The Most Grillable Fruits
Looking for healthy snack alternatives at your next summer cookout? Look no further.
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It’s summer, which means grilling season! You probably already know How to Grill up a Healthy Burger, but what about healthy sides, or dessert? If you want to keep the day from turning into a chip-fest, consider grilling up some fruit.
“Opposites attract,” says John Schlimm, author of Grilling Vegan Style. “When that flame meets beautiful fruits, it just becomes something incredible,” he says. Grilling causes the sugars in fruit to caramelize, creating new smoky concoctions that remind you how decadent, yet low-calorie and chock full of vitamins, fruit can be.
“Grilling fruit is a simple process,” Schlimm says. But he does have a few tips for fruit-grilling newbies. Always brush whatever fruits you’re grilling with a little bit of olive oil. “The oil adds another element to the flavor profile,” he says, and it keeps fruits from sticking to your grill grates. He also suggests starting to grill your fruit over indirect heat, which isn’t as intense as a direct flame or hot coals. Finally, don’t “set it and forget it.” Fruit doesn’t take long to grill, so stick close to your grill and keep a close eye on it. All that being said, fruit is easy to grill, he says, and here are the best fruits to start with!
The article The Best Fruits for Your Grill originally appeared on Rodale Wellness.
Watermelon
Few people think to grill watermelon, Schlimm says, but it’s one of his favorite grillable fruits. The fruit supplies 25 percent of your daily vitamin C, 30 percent of your vitamin A, and lots of B6 as well. Plus it’s high in lycopene and the amino acid citrulline, which is anti-inflammatory and good for cardiovascular health.
Schlimm tosses it with arugula and a balsamic dressing to make a watermelon salad. Leave the rind on or off. It’s up to you, he says. Just keep a close eye on it. Watermelon’s high water content can cause hot water to spew out and burn you, if you’re not careful.
Once it’s grilled, let your watermelon rest for a few minutes to cool off before you dig in.
Apples
When it comes to grilling fruit, peaches and exotic tropical fruits, like pineapple, get most of the love. But if pie-eating has taught us anything, it’s that apples become exponentially more delicious when cooked. They’re even better on the grill, where the heat softens and sweetens the fruit from the outside.
They’re also quite healthy, containing 20 percent of your daily soluble fiber to help prevent cholesterol from building up, and a good dose of polyphenols, which help prevent spikes in blood sugar.
Peaches
All stone fruit make good grill companions, but peaches, which contain 333mg of potassium and tons of vitamins A and C, might be the tastiest. They’re more delicate, Schlimm says, so leave the skins on then peel them afterwards (or just leave the peels on).
There are few summer desserts better than grilled peaches with ice cream, but they also pair well with savory foods like grilled pork tenderloin, chicken or steak. Schlimm adds them to a salsa that includes red onion and jalapenos.
Strawberries
Think you can’t grill strawberries? Stick ’em on a skewer and watch them melt into grilled perfection. “With strawberries, that grilled smoky flavor plays so well with the sweet strawberry taste,” he says. They're also vitamin C powerhouses, containing 65 percent of your daily nutritional value, as well as 17 percent DV of manganese, which is important for bone health.
Schlimm’s favorite party trick: At your next barbecue, set out bowls of strawberries and other fruits you like and let your guests make their own Fruit Kabobs that they grill themselves. Each kabob takes about 7 minutes to grill completely.
Figs
If you’re looking for something a little out-of-the-ordinary, but still super healthy, grill figs. They’re a great source of vitamin K, B6, A, thiamin, copper, iron, potassium and manganese.
Add them to your ice cream, or even wrap them in prosciutto and serve them as appetizers. Select figs that are ripe but firm; if they’re overripe, they won’t hold their shape when subjected to a grill’s high heat.
Bananas
Bananas are a runner’s best friend. Not only do these guys contain plenty of potassium (12 percent of your DV to be exact) but they’re also high in vitamins C and B6, as well as soluble fiber, which (like apples, above) helps moderate blood sugar.
Want to try making a grilled banana split? Of course you do. Cut a banana in half horizontally, leaving each half in the peel. Coat the cut sides with brown sugar, and grill them for about 3 minutes per side (you don’t want them to get mushy). Pop the bananas out into a bowl, top with ice cream and chocolate sauce, and you’ve got the perfect summer dessert.
Melon
Not many people think to cook melons (which are great sources of vitamins A and C as well as K, thiamin, niacin, B6 and folate), let alone grill them. But, Schlimm notes, the grilling process deepens the flavors. You can cut a melon into thick slices, or into cubes you place on skewers. Either way, once you try it, you’ll want to repeat it all melon-season long.
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