Veggie options for a healthy grill

By CHERYL FORBERG
Nutritionist, NBC's "Biggest Loser"

It’s officially summer and it’s grilling season everywhere. There’s no doubt that barbecues and family picnics can be difficult if you’re watching your weight. Sugary barbecue sauces, buttery ears of sweet corn and fatty cuts of meat can kick the calories up fast. But a few simple cooking tips can help you navigate the Fourth of July and other summer feasts without breaking the bank on your diet.

I am a big fan of grilled food, not only because of the smoky layer of flavor it adds to anything cooked over a live fire, but also because grilling is one of the few cooking methods (in addition to baking, broiling, steaming or poaching) that doesn’t require added fat.

Vegetables are my favorite to grill because they’re simple to prepare and it’s easy to make extras and use them later for other meals. Leftover grilled veggies are perfect in salads, sandwiches — they even make a luscious omelet filling.

Aside from choosing the right grill temperature (medium hot), prepping vegetables properly is key. They should be of uniform size to cook evenly. For small veggies like mushrooms or cherry tomatoes, skewers will come in handy. Metal skewers are more sturdy, but if you use bamboo skewers, be sure to soak them in water first so they won’t burn.

Asparagus, onions, radicchio, endive, fennel — the combinations are endless. My idea of the perfect vegetable to grill is eggplant. The smoky flavor and creamy texture are hard to beat. Though they’re found in myriad colors and sizes, most of the eggplants we see in the market are deep purple in color and oblong in shape. The purplish skin is indicative of the presence of anthocyanins. These powerful antioxidants can help lower the risk of a number of different cancers as well as support memory function.

But that’s not the only reason to savor them. This versatile veggie is 95 percent water, which means it doesn’t have an awful lot of calories. For example, a 1 1/2-pound eggplant yields about 5 cups of uncooked eggplant with just over 100 calories.

You won’t want to eat it raw though — it can be very bitter. But everything changes when it’s cooked. Baked, broiled, grilled, sautéed — even microwaved; a little cooking yields a tender almost creamy texture. Some like to salt their eggplant before cooking it, which neutralizes acidic flavors and also draws out water, making the flesh seem even meatier.

Eggplants have a dimple at the blossom end that can be round or oval in shape. An oval dimple is usually shallower, and oftentimes indicative of fewer seeds and a meatier more desirable eggplant. A round, deeper dimple frequently indicates many seeds inside, especially if the eggplant is large and mature.

When shopping for eggplant, look for smooth skin that yields slightly to pressure, but bounces back. A fresh eggplant should seem heavy for its size and yield optimal flavor. For this reason, it’s best to cook it right away.

Its neutral flavor profile means that eggplant combines well with other vegetables and seasonings. Ratatouille is a perfect example.

Cheryl Forberg RD is a professional chef and the nutritionist for NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.” She is the author of “Positively Ageless: A 28-Day Plan for a Younger, Slimmer, Sexier You” (Rodale). For more nutrition tips and recipes, visit her blog at www.cherylforberg.com/blog. E-mail her care of the Napa Valley Register at spaulsen@napanews.com.

Napa Valley Register Copyright © 2009