Thrifty Good Food

Low Calorie Grill Time! Last week we finally hopped into summer and, in accord with this year’s temperamental and unpredictable weather, we seemingly skipped spring. Unfortunately, the black flies and the mosquitoes stuck to their own calendar and there was no relief there. Still, it is now summer, grills have been uncovered from their winter hibernating places, and we look forward to summertime cooking on the grill.

However, after the first few meals of mouth-watering steaks, our brain is bound to recollect some of the healthy eating advice to the effect that meat should not constitute the centerpiece of a meal. This brings us up to grilling meat together with some vegetables or even fruit on a stick or skewer, or kebabs.

Since anticipation and planning are part of the enjoyment of food, I have been visualizing the variety of meals that can be easily produced at home with the help of a combination of meat and vegetables artfully arranged on a skewer for grilling.

Skewers can be long or short and are usually made of either metal or wood. Metal skewers can, of course, be reused for many meals. But wooden skewers serve equally well, provided they are soaked in water for at least 15 minutes before use.

Beef, lamb, chicken, and shrimp easily adapt to being cooked on a skewer, although each benefits by a marinade and pairing of the meat with alternating pieces of different colorful vegetables, depending on your taste.

Do not pack the meat and vegetables too tightly on the skewer, or it will not cook very quickly. Here are some marinades and vegetable combinations that go especially well with individual meats:

Rosemary chicken kebabsStir together: 1/3 cup red or white wine, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tbsp. honey, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp. rosemary, 1/2 tsp. salt. Cut 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh meat in 2-inch pieces and marinate at least 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Skewer with pieces of red pepper and slices of yellow summer squash dipped in the marinade. Grill on medium heat about six to eight minutes on a side.

Beef or lamb kebabsStir together: 1 cup red wine, 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. sugar, 1 ½ tbsp. wine vinegar, 2 tbsp. catsup, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 tsp. dried thyme, 1/2 tsp. dried marjoram, 3/4 tsp. salt. Marinate 2-inch cubes of sirloin or lamb for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight in the refrigerator. Skewer the meat with pieces of green pepper, zucchini, wedges of at least 2 layers of red onion next to cherry tomatoes and mushrooms dipped in the marinade. Grill on high heat, four to six minutes to a side, depending on the desired level of rare meat.

Shrimp and sausage kebabsStir together: 1/2 cup light olive oil, 4 tbsp. sherry or white wine vinegar, 2 minced garlic cloves, 2 tbsp. fresh thyme, 3/4 tsp. salt, 3 tsp. smoked paprika (optional), 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper. Marinate 12 peeled and deveined extra-large shrimp for an hour in the refrigerator. Skewer the shrimp with alternating layers of red onion, cherry tomato, pineapple cubes, and 12 1-inch pieces of cooked smoked sausage. Grill on medium-high heat until shrimp are pink and the onion brown on the edges.

Chicken kebabs with yogurtFor a Mediterranean flavor, stir together: 3/4 cup plain whole yogurt, 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tbsp. grated onion, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 tbsp. oregano. Marinate 2-inch pieces of chicken breast or thigh meat 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Skewer the chicken with 2 layers of sweet onion pieces and grill about six minutes to a side. Serve with pita bread or rice with cucumber-yogurt sauce: 8 ounces yogurt, 1 peeled and chopped small cucumber, 1 clove minced garlic, 1/4 small onion chopped, 2 tbsp. chopped mint.

Each one of these colorful skewers will make a delightful, easy and healthy meal served with crusty bread and a salad. Welcome summer!

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan.” For more information, visit http://www.winicov-harrington.com)