Today, it has become really important for many people what they eat, because proper nutrition is the basis of beauty, health, and vitality. In this regard, modern men and women are increasingly abandoning foods fried in oil, preferring something less nutritious. It is this trend that has made grill pans incredibly popular.
What to cook on a grill pan:
Grilled dishes are dietary, as they do not contain excess fat. But more useful substances are preserved during such heat treatment. The golden stripes that form after the food comes into contact with the ribbed bottom add additional attractiveness to products cooked on a grill pan. In general, not dishes, but a find! And today we decided to tell you what interesting and healthy dishes you can prepare with it.
Homemade hot dog on thin pita bread
Hot dogs are one of the most popular street food treats. It’s inexpensive, looks delicious, and fills you up perfectly. But buying this snack from street vendors may not be safe. It is much better to make hot dogs yourself from those products whose quality is beyond doubt. And here’s a simple recipe for preparing this dish on a grill pan.
Ingredients:
- thin pita bread – 2 pcs.
- sausages – 2 pcs.
- large tomatoes – 1 pc.
- tomato sauce or ketchup – 20 g
- grainy mustard – 2 tsp.
- hard cheese – 60 g
- Chinese cabbage – 220 g
- light mayonnaise – 20 g
Cooking method:
- Wash the vegetables in running water and dry them. Disassemble the Chinese cabbage into leaves, which will then need to be cut into thin strips. Chop the tomato into small pieces.
- Heat the grill pan well. And when it’s hot, place the sausages on it. You need to fry them for 2-3 minutes until golden stripes appear.
- Take the first pita bread and spread it on your work surface. Place half of the total amount of shredded cabbage and tomatoes exactly in the middle. Place the sausage on top.
- Season it all with mayonnaise, tomato sauce, and mustard.
- Sprinkle with cheese, which you also need to take exactly half the serving.
- Wrap the pita bread so that all the filling remains inside, then proceed to prepare the second hot dog.
- For even cooking, use a double-sided grill pan. Keep the hot dogs in it for 2 minutes. Check the degree of readiness by checking the pita bread, which should become crispy.
If you want to make your homemade hot dog a little spicier, then add Korean carrots to the recipe by mixing it with Chinese cabbage.
Grilled salmon steak with honey glaze
Salmon is a healthy and nutritious fish that must be present in the diet. It is a source of selenium, potassium, B vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids, which are so important for the human body. And the taste of salmon after cooking is simply excellent. You can verify this by trying the following recipe.
Ingredients:
- salmon steaks – 4 pcs.
- natural honey – 15 g
- garlic – 4 cloves
- lemon – half
- olive oil – 20 ml
- drinking water – 20 ml
- salt and ground pepper – to taste
Cooking method:
- Mix salt and pepper together and then brush this seasoning onto all four pieces of fish on each side.
- Wash the lemon and cut into slices. Peel the garlic.
- Pour warm water into the honey and stir until smooth.
- Now move on to the next stage of preparation – frying. Pour a little oil into a preheated grill pan, and add citruses and garlic cloves, which should be slightly crushed with the flat side of a knife.
- Simmer them under the lid for 2 minutes.
- Next, add the fish. On each side, it should be fried for no more than 3 minutes until golden stripes are obtained. And be sure to make sure the salmon doesn’t get too dry.
- A minute before the end of cooking, start brushing the steaks with the honey glaze.
- The pieces should acquire a glossy shine.
Spicy grilled pineapples
To make a delicious and unusual dessert for the whole family, you don’t have to spend the whole day in the kitchen. Don’t believe me? Try making fried pineapples! This will only take you 20 minutes. And rest assured, all your loved ones will be delighted with this exotic delicacy. Grilled pineapple can also be served as an appetizer with steaks or sausages, adding chili flakes or paprika when frying.
Ingredients:
- fresh pineapple – 1 pc.
- brown sugar – 15 g
- cinnamon – 5 g
- sunflower oil – 1 tsp.
Cooking method:
- Cut off the green top of the pineapple, then peel it completely.
- Cut the fruit into rings 1 cm thick and remove the hard core from each.
- Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over pineapple.
- Leave the rings to soak for 5-10 minutes.
- Spray a heated grill pan with oil. Make sure there is not too much of it.
- Fruit rings need to be fried for 1 minute on each side until characteristic scorch appears. The dessert can be served either as a separate dish or as an addition to ice cream.
Tender grilled pork steak
What else can you cook on a grill pan? Of course, delicious juicy meat according to the recipe from our selection. For example, a universal pork steak that will decorate any family dinner.
