Grilling Indoors - Lowfat Meals with Cuisinart's Griddler Deluxe

Easy, delicious meals grilled indoors!

It may be April but it's still too chilly for grilling outdoors in the great northeast! All the same, you'd be missing out on some very tasty menu ideas which are: lower in fat, yet full of flavor and nutrients.
I featured my favorite Panini Grilled Meals here on XTreme XTraining before but I've since upgraded to a restaurant quality Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe which has removable plates and better temperature control. The removable plates were a deal breaker for me as my previous Panini Press did not have this. Also the plates on the Griddler Deluxe can be flipped, giving you a smooth griddle surface for: pancakes, turkey bacon, eggs and so much more. So here are a few low-fat, high protein training table meals you can try with an indoor grill like this:

Keep some portioned sized meals in the freezer, ready to grill.

Ready to Grill Meals 

I like to keep ready to grill 3-4 oz portions of burgers, steaks, salmon and chicken breasts or the new boneless chicken thighs in the freezer ready to cook. This means I rely much less on fast food options because I'm stumped on what to fix for lunch and dinner. When making a burger, (Skinny Burgers have replaced the name Cluck & Moo), you can lightly defrost them as cooking them partially frozen on the grill is no problem. The Griddler Deluxe has TWO separate temperature settings: One for the Lid and One for the Base. I preheat both plates at 450 degrees and when the green lights appear, I'm ready to cook! Use the following recipe to prep your meats, fish and poultry for the grill:

Basic Grill Seasoning & Marinade

1 tsp EVO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 tsp Grill Masters Chipolte & Garlic Seasoning or other variety
1/8 tsp Ground Cumin
Dash of Black Pepper

Drizzle oil on cutlet, covering both sides of the meat. Add seasonings to both sides as well. Cover and place in refrigerator for 2-3 hours. Bring meat to room temperature before grilling. Preheat grill and cook. Tip: You can also get a lovely sear with a grill coating like this.

Grilling a turkey burger.

Low Fat Grilling
Grilling is ideal because all the excess oil drains off but the flavors are concentrated. Most panini press grills like this have a reservoir cup to catch the pan drippings. Even so, the burgers come out moist and flavorful. There is even a "sear" feature which can be activated at any time or temperature on the Cuisinart grill. 
If I want to melt some cheese on top, I can adjust the height of the lid to just hover over my burger. It will continue to cook from the bottom and melt the cheese topside.

Voila!

Salmon Steaks
Salmon requires a more gentle cooking technique. I've made my Blackened Salmon with a Chipolte Garlic Seasoned Salmon fillet all on the same grill. You can create meals "made to order" all at once. Once I preheat the grill, I back off of the temperature lowering it to about 400 degrees.

Seasoned Salmon Steaks on the Grill

As fish cooks a bit more quickly than chicken, turkey or beef, I watch them closely being careful not to over-cook the fillets. Keep in mind too that you can cook on one surface as shown above or close the lid and cook with the two independently heated surfaces. In that case your cooking time will be reduced. The Griddler Deluxe cooking plates are non-stick but I find cooking with a few drops of oil (as described in my marinade recipe) on the fillets to be helpful.

Grilled Blackened Salmon

Panini Press Sandwiches
Having TWO separate temperature settings and multiple height adjustments for the lid means you can make a variety of delicious panini sandwiches. 
I like to grill my vegetables along with my meat. Then you can stuff everything between two tortillas and make the most insane Quesadillas imaginable. You can do the same and make grilled cheese and panini sandwiches. We've even done a Grilled Pizza!  The Griddler Deluxe comes with an easy to use instruction and recipe book with cooking techniques for a variety of foods. This grill even opens up so you can use BOTH sides as a flat grill or griddle for maximum space. I would say this is more closer to a restaurant/professional quality grill as it is very sturdy and well made. Check it out at Cuisinart.com 
Find The Griddler Deluxe at: Macy's, Crate and Barrel, Williams Sonoma and other fine retail stores.

Green Lights mean it's ready to GRILL!

Protein Power: Cluck n' Moo Burgers for Your Training Table this Fall

Cluck n Moo Burgers have 52% Less Fat than standard all beef burgers.

September 18th is National Cheeseburger Day! If you are cross training, you may want to celebrate with a lower in saturated fat alternative. Cluck n' Moo Burgers give you all the taste of an all beef pattie but without: Antibiotics or Hormones, artificial ingredients or additives and all that beef-fat, 

Cluck n Moo on my Panini Grill

Cluck n Moo Burgers lower your fat intake by adding lean chicken to the beef. I make a similar pattie with turkey and beef. This is just as delicious. I sprinkled the Cluck n Moo Burger with a little roasted garlic and Applewood Rub. I drizzle a bit of coconut oil on top and add a few peppers and onion slices to the grill. Any excess oil easily drains off.

You get four 1/4 pound burgers per package.

Cook until thoroughly done in the middle as this has poultry added and requires a longer cooking time. Go Paleo and serve on a salad or the I did here on whole wheat toast.

Either way, these are delicious and a great source of lean protein and iron with 34% less calories than your average beef burger. 

Cluck n Moo Burger topped with sharp cheddar cheese

UPDATE
New Cluck n Moo Burgers with KALE! The same lean and delicious Beef & Chicken burger now with nutritious kale. Kale is rich in vitamins and minerals as well as antioxidants while helping to correct acidosis (see my article on Kale Juice delivered to your door by Chef V).

Cluck n Moo Burgers with Kale

I couldn't imagine these burgers being made any better but these are really delicious. The Kale is in tiny pieces and tastes more like parsley in the pattie.

See the bits of kale in the pattie?

So no worries about getting a hard to chew stalk in your mouth. These are really done right and due to the addition of kale, gives you 4% of your Vitamin A and 8% of your Vitamin C requirements for the day. Just like the regular Cluck n Moo, each burger gives you a whopping 21 grams of protein. Depending on your weight, you should get at least that equivalent in grams of protein each day. That would mean a 125 lb woman should eat roughly 125 grams of protein a day. A Cluck n Moo burger would give your about 1/5th of that requirement. Due to the beef in these burgers, you also get a much needed 10% of your iron supply. See all the delicious varieties at Clucknmooburger.com

Burger with mushroom, bread and butter pickles and tomato