Grilling is a dry-heat cooking method. Food is cooked on metal grates that are placed over a heat source in order to produce a smoky, charred flavour- Rouxbe Cooking School.

Foods made on a grill can help save on excess amounts of oil being used while cooking. Grilled recipes often call for marinades which can be made from healthy ingredients like curd, lemon juice, small amounts of healthy oils, herbs etc. This helps impart flavour and save on calories. Grilling is a fun activity and it can be part of a healthy diet.

1. Grilled Eggplant (Brinjal) Dip
Ingredients
•    1 large brinjal (baingan / eggplant)
•    1 red capsicum, cut into strips
•    1 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
•    1 tsp. finely grated garlic 
•    1 tsp. lemon juice
•    ¼ cup chopped onions
•    ¼ cup Yogurt
•    ½ tsp. dried oregano or 1 tbsp. fresh oregano
•    Salt to taste
•    Olive oil for greasing

Method 
1.    Heat grill to medium. Pierce the eggplant with a knife or fork and grease lightly with some oil. Likewise, grease capsicum strips and sprinkle salt and pepper
2.    Place eggplant over a grill and cook till the insides are soft and pulpy. Grill red capsicum until tender and slightly charred for about 15 minutes.
3.    Peel the skin off eggplant and discard.
4.    Place the pulp in a bowl and mash well using a fork, until smooth
5.    Chop capsicum into small pieces
6.    Add the tomatoes, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, oregano, yogurt, onions, grilled capsicum and salt and mix well.
7.    Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

2. Grilled hot and sweet paneer
Ingredients
•    1 cup paneer cut into 1 inch cubes
•    4 spring onions with greens, finely chopped
•    2 tbsp. honey
•    1 tbsp. chilli sauce
•    1 tsp. lemon juice
•    1/4 tsp. lemon rind
•    3 cloves grated garlic 
•    1 tbsp. chopped fresh coriander leaves
•    1 tbsp. olive oil
•    Salt to taste

Method 
1.    Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Allow to marinate for at least 15 to 30 minutes.
2.    If you are using an electric grill, preheat to 180 degrees centigrade for 10 minutes
3.    Skewer the paneer cubes neatly onto 4 wooden or metal skewers and grill them over a charcoal or electric grill till they are lightly browned on all sides. If you are using an electric grill this should take about 10 minutes
4.    Serve hot.

3. Grilled Corn on the Cob
Ingredients
•    6 ears corn (with the husk and silk removed)
•    1 tbsp. olive oil
•    1-2 tbsp. red chilli flakes or 2 tbsp. mint- chilli paste
•    salt and pepper to taste
Method
1.    Preheat grill to 200 degrees centigrade for 10 minutes
2.    Coat each ear of corn with olive oil, salt, pepper and chilli flakes or the mint – chilli paste.
3.    Wrap each ear of corn tightly in aluminium foil. Place on the prepared grill. Cook approximately 30 minutes, turning occasionally, until corn is tender.

4. Easy grilled vegetables
Ingredients
•    3-4 medium sized tomatoes (diced) 
•    1 large onion quartered
•    1 medium zucchini (slice ends and slice in half lengthwise, then cut into 1 inch pieces)
•    1 medium yellow or red capsicum (cut into 1 inch pieces)
•    8-10 button mushrooms, cleaned and halved (if the size of the mushrooms is small, leave them whole)
•    Peeled garlic (5-6 pods) finely chopped
•    2 Tbsp. Olive oil
•    1 Tbsp. mixed fresh or dry herbs (basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme)
•    2-3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh coriander leaves 
•    ½ tsp. Black pepper 
•    Salt to taste

Method
1.    Pre-heat the grill to 180 degrees centigrade for 10-15 minutes
2.    In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, zucchini, coloured capsicum and mushrooms with 1 Tbsp. of olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper. Toss until vegetables are evenly coated. Transfer vegetables to a grill pan leaving a bit of space between them. 
3.    Grill vegetables for 15 minutes, turning every 2-3 minutes, until vegetables are tender and lightly charred. Remove vegetables from grill when cooked.
4.    Meanwhile prepare the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 Tbsp. of olive oil, garlic cloves and the chopped fresh coriander leaves until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5.    Transfer vegetables to a serving dish and drizzle with the prepared dressing. 
6.    Serve hot.

