It’s time once again to dust off and fire up those grills. Besides being fun, most everything you can put on a grill is naturally low carb, high in protein, and good for you! And whenever I grill it’s pretty much guaranteed to be an impromptu party on the patio!
To Grill or What to Grill, that is the Question! More and more we are hearing about the health benefits of protein with beef being the number one source. Beef isn’t always loaded with saturated fats as you might think; it’s all about making the right choices. I like to use leaner cuts which can be identified with terms such as “loin” or “round” or a favorite of mine: “top sirloin” which is great on the grill! Just one 8-ounce steak is packed with your entire daily requirements of protein.
Pork is a favorite in my house, and although we like baby back and short ribs, whole boneless pork loin and the smaller leaner pork tenderloins are tops on our list. The larger whole boneless pork loins can be found at warehouse clubs for as low as $1.99 a pound. You can get several meals out of one by slicing thick steaks for the grill from the center, a roast from one end, and then make kebobs and stir fry from the other!
The smaller pork “tenderloins” are more manageable coming in single or double serving size each and are grilled whole. Believe it or not, today pork has an average 31 percent less fat than it did just 25 years ago with pork tenderloin being nearly as low in fat as skinless chicken breast!
The King of Lean is still boneless skinless chicken breast and we have it often. It’s versatile, economical and can be grilled fast! For lunch I like grilled chicken breast topped with mushrooms and Swiss or ham and American cheese, served with lettuce leaves, sliced red onion and tomatoes. For dinner I drape the grilled chicken with tomato sauce and melted mozzarella cheese for a healthy low carb Grilled Chicken Parmesan!
The #1 protein that people will be grilling this summer should be no surprise; Hamburgers! With many choices of ground beef available today you can buy it as lean as you want but I recommend ground chuck for a flavorful grilled burger. And to make your burgers memorable, I have included my recipe below for “Boredom-Bashing Burger Ideas”; a great list of interesting ways to top the good ol’ hamburger, turning our favorite into a gastronomical feat!
Happy Grilling!
George Stella
Ps No matter what protein you choose, don’t forget to throw a few different colorful vegetables on the grill right alongside it; try mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, red onion, peppers, asparagus, tomatoes, and even sliced sweet potatoes!
Keep on Low Carbin’!
Chef George Stella
For tons more low carb recipes, ideas, and support please visit:
www.StellaStyle.com
www.facebook.com/LowCarbingAmongFriends
Thank you George for all you share with us! Even though we do grill almost year round at my house, I am excited to try all the different Boredom-Bashing Burger ideas as we entertain and spend more time outdoors on the patio now that summer has finally arrived here in Minnesota.