Veggie Kabobs
Sometimes, you just need to move out some fresh veggies and get creative with dinner. I've been lazy for a few days and decided I need to pull some quick ideas together for a meal...ya know, so I could get back to being lazy. It's all about priorities. LOL Enter grilled veggie kabobs. Not only were these quick, but we cooked them on the stovetop grill pan. We already had red onion in the fridge because we love adding it to guac (Chipotle-style), summer squash, and sweet bell peppers from my Balsamic Summer Veggie Chickpea Pasta. So, we grabbed some grape tomatoes, white button bell peppers, and fresh parsley at the store this week to whip up a fast dish.
The Marinade
Though we marinated the veggies in olive oil, we ultimately greased the grill pan with avocado oil because of its higher burn point. The citrus hints always compliment olive oil, and the rest of the marinade provided a savory blend of parsley, celery salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a little more kosher salt. The beauty is this is easily customizable to highlight the herbs or aromatics of your preference!
Pro Tip:
If using bamboo skewers, soak for at least 30 minutes, or overnight. Vegetables don't take long to cook, so may require less time on the grill pan than meat. The point? Go for the "at least 30 minutes" rule to ensure they are damp enough to prevent fire or heat damage.
Recipe
Grilled Veggie Kabobs
Equipment
- Stovetop grill pan
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup EVOO
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tablespoon celery salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1 juice of lemon
- ½ tablespoon kosher salt
- pinch freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces grape tomatoes
- 8 ounces white button mushrooms
- ½ large red onion chopped into 1 x 1 inch pieces
- 1 large yellow summer squash sliced into triangles
- 8 medium sweet bell peppers sliced horizontally
Instructions
- Add olive oil, minced garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper to bag or sealable container and shake to combine. Add all veggies and massage until the marinade is coating each vegetable. Allow to sit in fridge while prepping the rest of your meal.
- Soak skewers for at least 30 minutes, if using bamboo.
- Heat grill pan on stove on medium heat and coat with avocado or olive oil.
- Alternate vegetables on skewers in whichever arrangement you prefer. Grape tomatoes will break down fastest on heat, so avoid adding those at the very tip of the skewer.
- Place skewers on grill pan, cooking for approximately 10 minutes, flipping once or until the vegetables have started to char and grill marks are visible.
- Serve warm and with sides of your choice!
Notes
A Few Veggie Kabob Tips
- When alternating vegetables on the skewers, end with a firm vegetable that will hold up to heat. I learned the hard way that grape tomatoes on the end (pictured above) tend to get limp and risk sliding off the skewer. This depends on the size of the tomato and its freshness as well.
- Bamboo skewers are great for maintaining efficacy when turning on the grill pan. Metal skewers work well and are a good idea for heavy use or a more long-term investment.
- Our grill pan is a little small, so we were only able to fit three or four skewers on a time. To speed the cooking process, we did prop some of the veggie kabob skewers that were "waiting in the wings" on the edge of the pan (skewer edges held it up), so they could warm and *potentially* cook a little faster when it was their turn. It worked well for us!
- It is "ok" to taste the marinade before adding the veggies to make sure you have the herb or aromatic profile you prefer.
What ingredients make your perfect kabob? Until next time, friends, cheers to your #hearthhealthhappiness!
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