Ingredients:
- lean pork pulp – 650 g
- garlic – 4-5 cloves
- soy sauce – 30 ml
- olive oil – 40 ml
- fresh parsley – 1 tsp.
- greens for serving – one handful
- seasonings from dried herbs – 10 g
- salt – to taste
Cooking method:
- Cut the cooled pork into steaks of equal size. There should be six or five of them.
- The next step is to start preparing the marinade. To do this, combine soy sauce, olive oil, chopped parsley, salt, and garlic, passed through a press, in a container. Dip the pork steaks into the mixture and leave for half an hour.
- Place the well-marinated meat on a preheated grill pan.
- Fry on each side for 8 minutes. Keep the fire medium.
- Add fresh herbs to the cooked meat. It will contribute to better digestion of pork.
Grilled mixed vegetables
A grill pan is also ideal for vegetarian cuisine because vegetables cooked on it turn out appetizing, well-fried, and at the same time juicy. See for yourself by making assorted dishes according to the following recipe.
Ingredients:
- bell pepper – 2 pcs.
- medium zucchini – 1 pc.
- eggplant – 1 pc.
- fresh thyme – 1 sprig
- olive oil – 10 ml
- wine vinegar – 5 ml
- garlic – 2 cloves
- onion – 0.5 heads
Cooking method:
- Rinse vegetables in running water. Peel the pepper from seeds, cut into slices, onion into rings up to 1 cm wide, zucchini and eggplant into slices.
- Heat a frying pan, lightly grease it with oil, and place all the prepared ingredients. Remember to turn them periodically to ensure an even crust.
- Fry for 5 minutes on each side.
- Finally, make a delicious dressing for the finished dish: chop garlic, parsley, and dill, and mix it all with wine vinegar and oil. Pour the resulting sauce over the vegetables before serving.
Spicy chicken breast in honey mustard sauce
Chicken breast is a fairly common product in our kitchens. It is easy to prepare, almost impossible to spoil, and, most importantly, it fits perfectly into a healthy nutrition menu. Chicken breast dishes cooked on a grill pan without adding oil will be an excellent addition to any diet.
Ingredients:
- chicken breast – 3 parts
- soy sauce – 60 ml
- table mustard – 10 g
- lemon juice – 10 ml
- natural honey – 10 g
- garlic – 3 cloves
- salt, ground pepper – to taste
Cooking method:
- Rinse the chicken, and completely remove the skin and films.
- Prepare a marinade for it according to the following recipe: heat the honey in a water bath, and combine it with soy sauce, mustard, and lemon juice. Stir everything until smooth.
- Pour the mixture over the poultry meat for 40 minutes.
- When the specified time has passed, the breast can be fried. To do this, place the pieces on a heated dish and press them one by one with a spatula to the bottom.
- The meat is fried for 3-4 minutes on each side. Make sure it doesn’t get too dry.
Fried cheese with herbs
Before you start creating this dish, keep in mind the fact that not all types of cheese are suitable for frying. To be more specific, you need to choose from the following varieties: halloumi, suluguni, Adyghe. Only they are guaranteed not to spread across the pan, not to become covered with a hard crust and not to lose their shape during heat treatment.
What needs to be done to make the cheese acquire a more piquant taste during the frying process? Our recommendation is to cook it on a grill pan in aromatic oil.
Ingredients:
- cheese suitable for frying – 400 g
- balsamic vinegar – 10 ml
- olive oil – 10 ml
- garlic – 1 clove
Cooking method:
- Cut the cheese into equal pieces 1 to 1.5 cm thick.
- Place them in a deep container and fill them with vinegar mixed with olive oil and chopped garlic.
- Let sit for 10–15 minutes.
- Place the soaked cheese on a hot frying pan and fry for about a minute on each side.
- The fact that it is ready can be understood by the imprinted marks from the grate.
Grilled champignon skewers
Champignons are the most popular mushrooms in cooking. They have an unobtrusive taste and delicate fresh aroma, which makes them readily used in many dishes. If you want to prepare a dish of champignons for lunch or dinner, then be sure to use the following recipe for miniature kebabs.
Ingredients:
- fresh champignons – 500 g
- olive oil – 4 tbsp. l.
- lemon juice – 1 tbsp. l.
- garlic – 2 cloves
- parsley – 10 g
- salt, pepper – to taste
Cooking method:
- Make a light, spicy marinade for mushrooms. Mix olive oil with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add chopped parsley and garlic, passed through a press.
