Grilling can be so easy, healthy, and delicious, with minimal clean up. Registered Dietitian, Author, and Chef Michelle Dudash! says keep these tips in mind for perfectly grilled food!

1. Pre-heating: Medium heat is your best bet overall.
If your grill is heated too low, your food won’t have nice grill marks or optimal flavor; too high and your food will be over-cooked on the inside and undercooked on the inside.

2. Lightly oil the grill using Michelle’s technique.
You don’t need to glop a lot of oil on your food before grilling it. Plus, too much oil can burn. Instead, fold up a square of paper towel and pour a bit of oil on it used for high-heat cooking, like canola or avocado.

3. Don’t press on the food too hard. 
Just gently press the middle gently to get the meat to be in contact with the grill grate.

4. Flip the food once, and that’s it.
If you really want to create crisscross grill marks on the food, you may turn it 45 degrees on the first side. Otherwise just flip it once after the meat is opaque on the sides.

5. Do a quick scrape to clean your grill right after cooking.
Use a grill brush with metal bristles and scrape off any debris.

Here are some of Michelle’s go-to grilling recipes from her 4RealFoodReboot.com:

Marinated Grilled Chicken Thighs with Spices

1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon seasoning of your choice, like all-purpose, steakhouse, or other flavor
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
 
Whisk the vinegar, seasoning, mustard, and oil in a 9 x 9-inch baking dish. Coat the chicken in the vinegar mixture. Cover, chill, and marinate for a few minutes, an hour, or up to overnight (the longer, the more flavor it will have). 

When ready to cook: Preheat the grill to medium heat, about 350 degrees F. Lightly oil the grill. Transfer the pan to the counter for 15 minutes to take the chill off. Cook the chicken on the first sides until opaque around the edges, about 7 minutes. Turn the chicken to the other sides and cook through, about 3 more minutes. 

Makes 4 servings

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Lemon Basil Grilled Asparagus with Parmesan and Walnuts

To learn more, visit www.michelledudash.com.