5. Grilled Sweet Potato Wedges with Spicy Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
•    6 medium sweet potatoes, quartered into wedges (if you choose to grill with the skin on, wash the sweet potatoes well with a brush to remove dirt)
•    2-3 tbsp. olive oil
•    ½ tsp. black pepper
•    ½ cup plain yogurt or curd
•    ½ tsp. garlic powder
•    ½ tsp. red chilli flakes or powder
•    2 green onions, sliced thin
•    Salt to taste

Method:
To prepare the sauce: Mix together yogurt, garlic powder and red chilli flakes with a bit of salt.  Cover and place in refrigerator for 2-4 hours prior to serving.
For sweet potatoes:  
1.    Heat grill to 200 degrees centigrade.  In a large bowl, drizzle potato wedges with olive oil and toss to coat.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2.    Place wedges onto the grill and cook for 4-5 minutes, until grill marks appear. 
3.    Flip and place the other cut-side down.  Cook for additional 4-5 minutes until cooked
4.    Drizzle wedges with chilled yogurt sauce.  
5.    Garnish with sliced green onions and serve hot.

6. Brinjal Steak with Chickpeas, Roasted Red Capsicum, Paneer and Black Olives
Ingredients: 
Marinade
•    1 tsp. white vinegar
•    1 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
•    2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
•    ¼ tsp. black pepper
•    2 tbsp. olive oil
To make marinade, combine ingredients, slowly adding olive oil stirring briskly to combine well. Set aside.
Brinjal Steaks
•    1 large brinjal
•    1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas (channa/ chole)
•    2 medium-sized red capsicums
•    ¼ cup roasted paneer (cottage cheese), cubed or crumbled
•    5-6 fresh green or black olives
•    2 -3 tbsp. finely chopped coriander leaves
•    ½ tsp. dry oregano

Method: 
1.    Preheat grill to 180 degrees centigrade for 15 minutes
2.    Cut brinjal lengthwise into four ½-inch-thick slices. Brush slices with marinade.
3.    Grill steak slices for 5-10 minutes on each side until tender (make sure pieces don’t turn soft or mushy). Remove from heat and place steaks on a serving plate.
4.    Combine chickpeas, red capsicum, paneer, olives and dry oregano in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and add marinade
5.    Spoon 2 tbsp. of the above mixture on the eggplant steak 
6.    Serve immediately.

7. Grilled Chicken
Ingredients:
•    4 medium sized chicken legs
•    2 tbsp. olive oil

For the marinade:
•    2 tsp. red chilli powder
•    2 tbsp. ginger and garlic paste
•    2 tsp. oil
•    3 tbsp. curd
•    ½ tsp. black pepper powder
•    1 tsp. dried methi/ fenugreek leaves
•    1 tsp. garam masala powder
•    ½ tsp. turmeric powder
•    Salt-to taste
•    Juice of ½ a lemon
For garnish:
•    2 small limes cut into wedges
•    1 medium sized onion cut into rings
•    2 tbsp. finely chopped spring onion greens

Method
1.    Make small gashes in the chicken legs to allow the marinade to coat it well
2.    In a bowl mix marinade ingredients with salt and lemon juice. 
3.    Mix well and rub the marinade on the chicken legs. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes.
4.    Meanwhile preheat the grill to 240 degrees centigrade for 15 minutes
5.    Let the extra marinade drip off the legs to prevent burning or charring of the marinade while grilling
6.    Wrap the bone of the chicken legs with aluminium foil and grill the chicken legs for 15 minutes. Using an oil brush, baste pieces with oil at regular intervals.
7.    Turn drumsticks over and baste, grill for another 7-10 minutes
8.    Serve hot with lemon wedges and onion rings