Summer Kebabs Marinade

As with all my recipes, it is below--as in, after all the stories and pictures.  :)

If you follow my blog at all, you know we've been struggling financially since Fernando was laid off last autumn.  We are in the process of starting our own business, which is a slow process.  More money goes out than comes in, and expenses have to be cut.  (I promise there's a recipe.)

For meals, I want to plan as much as possible.  However, with leaner times here, I tend to pick something in the freezer and see what I can make with it.  When I opened my freezer door recently, this package of kebab meat called my name.  This is what you would call a blessing meal, because that package of kebab meat was given to us by friends whom we helped move this past April.  I remembered a marinade that Fernando and I had put together, and guessed/hoped we had the (simple) ingredients for it, since they're typical pantry staples I usually stock.

We have been skimpy on veggies these past several months, gladly accepting gifts from friends and thankfully picking what we can from our garden this summer.  For the kebabs, we used organic sweet red peppers, given to us by another friend whom we helped with her family's friendship garden.  Isn't the Lord good to us?  We think so.  :)

Kebabs are a great summertime meal, combining meat and veggies on the grill.  It's an even better summertime meal when your husband does the grilling!  Just add another side dish--rice, potatoes, or corn muffins or whatever you have on hand--and your meal is complete.

Here is the kebab process in pictures:  Simply make the marinade, marinate the meat, put it on skewers (if using wood, make sure you soak them in water for 10-15 minutes so they don't burn) with the veggies of your choice, then grill according to your grill specifications.

Marinate the kebab meat.

My awesome Grillmaster.

Teriyaki Ginger Kebabs, and chicken sausage with asadero cheese (from Costco)

Teriyaki Ginger Marinade 
Yield:  Enough marinade for 1-2 pounds kebab meat

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (or 1/4 teaspoon ground)
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce (I used Bragg's Liquid Aminos)
4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil (yes, I had this in my pantry!)
2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
1 teaspoon sugar (I used cane juice crystals)

Grate the fresh ginger with a microplane grater.  In a small bowl, combine all ingredients.  Pour it over your meat; you may use a plastic sealable bag, or whatever works.  I used a four-cup glass measuring bowl.  I cover my marinating meat and put in the fridge.  Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Assemble your kebabs--alternate meat and veggies on skewers, and simply grill to doneness.  I wish I could tell you how to grill, but I can't.  Just one more thing--discard any remaining marinade; you don't want to use it on your meat on the grill, since the raw meat was soaking in it.  Seems a shame, but that's the way of it.

These kebabs were tender and delicious, and the sweet red peppers were amazing.  You can also use this marinade for steaks or any other meat you'd marinate.

Enjoy!


Back to life,
Christine

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