Grill Lines

Feeling guilty for eating absolutely nothing festive yesterday, I was determined to grill vegetable kebabs for dinner last night. I used sliced zucchini and summer squash, chopped red and green peppers (capsicum, as they say in New Zealand), wedges of onion, and mushrooms to cap off the end of each skewer. Don’t cut any of the pieces too small, or they’ll dangle off the skewer and right into the fiery depths of the grill! I envision orange or yellow peppers and maybe some eggplant in the mix for future attempts at colorful and symmetrical patterns. It’s all about the marinade. Well, it’s about fresh veggies grilled over charcoal, but the marinade is runner up.

Marinade:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt, to taste

Brush it on to both sides of each skewer and grill ’em for 3-5 minutes on each side, or until they’re lightly browned, tender and you see those grill lines. Here are ours right after they hit the grill.

“When somebody loves you, it’s no good unless he loves you all the way” – Sinatra