Grilled fruits add a twist to your next barbecue

Don’t forget your fruits!
The grill often gets dominated by meat (and hopefully) vegetables. Whether you’re grilling right on the open flame or in a tinfoil pouch, it’s easy to be successful at the grill. Although I’ll admit it’s taken me a few summers to remember that it’s important to think about getting the vegetables on the grill right away. They often take much longer than your meats, especially if grilling thin burger patties, brats or simply warming up a bean burger. Too often, my carrots or potatoes still need an additional 20 minutes on the grill after the meats are ready and we end up eating them as ‘dessert’!

In my opinion, carrots and potatoes are NOT dessert, but grilled fruit sure is! If you haven’t tried it, you’re in for a treat and it will make your next barbecue something special. Never grilled fruit before? Here are two of my favorites to get you started.

PINEAPPLE RINGS

Cut the ends off of a fresh and ripe pineapple. In sections, cut the rind off of the outer edge so that you have one whole pineapple with no rind.
Cut across the core to get pineapple slices. The thinner you make these, the more likely they are to fall apart and the harder they are to flip on the grill. I cut my slices almost an inch thick.
Take a small paring knife and cut the core out of each slice to make a ring.
Toss  the pineapple rings on a grill that has already been brought to medium-high heat. Flip after a few minutes once the first side has a little char and shows grill marks. Since there’s no need to thoroughly cook pineapple, remove from the grill once you have nice grill marks on both sides or when your other foods are ready.

Paired with a chicken breast that is marinaded in teriyaki season, grilled pineapple can’t get any better!

Grilled pineapple has been a staple at my house for many years but I recently upped my game by grilling PEACHES! A few recipes I’d seen called for a wash of honey and cinnamon prior to placing them on the grill. As this was the first meal grilled on our brand new Char-Broil, I couldn’t possibly get it sticky messy with a honey drizzle right away. So here’s the less-mess version that was truly delightful and so simple.
 

Grilled Peaches

Wash and cut each peach around the pit to get two halves. Remove Pit.
Place the peaches cut side down onto a grill that has already been brought to a medium-high heat. Grill until there are grill marks or a little bit of char. No need to cook thoroughly although you can flip if you like.
Remove the peaches from the grill when sufficiently charred or the rest of your food is ready. Drizzle with a small amount of honey. It checks all my favorite boxes:

  • Easy to make
  • Healthy with natural ingredients
  • Delicious!


 
What fruits do you put on the grill? Please share your ideas in the comments!

Skipping the bun for this brat leaves me room to enjoy a hard cider!

Looking for more easy-to-implement healthy eating strategies? Schedule your free nutrition consultation.
Addie Kelzer is a certified personal trainer and nutrition consultant. She believes that by making fitness and good food practical, her clients will hold the power to positively change their health and the health of those closest to them.