Veggie Kebabs

We are predominantly a vegetarian family. Yes we do eat chicken, turkey, fish and occasionally might try other meats but the only animal protein I have cooked at home is chicken. And a 28 lb turkey one thanksgiving. And a  10 lb ham one holiday dinner. Oh well never mind..you get the idea right? But mostly, our diet comprises of lots of veggies, lentils and beans, whole grains, lots of eggs, and healthy fats plus lots and lots of fruits. I have gotten better with trying to cook chicken at least once a week and with grilling season in full swing and our new Weber grill, we are taking full advantage of it.

When I have time, I like to marinate some veggies while I am marinating chicken. The time consuming part being cutting all the veggies. The marinade comes together in a breeze if you have all the ingredients.

Ingredients:

For the marinade:

Thick yogurt – ½ cup – I use homemade yogurt and strain it for an hour or so to get hung curd. You can also use Greek yogurt.

Lime juice – from 1 lime

Garlic – 1 clove, minced or 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Chickpea flour – 1 tablespoon (optional)

Fennel seeds – 1 teaspoon

Kasuri methi – 1 teaspoon

Red chilli powder – ¼ teaspoon

Garam masala – ¼ teaspoon

Salt –  to taste.

Mustard or Olive oil – 1.5 tablespoon

Vegetables:

Zucchini – 1 large (I used one from my garden – squeal)

Baby Bella mushrooms – about 4 oz (8 small sized mushrooms)

Bell peppers – green, yellow, red, orange – your choice – ½ each

Red onion – 1 large

Oil Spray

Method:

If using wooden skewers, soak them in water. In a deep mixing bowl, whisk all the marinade ingredients together. Give it a taste check – it should taste intense. Cut the zucchini into fours lengthwise and then make thick slices (see picture). Clean the mushrooms. Cut bell peppers and red onion into chunky slices. Add all the vegetables into the mixing bowl that has our marinade. Mix thoroughly so that all the vegetables are coated. Cover and let marinate for an hour or two. Heat up the grill to medium and start skewering the vegetables. Feel free to use other vegetables of your choice as well.

Spray the grill with oil spray and lay the kebabs on it and spray the kebabs some more with oil spray (See a picture that I Instagrammed) . Let cook for 10 to 15 minutes, turning and basting with any leftover marinade. Remove on a platter, sprinkle some chaat masala and enjoy.

Love – Vaishali.

P.S – Using a non-stick grill tray makes the clean up easier and you end up using much less oil spray.

P.P.S – If you don’t have a grill, you can make these kebabs in a grill pan on the stove or in oven. Preheat the oven for 425 degrees and lay the skewers on a cooling rack set over a cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes and then broil for a minute or two.

Tools used:

Knife

Chopping board

Measuring spoons/cups

Mixing bowl

Whisk

Grill