables as an appetizer with a savory and tangy tarragon dipping sauce. Serve a combination of semi-grilled and raw vegetables for the ultimate crudités platter.
Smoked ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning served in crispy lettuce wraps, and finished with a soothing avocado cream sauce and your favorite toppings.
Grilling pineapple on your charcoal or gas grill is an easy way to add flavor to any salad, fruit platter, or delicious side dish for your summer cookouts.
How to make a traditional apple crisp on the grill. Grilled Apple Crisp is going to become your new favorite fall dessert! It's also the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving dinner!
Mary (a certified sommelier and recipe developer) and Sean (backyard pitmaster) are co-authors of the critically acclaimed cookbook, Fire + Wine, and have been creating content for the IACP nominated website Vindulge since 2009. They live in Oregon on a farm just outside Portland.
Thank you for being part of our community. If you make any of our dishes we’d love to see them on social media using the hashtag #vindulge and give it a 5 star review.
I'm Mary, a wine/food/travel writer, Certified Sommelier, mom of twins, former vegetarian turned BBQ fanatic, runner, founder of Vindulge, and author of Fire + Wine cookbook. Thanks for stopping by!
