Spring is in full swing here in Memphis and the Mid-South. After a particularly rainy month of April, it’s finally time to grill up some of your family favorites and begin enjoying the great outdoors. Nobody’s more ready than the staff here at Mediplan Diet Services. In fact, all winter long, we were clipping recipes in anticipation for grill season and now that it’s here, we’re ready to share some of our favorite sub-300 calorie recipes with you.
Grilled Chicken Thighs with Pineapple
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 1/4 pounds)
- 2 cups cubed fresh pineapple (about 1/2 pineapple)
- 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (about 1 ear)
- 1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Preparation
Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat; lightly coat with cooking spray. Combine garlic powder, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a small bowl; sprinkle over chicken. Add chicken to pan; cook 10 minutes on each side or until done. Meanwhile, combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, pineapple, and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Serve relish over chicken.
Grilled Pork Salad
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- Dash of sugar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
- Cooking spray
- 5 cups chopped escarole
- 1 1/3 cups thinly diagonally sliced celery
- 2 cups thinly sliced red Bartlett or Comice pear (about 2)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine pecans and canola oil in a small bowl; toss well. Place pecans on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and sugar. Bake at 350° for 5 minutes. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Brush pork with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil; sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place pork on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes on each side or until a thermometer registers 145°. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut, crosswise, into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Add escarole and celery to vinegar mixture; toss gently to coat. Place 1 cup escarole mixture on each of 6 plates; top each serving with 1/3 cup pears and 3 ounces pork. Sprinkle evenly with pecans.
Chicken Soft Tacos
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and pounded thin (about 4 large breasts)
- 16 taco-size soft flour tortillas
Preparation
In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, paprika, red pepper, salt, pepper and brown sugar. Stir in oil; mixture will be moistened but crumbly. Generously rub chicken on all sides with chili mixture. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to marinate (or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day). Preheat gas grill to medium, or preheat broiler to high and set rack 6 to 8 inches from source of heat. Grill or broil chicken until firm, about 5 minutes per side. Let cool for 5 minutes, then cut into thin strips. Warm tortillas as package label directs. Serve chicken with tortillas.
Grilled Pork Chops with Shallot Butter
- 8 (7-ounce) bone-in center-cut pork chops
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 2 1/2 teaspoons minced shallots
- 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind
Preparation 1. Prepare grill to medium-high heat. 2. Sprinkle both sides of pork evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Combine oil, chives, thyme, rosemary, and garlic, stirring well. Rub oil mixture evenly over both sides of pork. Place pork on grill rack; grill 6 minutes on each side or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of pork registers 155°. Remove pork from grill; let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. 3. Combine butter, shallots, and lemon rind, stirring well. Spread about 1 teaspoon butter mixture over each pork chop; let the pork stand an additional 5 minutes.