Sizzlin’ Summer
Lisa Grentz, MS, RDN, CD/LDN, FAND
Summer is the season for slowing down, enjoying long evenings, and savoring all your favorite foods. Firing up the grill for a cookout is one way to combine all of these seasonal favorites. Whether you’re a grill master, burger boss, or skilled with a skewer we want to help you elevate your grilling game to new creative heights this summer.
There’s nothing better than an impromptu cookout, where you can kick back and let the evening unfold while enjoying the company of friends and family. In order to get the party sizzling, here are some grilling ideas for whipping up a fantastic dinner.
Sensational Skewers:
BBQ Chicken Kabobs
Steak and Potato Kabobs
Asian Shrimp Skewers
Sweet-and-Sour Meatball Skewers
Meat Masterpiece:
Cedar Plank Salmon
Honey BBQ Glazed Chicken
Grilled BBQ Short Ribs
Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
Perfect Grilled Steak
Sizzlin’ Sides
Foil Packed Zesty Grilled Veggies
Grilled Fruit Kabobs
Corn on the Cob
BBQ Chicken Caesar Salad
Another fun food is grilled pizza. GIE’s own Aubrey Phelps likes to fire up the grill for pizza night every Friday. She shared with us her go to recipe for making this family favorite food.
Grilled Pizza
Serves 2-3 (based on about 1-pound of dough, can easily be increased)
Pizza dough (homemade or store bought)
1 (16-ounce) can pizza sauce or tomato sauce
8-ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
Toppings of choice (we love roasted garlic, sausage, and mushrooms!)
Heat your grill over medium-high.
Add parchment paper to 2 large cookie sheets and oil with about 1 tablespoon avocado oil per pan.
Divide your dough into 4-6 small balls. Gently rub dough ball on the oiled sheet, then stretch it into a thinner circular shape and lay it on the greased pan, pressing it out into a small pizza shape. Repeat with other dough balls.
Place dough oil-side down on the hot grill (it will not fall through, promise) and cook for 1-3 minutes, until lightly browned underneath, but still very doughy and soft on top.
Once undersides are lightly cooked, remove doughs from grill and place cooked-side-up on the greased parchment-lined cookie tray.
Top with sauce, cheese, and desired toppings, then gently slide each pizza back onto the grill and cook, lid down, until undersides are browned with a tiny char spot or two, and cheese has melted.
If you can’t fit all the pizzas on the grill at once, do this in stages until the pizzas are completed.
Note: Once you’ve grilled one side, you’ve got time! Take your time adding the toppings, no need to rush. Then add them back to the grill in batches as needed to give yourself enough room to work.
To help you make your pizza anything but ordinary, consider trying topping combinations such as:
Grilled fruit, goat cheese, and arugula
BBQ chicken and pineapple
Chopped bacon and Yukon gold potatoes topped with a drizzle of sour cream
Pesto and roasted tomatoes