Julie Scheier, Registered Dietitian at Munson Healthcare Otsego Memorial Hospital
Before school begins, this family meal “project” is fun, creative, and serves as a great nutrition and cooking lesson. Additionally, this recipe is a great opportunity to allow your children to pick out their favorite or new vegetables to try! Recommended vegetables can always be substituted with favorites. (Reminder - root vegetables take longer to cook, so parboil carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes if you choose these items for kabobs.)
Ingredients: 2 persons, 6 kabobs with 4 shrimp per skewer (adjust as preferred)
24 shelled and deveined shrimp, thawed using packaging instructions. Quantity depends on number of persons served and ratio of vegetable to shrimp preferred. Suggest 3- 4 large or jumbo shrimp per skewer.
Marinade:
- Juice of 3 limes
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 1 Tbl honey
- 3 Tbl chopped fresh cilantro (or to taste)
- 1 Tbl chopped garlic (or to taste)
- (Marinade can be adjusted to flavor preference. If prefer less sweet, decrease or omit honey.)
- Mix ingredients. Cover shrimp with marinade and place in zip lock bag. Place in refrigerator for 15-30 minutes.
Recommended vegetables cut into 2” pieces/chunks/slices:
- Peeled onions
- Sweet peppers (green, yellow, orange or red depending on preference)
- Cherry or pear tomatoes – red, yellow or mixed.
- Zucchini or summer squash
- Fresh mushrooms (whole)
Preparing Kabobs
If using wooden/bamboo skewers, soak 15-30 minutes in water before using. Start with onion, alternate vegetables, spacing the shrimp after every 2-3 pieces of vegetables. Brush kabobs with marinade.
Skewer any remaining vegetables. Be sure to cook any vegetable that has had contact with raw shrimp.
Grill on medium heat, for 5-7 minutes.Turn halfway through. Cooked shrimp will be pink on the outside, white/opaque on the inside.
Recommended serving ideas
Serve with brown rice, cut melon or other fresh fruit.
Chicken and tofu can be substituted for the shrimp, with adjusted cooking times.
Tip - Growing fresh cilantro is easy and avoids the waste associated when you buy more than you need from the store or farmers’ market. Cilantro needs full sun or light shade. Plant following the directions on the seed packet in spring. Pinch frequently to slow bolting. Alternatively, cilantro can be frozen. One suggestion is to freeze in small quantities using and ice cube tray. Once frozen, pop out of trays and place in freezer bags for use in the next 6 months.