Memorial Day Treat: Grilled Pineapple Recipe

Memorial Day kicks off the summer season. During the holiday weekend, friends, families and co-workers get together for beach parties, picnics and backyard cookouts. These gatherings center around food, especially the favorite barbecue items associated with summertime.

You can cut a few calories from your meal or dessert menu with grilled pineapple treats. (At Baptist Health, we’re a little partial to pineapples.) Grilling caramelizes the natural sugars in regular barbecued items and will do the same for fruit.

You can serve grilled pineapple spears as a side dish to your main course of “world famous” ribs or as part of your “secret steak marinade” for this Memorial Day cookout. Or, you could add a scoop of fat-free vanilla ice to transform the grilled pineapple spears into a dessert that not only looks good, but is also a sweet and healthy ending for your BBQ.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup honey.
• 1 oz vanilla extract.
• 2 oz rum extract.
• 1 pineapple: cored, halved lengthwise and sliced lengthwise into 12 spears.
• 2 tablespoons sweetened coconut, toasted.
• Fat-free vanilla ice cream.

Preparation:

1. Combine the honey, vanilla and rum extracts in bowl, and stir until incorporated.
2. Brush rum extract mixture evenly over pineapple spears; let marinade for two hours.
3. Over medium-high heat, add pineapple; grill for three minutes on each side or until grill marks form and pineapple is thoroughly heated.
4. Sprinkle with coconut. Garnish with ice cream, if desired.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 116; Calories from fat: 11%; Fat: 1.5g; Saturated fat: 1.4g; Monounsaturated fat: 0.8g; Polyunsaturated fat: 0.1g; Protein: 0.7g; Carbohydrate: 24g; Cholesterol: 5mg; Sodium: 22mg