Create healthy kabobs at home with minimal effort that results in maximum flavor.
Grilling is a flavorful and delicious way to cook your meals without adding unneeded fat and calories. You can combine healthy, lean cuts of meat with a plethora of vegetables and fruit on shish kabob skewers to create a bright, ethnic, simple dish that is easy enough to create for one or for a party of 20. Make your marinade at home to control the amount of sugar, sodium and fat it contains to keep your meal light and healthy.
Instructions
1. Whisk together 4 ozs. pineapple juice, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce, 2 tbsp. crushed ginger, 1 tsp. crushed garlic and the juice and zest of one orange.
2. Remove the outer leaves of a lemongrass branch and clean thoroughly under running water. Slice the stick of lemongrass near the bottom where the light portion of the herb ends.
3. Bruise the stick of lemongrass by hammering it with the back side of a large, heavy knife. Chop the lemongrass into small pieces and add it to the marinade.
4. Thinly slice two Thai chilies and add it to the marinade. Set the marinade aside.
5. Chop the boneless, skinless chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. Place the chicken inside a large gallon-sized zipper bag.
6. Cut off the stem and seed one large red bell pepper and chop it into bite-sized pieces. Add this to the chicken.
7. Peel and core 1/2 of a large pineapple. Chop the pineapple into chunks and add it to the bag with the chicken and bell pepper. Halve the mushrooms (if they are large) and add them to the bag.
8. Peel a large red onion and chop it into bite-sized pieces. Add this to the bag with the other fruit/vegetables and meat. Remove the stem from a zucchini and halve it length-wise. Slice both zucchini halves into large half moons. Add this to the bag.
9. Pour the marinade into the bag containing the fruit, vegetables and meat. Close the bag firmly and shake the bag to coat everything thoroughly. Place the bag in the refrigerator and marinade your skewer ingredients overnight.
10. Soak approximately 10 to 15 skewers in a large, water-filled container or bowl overnight.
11. Preheat your grill to a high heat setting.
12. Remove the vegetables, fruit and meat from the marinade and skewer alternating pieces on the kabob sticks. Leave 1.5 inches of space at the top and bottom of each skewer. Repeat this process until all of the ingredients have been used.
13. Grill the kabobs over high heat, turning 1/4 rotation every 2 minutes until the kabobs are thoroughly cooked. You can move the cooked kabobs to indirect heat and close the lid of the grill for 4 minutes to ensure the kabobs are done. Serve hot.
Tags: bell pepper, bite-sized pieces, bite-sized pieces this, chop into, chop into bite-sized, fruit vegetables