Veggie Kabobs

If you can stick it on a skewer, you can add it to a kabob. While kabobs are traditionally centered around meat or seafood, it is the vegetables in between that make all the difference. Vegetables are so vital to making a kabob that some chefs are skipping the meat and seafood and just load up the skewer with vegetables. After all, as we say at Cultivate California, a veggie kabob is a great way to “Keep the State On Your Plate.”

Kabobs are wonderful things. You can choose just about anything that will stick on a skewer, and in any combination, to make a quick and easy entree you can pop in the oven or cook on the grill. While beef, chicken, sausage, and firm fish and shrimp are a key component to many kabob recipes, even they depend on the perfect combination of vegetables to balance the meat or seafood and make it pop. For those choosing a vegetarian or vegan diet, or who just want a different way to serve up vegetables as a main dish or as a side, a veggie kabob is perfect. A veggie kabob is a great way to “Keep the State On Your Plate.”

(Recipe serves four)

Ingredients:

• kebob skewers (either metal or wood)
• any combination of vegetables to taste, but particularly:
  • sturdy tomato wedges (or smallish cherry tomatoes)
  • sliced bell pepper (green, orange, red, yellow and purple; in any and as many combinations as you like)
  • chunks of onions
  • small potatoes or diced potatoes
  • mushrooms
  • thick slices of cucumber, zucchini and/or yellow squash
  • pineapple or other sturdy fruit pieces to sweeten it up
  • marinade

Directions:

1. Prepare a marinade to taste. One of the more popular (and simplest) is this one:

   • one-half cup olive oil
   • four tablespoons of lemon juice (bottled or fresh-squeezed)
   • one teaspoon (at the most) of dried basil and/or oregano
   • garlic (pressed fresh to taste; a little goes a long way)
   • a tablespoon or two of soy sauce
   • black pepper (fresh ground if available)

2. Clean and slice the vegetables

Your choice:

• marinate the veggies for a few hours then skewer them or
• skewer the veggies then brush on or very lightly pour on the marinade.

Cooking Suggestions:

Your choice of:

• place the skewered veggies on the grill or
• place the skewers in a pan and roast in the oven for 10 minutes at 400°F, or
• place the skewers so that they rest on the edges of the pan, leaving the vegetables up above the base of the pan and roast for 20 minutes – but frequently brushing with marinade