Chili Lime Cholula Shrimp and Pepper Skewers

The weather has cooled down just a bit here.  I love that we are 100 degrees one week and then next... it's only 80!  Hey, I'll take what I can get, trust me.  I will not complain about the cool down.  It has been quite nice.  Heck, we even got to open the windows and enjoy the fresh air over the weekend!  Of course, it's still perfect weather for grilling!!  With that said, I really wanted to try out the chili lime Cholula(**) on some shrimp.  It just seemed like the best flavor combo for shrimp.  Although, I will say that the Chili Lime Cholula is not one of my favorites, it does work really well with this recipe.  It brings a bit of summer to this dish, which I love...  And honestly, you just can't go wrong with shrimp on the barbie :)

Chili Lime Cholula Shrimp and Pepper Skewers
Created by Jenn's Food Journey
- Serves 2 -
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
36 extra large shrimp (thaw, peel, and devein if necessary)
2 Tablespoons chili lime Cholula
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper
1/2 red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 poblano pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
wooden or metal skewers (if using wooden, soak in water for 30 minutes)
lemon aioli (optional)

Directions:
Place the shrimp in a bowl.  Add the Cholula and oregano; toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Preheat grill to 375 degrees F.  Thread the shrimp and peppers on to the skewers.  Place the skewers on oil grill grates directly over the fire.  Grill for 4-5 minutes per side or until the shrimp are cooked through and the peppers are slightly charred.  Carefully remove from grill.  Serve with lemon aioli if desired.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Chipotle Mexican Rice
(**The thoughts and comments regarding the Cholula product are that of Jenn's Food Journey.  I was not compensated for my review**)

Pork Chimichurri Kabobs

I LOVED this!! It was amazingly good.  Just look at it... colorful and inviting.  And the flavors... OH MY the flavors were incredible.  Add my little feta sauce to it and you are going to want to make this three or four times a week!!

This is the perfect recipe for me...   you make a sauce to marinate the pork in and then you make a sauce to dip the pork in.  A TWO sauce meal... it's like my own little piece of heaven!!  Wanna join me??

Pork Chimichurri Kabobs
Sauce recipe created by Jenn's Food Journey, Pork Adapted from RazzleDazzleRecipes.com
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
5 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1-2 yellow bell peppers, cut into chunks
2 jalapenos, seeded and cut into chunks
1/2 sweet onion, cut into chunks
For the Feta Sauce -
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons crumble feta cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
garlic salt and white pepper to taste
wooden or metal skewers (If using wooden, soak in water for at least 30 minutes)

Directions:
Place the pork chunks in a resealable bag.  In a large measuring cup, mix together the olive oil, parsley, oregano, garlic, paprika, salt red pepper flakes, and both peppers.  Pour over the pork.  Massage the pork to make sure the marinade is covering all of the meat.  Seal the bag and place in refrigerator for 2-4 hours.

Meanwhile, mix together all the ingredients for the feta sauce.  Season with garlic salt and white pepper.  Cover and store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Preheat grill to 375-400 degrees F.  Thread the pork, onion, and peppers on the skewers and place them directly over the fire.  Grill, turning occasionally, for 10-15 minutes or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F.  Remove from grill and serve with feta sauce.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Oreo Truffles

Jalapeno Beef Kabobs with Roasted Garlic Aioli

For some reason, with all the grilling I do, I have not posted a recipe for kabobs yet.  A year and a half of blogging and no kabobs... I think that might actually be sacrilegious :)

I believe this is a great kabob recipe to start with.  I mean jalapeno and beef - how can you go wrong??  Add a little roasted garlic aioli and ... well... need I say more?

I probably should say more, but really... don't the pictures just speak for themselves?  The steak is marinated in a jalapeno hot sauce and beer and then is laced on skewers with red pepper, onion, and of course, jalapenos!  They are actually fantastic just like that, but you know me and sauces... the aioli was just a given :)

Jalapeno Beef Kabobs with Roasted Garlic Aioli
Created by Jenn's Food Journey
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1/4 cup jalapeno hot sauce (I used Arizona Gunslinger Green Jalapeno Hot Sauce)
1/2 cup beer
1 lb top sirloin, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 zucchini, cut lengthwise, then into 1 in chunks
1 large red bell pepper, cut into chunks
3-4 jalapenos, cut into chunks
1/2 sweet onion, cut into chunks
olive oil
salt and pepper
wooden skewers - soaked in water for at least 30 minutes
For the aioli -
4 cloves of garlic, skin on, wrapped in foil, drizzled with olive oil
5 Tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Directions:
Mix together the jalapeno hot sauce and the beer.  Place the cut up steak in a resealable bag and pour the marinade over it.  Seal bag and place in refrigerator for 4 hours.

Preheat grill to 375 degrees F.  Place the foil wrapped garlic on the grill and allow to "roast" for 8-10 minutes.  Remove and allow to cool.  Squeeze cooled garlic from skins and place in food processor.  Add mayonnaise, lemon juice, and Dijon.  Pulse until well blended.  Place in serving bowl and set aside.

Remove the steak from the marinade and thread onto the water soaked skewers, alternating in the veggies.  I left the zucchini on a separate skewer as I wanted to cook it for less time.  You can do whichever you way choose.  Place directly over the fire and allow to grill about 8 minutes.  Flip/rotate the skewers and allow to grill another 8 minutes.  Carefully remove from grill.  Serve over rice with roasted garlic aioli and enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Strawberry Ice Cream

Shrimp & Zucchini Skewers with Basil Cream Sauce

Confession time:  I cut the zucchini the wrong way for skewering.

See, this is what happens when you try to cook and watch Master Chef at the same time.

No bother, the meal was still wonderfully delicious and light.  Perfect for those warm (or really, really hot) week night meals.  (we hit 118 Saturday - Ouch!)

