3 Must Try Fresh Salads For A Healthy Meal

A green salad is a perfect go-to meal when you’re in the mood for something in between – a meal that’s not too light but not too heavy either. It is easy to prepare and you can choose what dressing to use according to your current mood.

If you’re in the mood for something refreshing yet easy to prepare for your next meal, here are 3 green salad recipes to try:

Mint Greens Mix

What you need:

4 cups fresh spinach
1 cup sliced avocado
1 cup sliced cantaloupe
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon mint apple jelly
1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced

In a medium bowl, combine vegetable oil, mint apple jelly, white wine vinegar and garlic to make the dressing. Divide spinach leaves, avocado and cantaloupe between 2 serving plates then sprinkle with red bell pepper and mint leaves. Pour dressing over salad, toss and serve.

Tropical Twist Green Salad

What you need:

1/4 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and chopped
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
4 cups torn arugula leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix together apple cider vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup and salt in a bowl to make the vinaigrette. Set aside. In a salad bowl, combine pineapple, onion, arugula leaves and cilantro. Pour dressing over fresh ingredients and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

The Orange Surprise

What you need:

1 can mandarin oranges, drained
4 cups baby spinach
4 cups mixed salad greens
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup creamy salad dressing
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon poppy seeds

To make the dressing, whisk together creamy salad dressing, white sugar, white vinegar and poppy seeds in a bowl. Place mandarin oranges, baby spinach, mixed salad greens, and red onion in a serving plate and top with slivered almonds. Drizzle poppy seed dressing over salad and toss to coat before serving.

Regular consumption of fresh salads will keep your body healthy and energized. Not only that, your appetite will be satisfied as well. Try these delicious and refreshing green salad recipes for your next meal – you’ll definitely want to start eating healthy more!

Source by Adrian T. Cheng

These Gluten-Free Grill Recipes Are A Must-Try!

Who says all food cooked on the grill is fatty and greasy? Yes, you can follow a healthy diet and eat grilled food. In fact, grilled food is more nutritious compared to those cooked on the pan. So if you’re aiming to eat healthy meals or planning to follow a gluten-free diet, these quick and easy gluten-free grill recipes are definitely a must-try!

Gluten-Free Chicken and Potato Combo

What you need:

1 bottle (12 oz) beer or root beer, at room temperature
6 pcs. chicken drumsticks
2 potatoes
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 cup butter, melted then cooled
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
Lime wedges, for wedges
Olive oil, for drizzling

Continue reading “These Gluten-Free Grill Recipes Are A Must-Try!”

2 Delicious Spicy Grilling Recipes You Must Try Now

While it’s not for everyone, a lot of grillers are fans of spicy food. And why wouldn’t they be? Spicy food makes you enjoy the food better and makes you want to eat more! So whether you like adding chilis, peppers or other spices to your meals, you’ll surely enjoy these delicious spicy grilling recipes!

Grilled Spicy Chicken Adobo

What you need:

1 kg. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 can (7oz) chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Continue reading “2 Delicious Spicy Grilling Recipes You Must Try Now”

5 Expert Tips For Grilling In Direct Heat

Grilling is a learning process. There are 2 main kinds of grilling methods – cooking over direct heat and over indirect heat. As a beginner, it’s easier to cook over direct heat, but the process is also different depending on what type of grill you have.

It’s simply placing your food on the grate and cooking directly above the heat source. Here are some expert tips for grilling in direct heat.

Create a consistent heat when using a charcoal grill

You would want a consistently hot and even heat under your grates the entire time you’re cooking. To achieve this, the trick is to arrange the hot coals in an even layer at the bottom of your grill. This way, your food will cook evenly no matter where you put them on the grill.

Use thin cuts of meat

With direct heat grilling, food tends to cook more quickly. That’s why it’s best to cook thin cuts of meat and small pieces of vegetables when using this method. The temperature usually reaches 450-650F, and if you cook thicker cuts of meat with this method, it would typically result to burning the outside with the inside not yet fully cooked.

Turn only once Continue reading “5 Expert Tips For Grilling In Direct Heat”

5 Essential Grilling Tools That Promote Safety

We all know that anything that has to do with fire has some dangers and risks, including cooking and grilling. If you love to barbecue, you’ve probably burned yourself once or twice already. For your safety (and your family’s as well), it’s ideal that you take extra precaution while working the grill. Buy gear that will protect you or will lower the chance of getting burned by the heat.

Here are some essential grilling tools for safety that you should buy:

Long-Handled Spatula and Tongs

A good spatula has an offset handle for ease of slipping it under food on the grill. You could go for either a silicone one or a metal one, but be sure to choose a long-handled spatula to keep you hands away from the grill’s heat.

