Eating Clean for July's National Grilling Month

With summer time shine upon us, there is no better time to dust off the barbeque and invite all your family and friends over to celebrate National Grilling Month of July. Barbequing is a great way to add flavor to your meats without adding excessive amounts of unhealthy fats and oil, says Tosca Reno- best selling author of the Eat Clean Diet Series who has been featured on Good Morning America, you can still Eat Clean and not give up your favorites while grilling. For The National Grilling Month of July, Tosca shares some of her favorites from the grill and also a vegetable grilling guide all taken from her Eat Clean Diet Books.

Tosca Reno also encourages adding vegetables to compliment the main dish and she has some helpful tips for grilling perfect veggies:

• Cut the veggies into pieces that will cook quickly and evenly. They should be fairly of equal thickness.
• Soak the veggies in water for 30 minutes to keep them from drying out. (Do not soak mushrooms)
• Pat dry, and coat lightly with olive oil. Cooking time for America¹s Favorite Grilled Veggies:
• Asparagus- 4 minutes
• Bell Peppers, Chili Peppers, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Zucchini & Small Squash- 2-3 minutes
• Corn on The Cob- 5-7 minutes
• Garlic- 10 minutes
• Mushrooms- 6-8 minutes
• Onions- 3-4 minutes
• Potatoes- 20-25 minutes

Chili Chicken Kabobs
pictured above

3 T olive oil
1 1/2 T balsamic vinegar
Juice of one fresh lime
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1 large onion, chopped into thick pieces
2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 lb. bneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

1. In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and lime juice. Season with chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, peper ad pressed garlic. 2. Place the chicken in a shallow baking dish with the sauce and stir to coat.

3. Preheat the grill to medium high. Thread the chicken onto the skewers, alternating with chopped onion pieces. Discard the marinade.

4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill the skewers for 10 to 15 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear.

Remember To:

• Cut meats, veggies or fruit to a uniform size - 1 1/2 inches works well.
• Group foods with similar cooking times. Tomatoes are generally not the best for grilling - they turn to mush and can fall off the skewer and down into the grill before the other food is finshed cooking.

Grilled Swordfish*

4 x 5 oz. swordfish steaks
1 cup white wine
Several cloves garlic, passed through a garlic press
7 sprigs fresh rosemary (only fresh will do: chop 3 sprigs and reserve the other 4 for garnish)
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp coriander
1 tsp unrefined sea salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
Juice of one fresh lemon
1 whole lemon
2 T extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat grill to medium.

2. Spray baking dish with cooking spray (Eat-Clean Cooking Spray recipe found in book)

3. In small mixing bowl, combine wine, garlic, chopped rosemary, onion powder, oregano, cumin and coriander to make marinade. Mix well.

4. Place swordfish steaks in bakig dish and dust with sea salt and black pepper. Pour marinade over fish. Cover and let stand in refrigerator for at least one hour.

5. In another small bowl, combine lemon juice and olive oil. Mix well and put aside for later use.

6. Remove swordfish from refrigerator and discrad matinade. Use paper towel to blot excess moisture from fish.

7. Place fish on preheated grill and cook for 5 mnutes on one side and another 5 minutes on the other side. The goal is to cook the fish until it just begins to flake. Remove from grill when ready.

8. Place one swordfish steak on each four pre-warmed plates. Drizzle sme of the olive oil/lemon juice mixture over each os the steaks. Garnish with a lemon slice and sprigs of rosemary.

*As with all recipe and food recommendations on this site, it is adviced that you consume foods deemed healthy and appropriate by your physician. Different varieties of fish and shellfish can contain high levels of mercury, and should be eaten in moderation. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advises that pregnant women and young children avoid eating shellfish, Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, and Tilefish. Click here for more information.



About the Author:
Tosca Reno and her Eat Clean Diet was recently featured in FOOD Magazine with a wonderful 6-page spread, Good Morning America, EXTRA TV, The Doctors, and numerous top Morning TV and Radio shows nationwide. The popular Eat-Clean Diet has helped over a million readers understand how to stay healthy and lean forever. Three years later; superstars, personal trainers and regular everyday people have overcome their weight and health problems by successfully adopting this lifestyle. Eating Clean has become very popular with celebrities such as: Jennifer Aniston (cover story in OK Weekly) Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman (featured in US Weekly) and many more.