Fire Up the Grill: Bison Burgers, Cedar-Plank Salmon & More

In years past, I’ve never been a huge fan of the grill. A turkey burger here or a grilled chicken breast there, but grilling was never something I got, like, psyched about. But then I started grilling veggies, fruits, different kinds of sausages from Trader Joe’s—and pairing them with wine—and then it was pretty much over. My fascination with healthy grilling was on. You can just be so dang creative! With the summer grilling season wrapping up, I thought I’d share a few of my recent grilling endeavors. They just might give you a few good healthy grilling ideas for you to mix things up this weekend!

4 Fun Foods to Throw on the Grill

1. Bison burgers. Whether you call it buffalo or bison (technically, I believe it’s bison, but whatev), I call it delicious. Lean, low in cholesterol and full of meaty flavor, grilled bison burgers have been one of my favorite things to grill this summer. (Because I buy from a local farm that I have actually visited, I also know my burgers are made of grass-fed bison that are well taken care of—which makes me feel way better about eating them.) Plus, they’re simple to cook. You grill…

Assemble and nom nom!

2. Chicken kabobs. For these, I chopped up some green pepper, onion, potatoes (boiled them until they were just tender), pineapple and chicken (which I marinated in some Asian sesame dressing), and skewered (one of my favorite words, ever, by the way) them with some mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. Simple, filling, healthy—just what a meal should be.

3. Bruschetta (or something like it). Just a few weeks ago, I invested in a grilling tray, and it’s opened my grilling world up. On a lazy Sunday, my hubs and I grilled up some tasty Brussels sprouts (cannot get enough Brussels sprouts in my life) seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper, along with my version of bruschetta.

“My version” pretty much includes whatever cheese we have in the fridge (in this case, it’s brie and goat cheese), fresh tomato and basil from my herb garden topped on small slices of whole-grain baguette from Trader Joe’s. It’s simple, but it’s heaven. Filling enough for a vegetarian meal, too.

4. Anything on a cedar plank. Ready for the big ta-da? I made two kinds of cedar-plank salmon. On the left, a cajun-spiced piece of salmon (I used Slap Ya Mama cajun spice blend, which I’m pretty sure is the best name for anything ever), and, on the left, an Asian-inspired one that was seasoned with soy sauce, rice vinegar and ginger. Grilling the salmon on a soaked cedar plank (no forest fires here, guys), gives the salmon a smokier and more woodsy flavor than usual. That sounds super foodie, but just trust me. It’s fantastic.

What’s your favorite food to grill? Have any fall favorites? I need new ideas to keep my love for healthy grilling fired up! —Jenn