Same goes with tongs. Choose a long handle that is spring-loaded. Tongs are a better choice than forks when cooking meat, as forks pierce through the meat and release its juices.

Grill Mitts or Gloves Continue reading “5 Essential Grilling Tools That Promote Safety”

3 Grilling Myths and the Truth Behind Them

We’ve all heard about outrageous stories, tips, hacks and myths about grilling from “experts”. These information are readily available on the internet and there’s too much that we don’t know which ones are true anymore. Unless you’ve tried and tested all of it, that’s the only time you can prove their validity.

But considering science and popularity, here are 3 of the most common grilling myths and the truth behind them:

The more you check, the longer your food will cook on the grill

Surely you’ve read a tip about this – they usually advise against checking on your food too much because it lengthens cooking time. Some even say that you add 15 minutes of cooking time to long cooks (like beef brisket) every time you peek. The truth is, no matter how many times you check your food, it doesn’t make much of an impact on the temperature, let alone the cooking time. According to Boston University’s Professor Greg Blonder, a food scientist and physicist, opening the lid drastically makes little or no impact on the temperatures of the meat’s surface and center, therefore not changing its cooking time. Continue reading “3 Grilling Myths and the Truth Behind Them”

5 Effective Healthy Grilling Tips You Should Know About

Want to begin your journey to a healthier lifestyle? Then start grilling your food! Cooking your food on the grill generally healthier than cooking it over the stove or on the oven, but there are plenty of other ways how you can keep your food even more nutritious through grilling.

Follow these effective healthy grilling tips to jumpstart your new lifestyle!

Choose the right protein

Now is the time to pick leaner and healthier cuts of meat! Instead of your usual meats with a lot of fat, opt for healthier choices such as chicken breast, skinless chicken and fish, lean ground poultry etc. When you grill them right, nobody won’t miss having red meat!

While red meat from time to time is fine, keep in mind that it contains more saturated fat. If you’re using pork or beef, choose loin or round cuts. Instead of the prime grade, go for choice or select grades. Continue reading “5 Effective Healthy Grilling Tips You Should Know About”

Do These 5 Important Steps Before You Start Grilling

As with traditional cooking, preparation is paramount when you’re about to cook your food on the grill. Getting everything ready and checking your gear will save you a lot of time and energy once you start your fire. Once you start grilling, you would want to focus on cooking your food perfectly and not be distracted by other things.

Here are 5 important steps to take before you start grilling:

Prepare your grates

It’s important to prep your grates before putting any food on them. This will prolong the life of your grates by keeping rust off. Do this every time before using your grill.

If your grill is brand new, spray the grates with high heat cooking spray evenly before turning on the grill. Turn on the grill to medium heat until the oil starts to smoke and burns off. If you’re using old grates, pre-heat your grill then brush off any debris. Continue reading “Do These 5 Important Steps Before You Start Grilling”

3 Simple Barbecue Tips To Make You A Better Griller

Grilling is a process that takes time to learn. It takes plenty of trial and error before you can perfectly cook a piece of meat – and there are so many types of meat! There’s pork, beef, chicken, seafood and so much more. Don’t forget the produce! It does take years to acquire expert level techniques in grilling and smoking, but there are many ways you can improve your grilling skills even though you’re only a beginner. Whether you aim to become a pitmaster or just want to become a seasoned griller, practice makes perfect! A few simple techniques will help improve your skills, and you’ll enjoy better food!

Implement these simple barbecue tips whenever you grill – they will surely help you become a better griller!

Let your food rest

It’s not ideal to take food off from the refrigerator and slap it straight onto the grill. If you do this, your food won’t cook evenly – the outside will burn and the inside would be raw. So once you take food out from the fridge, most especially pieces of meat, allow it to sit for at least 30 minutes in room temperature to take the chill off (longer for thicker cuts of meat). Continue reading “3 Simple Barbecue Tips To Make You A Better Griller”

Hint of Mint: 3 Mouth-Watering Mint Recipes to Try

This cooling herb has a distinct flavor that adds a refreshing taste to food or drinks. So if you want a hint of mint for your next meal, try these uniquely delicious recipes that use mint:

Salmon a La Mint

What you need:

4 salmon fillets
1 bunch fresh mint, stems removed
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems removed
1 lemon, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tbsps. olive oil
2 tbsps. melted butter
2 tbsps. honey
4 tsps. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
Mint sprigs for garnish

Continue reading “Hint of Mint: 3 Mouth-Watering Mint Recipes to Try”