Safe & Healthy Tips for Grilling This Summer

Safe & Healthy Tips for griling This Summer/ For all of you looking to the weekend or any other fun summer get-togethers, where you are firing up the barbecue grill; it is important to know a few tips to protect you and your friends and family, from the potentially dangerous chemicals that grilling meat can create.

“Grilling, frying, broiling, and other cooking methods that expose meat to extremely high temperatures, creates potential cancer-causing compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCAs).

This is especially true when the meat is charred or overcooked.

Moreover, when fat drips on the heat source, the plumes of smoke can coat meat with other dangerous chemicals. 

The worst offenders are fatty, well-done beef, pork and lamb, but even poultry and fish produce HCAs when seared.”

If you love grilling, here are a few ways to reduce the dangers:

• Buy lean types of meat and trim off all visible fat.

• “Marinate meat. Researchers have found that this can decrease HCAs by more than 90 percent. Use combinations of beer, cider, vinegar, citrus juices, mustard, herbs, and brown sugar.”

• Precook meat in an oven, and then finish on the grill.

•Try using a lower heat. Don’t put the meat right over the fire. Put the meat to the side of the grill where the heat isn’t as hot.

 

• Turn the meat more frequently, and grill the meat just until it is cooked and safe to eat.  Don’t cook it until it is charred. You can use a meat thermometer to check and make sure it is done.

• Avoid breathing in smoke, which also has risks.  

• Veggie burgers, seitan (a protein-rich food made of wheat gluten, used as a meat substitute in vegetarian dishes),

Portobello mushrooms and vegetables have little or no formation of HCA’s when grilled.

Try going vegetarian once in a while!  It tastes good, and is good for you!

Resources and quotes are taken from the Berkeley Wellness Alert University of California - 5/24/2011

 

GRILLED VEGETABLE PITA SANDWICH

 

My son, Gibbons,  makes delicious sandwiches during the summer. Sometimes he grills and sometimes he roasts his veggies. I like mine to have only sliced and grilled portobello mushrooms.

This recipe is great any of those ways!

When preparing the veggies, slice them about 1/4 of an inch thick. You don’t want them too thick.

This recipe makes one serving.

 

 

Ingredients:

1 whole-grain pita bread, warmed

½ zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise

¼ c. red or yellow bell peppers, thinly sliced

1 carrot, thinly sliced

½ c. hummus

 

Directions:

1. Heat the grill.

2. We put our veggies in a grilling rack that is then placed on the hot grill. The rack is optional.

3. Grill the vegetables 10 to 15 minutes, until they are slightly soft and

warm. Then remove from heat.

4. Spread hummus in the warm pita bread.

5. Lay slices of grilled vegetables in layers inside warm pita bread

on top of hummus.

 

Variations:

1. Coat vegetables with a little coconut oil and sea salt before

grilling for a richer and moister flavor.

2. Add slices of portobello mushroom, for a meatier flavor and texture.

3. Substitute sliced avocado or mayonnaise for hummus.