I used frozen shrimp because that is the best I could find, but if you can find fresh shrimp, please....please, please, please... use it.  First, you can put the zucchini and shrimp on the same skewers and your presentation will be prettier.  But most importantly, fresh is always better when you can get it :)

Oh........the sauce was heavenly (of course).  This one definitely falls into the "spoon directly into your mouth" category!

Shrimp & Zucchini Skewers with Basil Cream Sauce
Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
4oz sour cream
1/4 cup basil leaves, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh chives, snipped or chopped
salt and pepper
3/4 lbs fresh or frozen large shrimp, (peeled and deveined if needed)
1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch thick slices
1 Tablespoon basil olive oil (regular olive oil will be fine)
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herb mix
bamboo/wooden skewers

Directions:
In a bowl, mix together the sour cream, basil, and chives.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Place the shrimp in a shallow dish.  Toss with olive oil, garlic salt, and Italian herb mix.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.   While the shrimp marinate, soak the skewers in water until ready to use.

Preheat your grill to 350-375 degrees F.  Oil the grill grates.  Skewer your shrimp and zucchini and place directly over the fire.  Grill until the shrimp is pink and golden (about 3-4 minutes per side) and the zucchini is cooked to your liking.  Serve with basil cream sauce.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Penne with Tuna and Tomatoes

Guest Blogger: Wine, Garlic & Herb Chicken and Veggie Kabobs

***I promised guest bloggers and here they are!  Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to Andrea the Kitchen Witch!  Andrea brings you an amazing kabob recipe...and guess what, she of course grilled them!!! YES!!!  So now it should feel like I'm not even gone!  Enjoy!***

 

Hi, I'm Andrea the Kitchen Witch, a guest blogger for Jenn.  I am honored and humbled to fill in for Jenn while she's on vacation.  I'm a self taught cook who uses as few processed goods as possible.  I have a no HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) or PHO's (partially hydrogenated oils, aka trans fats) kitchen, so anything that comes out of my kitchen has 3 guarantees:

1. No HFCS
2. No trans fats
3. It will be delicious!

I hope you enjoy the recipe and take a moment to look at my blog.  If you like what you see, please click on FOLLOW or 'LIKE' Andrea the Kitchen Witch on facebook.  Thank you!

Wine herb chicken is a staple in the Kitchen Witch household.  Everyone loves it, including the 3 year old Little Witch.  Its fancy enough to serve to guests yet quick and easy enough for weeknights.  The flavors in the marinade enhance the chickens delicate flavor, taking it to a whole new level.  Using fresh herbs is preferred, especially now in the summer when they're readily available.  Sage, thyme, oregano and chives are very prolific in my garden this year, therefore they make themselves known at the dinner table often.  The herbal flavor is complimented by the white wine, garlic adds its own perfume and makes everything happy.

The vegetables I've used represent the best of what my garden and the farmers market had to offer.  Grilling the onions, peppers and zucchini really brings out the natural sweetness of the fresh veggies.  I also like the bright colors they bring to the plate, as well as all the nutrition they have to offer.  Kabobs are usually made around here when we've got a lot of 'use up' things, 1/2 a bell pepper, 1/2 an onion, a handful of mushrooms, wrinkly cherry tomatoes, etc..  After slicing the veg I like to toss it with oil and season with kosher salt & pepper.  Its a lot easier to do this before they're on skewers than it is after.

I've shown this grilled on a charcoal grill.  Gas is fine too.  Not a griller?  That's ok, you can pan sautee the chicken.  You may, however, wish to leave the thighs whole if you chose to pan saute it.  And if you do cook it indoors, please be sure to deglaze the cooking pan with 1/2 c white wine, reduce it by half then add 2T butter.  Swirl the butter in and enjoy one of the best pan sauces ever.  Anyway you cook it, this recipe is sure to please!

Wine, garlic & herb chicken and veggie kabobs
Recipe created by Andrea the Kitchen Witch
Printable Recipe
makes 4 servings
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/4 c white wine
1 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic minced
1 handful fresh herbs - 4 sprigs each thyme & oregano, 8 sage leaves, about 15 chive stems
1/2 t kosher salt
1/8 t ground black pepper
1/2 each red bell pepper, green bell pepper and onion
1 medium size zucchini, sliced into 1 inch thick rounds
oil for drizzle
extra salt & pepper for seasoning veggies
about 8 bamboo skewers soaked for 30 min prior to skewering

In a zip top bag mix the white wine, olive oil, herbs finely minced, garlic, 1/2 t salt & pepper.  Mix well to incorporate. 

Slice chicken thin against the grain, about 1/2 inch thick.  Put chicken into the marinade making sure all pieces are evenly coated in the liquid.  Allow to marinate for 2-4 hours. 

30 minutes before the grill is ready, soak the bamboo skewers in hot water.  This will help them from burning as quickly on the grill. 

Slice veggies into skewerable sizes, about 1 inch approx.  Toss the veggies with a drizzle of oil, kosher salt and pepper.  Toss to coat evenly. 

Skewer chicken onto skewers, approximately 2 oz per skewer

Skewer the veggies separately, anchoring the bottom and top with zucchini rounds. 

Grill kabobs until chicken is browned and cooked through and veggies have nice color from the grill.  Enjoy with rice.

Nutritional Facts:

Calories: 172.6

Total Fat: 6.4g

Saturated fat: 1.4g

Polyunsaturated fat: 1.3g

Monounsaturated fat: 2.9g

Cholesterol: 85.9mg

Sodium: 673.6mg

Potassium: 450.3mg

Total Carbohydrates: 5.8g

Dietary Fiber: 1.4g

Sugars: 2.0g

Protein: 21.2g