Get ready to fire up the grill this weekend! It’s going to be beautiful on Saturday and Sunday on the East Coast. Grab the whole fam, throw on some tunes and assemble some skewers (bodies make this activity fun and go much faster)! With the national meat shortage we’re experiencing, you really can’t go wrong with any protein you can get your hands on–chicken, steak, shrimp, cod or even tofu if that tickles your fancy. For veggies, try to make sure most of them are fairly hearty so they don’t fall apart on the grill (think zucchini, squash, and peppers, cherry tomatoes) and keep in mind that cutting everything to approximately the same size will allow for equal cooking time. If you’re going to use something a little flimsier, stack a few together (onions, mushrooms) so they stay intact. Not only are these super healthy, but they’re absolutely delicious and pretty tough to mess up.
Just FYI, I don’t give quantities for anything, because being Figo is all about eyeballing and tasting! Worse comes to worse, you end up with extra skewers so wrap and freeze these gems for your next no brainer dinner on a nice night!
Ingredients:
-skewer sticks – if they’re wooden, soak them in water for at least 20 min
-your protein- chicken, steak, and/or shrimp
-red peppers
-orange peppers
-yellow peppers
-zucchini
-red onions
-balsamic vinegar
-extra virgin olive oil
-freshly chopped parsley
-freshly chopped basil
-any other veggies or herbs you prefer!
-olive oil cooking spray
Directions:
To make your marinade, using a medium sized mixing bowl, add balsamic vinegar, basil, parsley, any other herbs, a pinch of salt, and good bit of freshly cracked pepper. With a whisk, continuously mix ingredients together while adding a steady stream of extra virgin olive oil until the marinade becomes a creamy, emulsified texture. Your EVOO to balsamic ratio should 2:1– twice as much EVOO as vinegar. Set aside. Can be made ahead of time (and also used as a delicious salad dressing). You can also just as easily use your favorite Italian dressing from the store.
Slice and cube your protein to similar sizes. Place in a bowl together and drizzle marinade over the protein. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 20 minutes or up to 1 day.
Slice and dice your veggies into a similar size as your protein selections. Set aside.
Assemble the skewers with your choice of veggies and protein. For thinner veggies such as red onions, stack a few together.
Spray the grill with an olive oil cooking spray. Preheat high and then cook on low, for about 20 minutes, rotating in quarter turns with tongs about every 4-5 minutes. Keep grill cover closed when you’re not rotating. When they’re finished, take them off the grill and let the skewers rest on a platter for about 3 minutes. Keep them covered in foil until serving.
