The summer holidays are winking, but often we pay the price after all the eating and drinking amid the merriment of the festive season.
To keep the nation in good shape these holidays, a pharmaceutical company, whose focus centres on healthy living, has developed more than 30 mouth-watering braai recipes in partnership with the Heart and Stroke Foundation SA, as part of the Cooking from the Heart cookbook series that will keep festive season calories in check.
This week we give you this delectable recipe:
VEGGIE SKEWERS
These skewers are delicious when braaied over the coals.
- 125 g button mushrooms, halved
- 3 baby marrows, thickly sliced
- 200 g baby tomatoes
- 1 green, yellow or red pepper, seeded and cut into large cubes
- 15-20 bay or fresh lemon or lime leaves (optional)
- 8-10 metal skewers or wooden kebab sticks, soaked in water for 30 minutes
- ¼ cup (60 ml) olive or canola oil
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) lemon juice
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) finely grated lemon rind
- 2 tsp (10 ml) each chopped fresh thyme, origanum and parsley
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed black pepper to taste
- ½ tsp (2.5 ml) salt
- Place mushrooms in a shallow dish and cover with boiling water. Soak for 8-10 minutes to prevent the mushrooms from breaking apart when skewered. Drain well and pat dry.
- Thread mushrooms and veggies onto skewers or kebabs sticks, alternating the different veggies for a colourful end result. Add 1-2 bay, lemon or lime leaves in between veggies.
- Mix oil, lemon juice and rind, herbs and garlic together and season with pepper.
- Brush oil mixture onto skewers on all sides and marinate for 30 minutes. Season skewers with salt.
- Grill over medium to low coals or until the veggies are just cooked, but not too soft. Brush with more of the marinade, while braaiing, if necessary.
- The kebabs can be served with the pea and yoghurt dip or cottage cheese dip. Serve with a protein-rich vegetarian dish for a balanced meal.
Tips
- Add pineapple to the skewers for a sweet flavour – it is delicious with pork or chicken.
- A pinch of cumin or paprika or a chopped chilli can be added to the oil mixture if preferred.
- For a different flavour add 1 tbsp (15 ml) finely grated fresh ginger or add 1 tsp (5 ml) mild mustard to the oil mixture.