20 Healthier Grilling Recipes That Earn Top Marks From Our Readers

October 16, 2008
Photo: Jennifer Causey
When avid home cooks give a recipe five stars, you know it's going to be good.
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Shrimp With Grilled Citrus and Leek Relish

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Shrimp With Grilled Citrus and Leek Relish

Drew Curren, chef-partner of Elm Restaurant Group in Austin, cooks both the shrimp and the relish on a grill at his Texas restaurant. If the weather is mild enough for you to grill, live-fire cooking makes this dish even more delicious, adding a hint of smoky flavor. Roll the citrus between your palm and the cutting board before slicing and juicing—it crushes the pulp a little and makes it easier to extract juice. The 16-20 count for shrimp refers to how many shrimp make a pound, which is helpful since the designations “medium,” “large,” and “extra-large” can vary from market to market. A quality, fruity, and grassy olive oil is best here to bring a touch of velvety richness to the dressing.

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Caribbean Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Pineapple Salsa

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Caribbean Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Pineapple Salsa

We cut the tenderloin in half before grilling for a nicely charred crust and a juicy inside in half the time. Traditionally, jerk seasoning is meant to be spicy, but we found the heat to be moderate and not overwhelming in this dish. Fresno chiles look like red jalapeños, and are slightly milder than green jalapeños. The grilled pineapple salsa is a fantastic accompaniment for the pork, well balanced between sweet pineapple, tart lime, pungent onion, and fragrant cilantro. The salsa would also work well with grilled chicken or fish. Serve with ice cold Red Stripe Jamaican lager for a full-on island meal experience.

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Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Orange-Sesame Asparagus and Rice

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Orange-Sesame Asparagus and Rice

This recipe is intended to give you extra pork for dinner later in the week. If you'd rather not make the extra pork, simply use one pork tenderloin (instead of two), and halve the marinade; the rest of the recipe will work for four servings. The soy sauce and fish sauce in the marinade amplify the meatiness of the pork, while the brown sugar and maple syrup offer sweet notes to balance while also helping the pork brown quickly in the grill pan as the sugars caramelizes on the ridges.

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Grilled Individual Hawaiian Pizzas

Photo: Iain Bagwell
View Recipe: Grilled Individual Hawaii Pizzas

Here's a super simple grilled pizza your kids will love. Don't feel like grilling? No problem: Bake them. Cook the dough on a hot pizza stone at 500° for 4 minutes, add toppings, and bake an additional 8 minutes or until done.

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Grilled Chicken and Soba Noodles With Miso Vinaigrette

Photo: Justin Walker; Styling: Carla Gonzalez-Hart
View Recipe: Grilled Chicken and Soba Noodle with Miso Vinaigrette

The vinaigrette doubles as a sauce for the noodles and a glaze before the chicken hits the grill. The noodle mixture and the chicken can also be made a couple of days ahead.

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Grilled Chicken With Tomato-Avocado Salad

Photo: John Autry
View Recipe: Grilled Chicken with Tomato-Avocado Salad

For less heat in the dish, use regular chili powder in place of chipotle chile powder.

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Andrew Zimmern's Grilled Lamb

Photo: Christopher Testani
View Recipe: Grilled Lamb

If you grill over coals, choose natural hardwood charcoal, as Zimmern does, to infuse meat with smoky flavor.

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Spiced Chicken with Grilled Peach Salsa

Photo: Jason Varney
View Recipe: Spiced Chicken with Grilled Peach Salsa

Purple scallions have a mild, sweet taste and a beautiful deep color. Substitute green onions if you can't find their purple cousin.

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Grilled Buffalo Chicken Tacos

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Grilled Buffalo Chicken Tacos

We took the finger-licking beauty of a Buffalo wing experience and wrapped it in a tortilla—because that's how you win a weeknight.

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Grilled Salmon With White Bean and Arugula Salad

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Grilled Salmon With White Bean and Arugula Salad

Ask for salmon fillets from the head end of the fish—the tail end is much thinner.

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Grilled Shrimp Caesar Salad

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Grilled Shrimp Caesar Salad

The single anchovy fillet lends umami depth to the dressing without giving it any sort of strong fishy flavor.

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2. Grilled Flank Steak Gyros

Photo: Brian Woodcock; Styling: Claire Spollen
View Recipe: Grilled Flank Steak Gyros

You can indulge your fast-food craving with a healthier sandwich that packs the same irresistible meaty-creamy combo you get from a street cart. 

For delicious meal planning made easy, join the Cooking Light Diet today.

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Grilled Chicken Salad With Strawberries and Feta

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Grilled Chicken Salad With Strawberries and Feta

Simple, beautiful, fast. The oil and vinegar in the marinade double as the base for a simple vinaigrette. Tame the bite of fresh red onion slices by soaking them in ice cold water for 10 minutes.

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Grilled Flank Steak with Chipotle-Orange Mojo

Photo: Christopher Testani
View Recipe: Grilled Flank Steak with Chipotle-Orange Mojo

Turn your kitchen island into a Mexican street food cart offering Carne Asada-style tacos. Fresh cilantro leaves, orange juice, and glorious bold-flavored spices unite to leave a lasting impression on your guests.

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Grilled Vegetable and Flank Steak Salad With Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Grilled Vegetable and Flank Steak Salad With Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

If you don't love blue cheese, try crumbled feta or grated Parmesan instead.

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Summer Herbed Grilled Shrimp

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Summer Herbed Grilled Shrimp

Our finishing touches—a hit of herbs, peppery olive oil, and tangy vinegar—make these shrimp the freshest, most irresistible appetizer. Leave the tails on so guests have a handle for these tasty bites.

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Mojo Grilled Chicken Breasts

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Mojo Grilled Chicken Breasts

The red onions develop a nice char on the grill, but they finish cooking and develop a depth and sweetness once left to steam. Drizzle any juices from the onion mixture over the grilled chicken.

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Ultimate BBQ Chicken

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Ultimate BBQ Chicken

The secret to our best, juiciest chicken ever? It's in the skin. Grilling the meat with the skin on, then removing after cooking, actually leaves you with a succulent chicken breast that is more tender, tastier, and has less fat than a skinless, boneless breast. The best part? You'll save 183 calories, 3g sat fat, 26g sugar, and 854mg sodium over the traditional recipe, without losing any of the flavor.

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Turmeric Pork Chops with Green Onion Rice

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez
View Recipe: Turmeric Pork Chops with Green Onion Rice

Our turmeric slathered pork chops may look polished, but don't let this quick weeknight supper fool you. It's complex flavor belies it's simple preparation. 

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Glazed Beef Skewers with Ginger Slaw

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Glazed Beef Skewers with Ginger Slaw

Have your little helpers mix up the glaze, while older kids can help skewer the beef.

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