- Cut off the stems of the mushrooms. Place the caps in the marinade for 30–40 minutes.
- Thread the mushrooms onto wooden skewers.
- Fry on a preheated grill on both sides for 10–15 minutes.
Cauliflower steak
Another vegetarian recipe in our selection. It should be noted that this method is considered very original; not everyone knows how to cook cabbage this way. Write it down!
Ingredients:
- head of cauliflower – 1 pc.
- spicy harissa paste – 10–15 g
- olive oil – 20 ml
- salt, fresh herbs – to taste
Cooking method:
- Rinse the head of cabbage in running water and cut it into steaks with a sharp knife. Their thickness should be at least 2-1.5 cm. This is important so that the cabbage turns out juicy and does not crumble.
- Brush the pieces generously with olive oil and then with the chilli-based harissa sauce. If you don’t have one, just sprinkle the cabbage steaks with paprika.
- Leave them to soak for 10 minutes.
- Now place the cabbage for frying on the dry surface of the frying pan. Keep each side on the fire for 2-3 minutes.
By the way, the cauliflower in this recipe can be supplemented with fresh chili, parsley, and cilantro.
Grilled squid in marinade
Squid meat is low in calories. It is because of this that it is often used for preparing dietary dishes. However, the taste of squid remains underestimated for many, because it is not pronounced. Today we want to fix that by telling you how to grill squid properly. The taste of this seafood will be revealed in a new way.
Ingredients:
- squid – 600 g
- lemon or lime juice – 10 ml
- garlic – 3 cloves
- soy sauce – 120 ml
- olive oil – 40 ml
- brown sugar – 5 g
- ginger root – 1 pinch
Cooking method:
- Rinse the squids with water inside and out, and then remove plates and films. You will be able to do this faster if you first pour boiling water over the seafood.
- Cut the carcasses into rings 1 cm wide.
- Now start preparing the marinade. To do this, mix soy sauce, oil, and citrus juice in a deep container.
- Transfer the squid to a clean deep bowl. Sprinkle them with grated ginger, and chopped garlic on top and pour half of the resulting marinade.
- Leave for 25 minutes.
- Pour the untouched marinade into a deep saucepan and wait until it boils.
- Then simmer the rings in this sauce over low heat for 3 minutes.
- Immediately before frying, half-cooked squids should be strung on wooden skewers, as in the photo above.
- Cook seafood on a hot grill pan for 4 minutes on each side.
We recommend serving squid with sweet and sour sauce.
Tuna steak
Tuna has extremely delicate and low-fat meat. Due to the large amount of protein, this fish is especially popular among adherents of a healthy diet. One of the most successful ways to cook tuna is to quickly fry it in a grill pan until appetizing strips form. A win-win!
Ingredients:
- tuna steaks – 2 pcs.
- olive oil – 25 ml
- lemon juice – 50 ml
- garlic – 2 cloves
- salt – to taste
Cooking method:
- Pass the garlic through a press and squeeze the juice out of the lemon.
- Mix olive oil with salt, lemon juice, and minced garlic.
- Dip the tuna steaks into the marinade and leave for 10-15 minutes.
- Preheat the grill pan. Fry the fish until a light crust forms. To cook a steak 2 cm thick, 1 minute will be enough for each side. The inside of the tuna should remain pink.
Zucchini rolls with filling
In addition to meat, side dishes, seafood, and complex dishes, you can quite successfully cook quick snacks on a grill pan. For example, zucchini rolls with soft curd cheese. This delicious snack will not only decorate your table with its pleasant appearance but will also delight you with its harmonious taste.
Ingredients:
- young zucchini – 1 pc.
- curd cheese – 150 g
- walnuts – 50 g
- pine nuts – 30 g
- tomatoes – 1 pc.
- dill – 2 sprigs
- vegetable oil – 25 ml
- salt – to taste
Cooking method:
- Cut the zucchini into slices up to 0.5 cm thick. Season with salt.
- Pour vegetable oil over a preheated grill pan.
- Place vegetables on the grill and cook until golden brown.
- Now, to get rid of excess fat in the dish, hold each piece of zucchini on a paper towel – it will absorb unnecessary oil.
- During this time, prepare the filling: first chop the nuts well, and then mix them with soft curd cheese and chopped herbs.
- Generously spread the mixture onto all the zucchini strips and roll them into rolls.
This appetizer can serve as an excellent addition to meat, chicken, or fish, and can also become the main dish on your table.