Greek Week: Day Two - Kabobs!

It's day two of Greek Week and it's time for delicious kabobs. I love kabobs because they are so easy but they come out tasting amazingly flavorful. And indoor grill pans make it easy for you to enjoy that grill flavor through the char the veggies or meat develop. It feels like summer time whenever I cook on it.

I like this recipe because it's easy to make everyone happy: my boyfriend gets meat and I get plenty of vegetables to fill me up. You can substitue chicken or lamb for the steak, and you can include any type of hardy vegetable you want. If you have a picky eater who doesn't like tomatoes or onion, you can make a skewer that includes them and one that doesn't so everyone is getting what they want. It's a very easy to adjust recipe and that's what I love about kabobs. For the record, zucchini or squash would go well with this recipe.

Alright, let's get cookin'!

Veggie & Steak Kabobs

Servings: 2 + (recipe to follow for leftover veggies if you don't have room for them on the kabob skewers)
Prep time: about 25 minutes
Cooking time: about 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 red onion, diced in large chunks
1 red pepper, diced in large chunks
1 green pepper, diced in large chunks
about 12 cherry tomatoes, whole
1/2 small carton of button mushrooms, stems removed & cut in half
1 single cut chuck steak, cut in bite size chunks
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (1/4 cup for veggies, 1/4 cup for meat)
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano (1 tbs. for veggies, 1/2 tbs. for meat)
1 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper (1 tsp. for veggies, 1/2 tsp. for meat)
1 teaspoon salt (3/4 tsp. for veggies, 1/4 tsp. for meat)

Let's begin with a little prep work.

1. If you are using wooden skewers, you must soak them in water to prevent them from burning once you place them on a grill pan or real grill outside. Fill a casserole dish with water and submerge your skewers in it so they can soak for at least a half an hour before you're ready to use them. If you're using metal skewers this is unnecessary, so go ahead and skip to the next prep step.

2. Preheat your stovetop grill pan (or outdoor grill if you're lucky enough to have one) over medium-high heat while you're prepping the veggies & meat.

Onward to the main event! Cooking!

Place the meat chunks in a small mixing bowl and add: 1/4 cup EVOO, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tbs. oregano, and toss (using a spatula) to coat all of the meat. Set aside. Don't forget to wash your hands before moving on to touch anything else.

Combine all veggies in a mixing bowl and add: 1/4 cup EVOO, 1 tsp. pepper, 3/4 tsp. salt, & 1 tbs. oregano, and toss to coat all of the veggies. Set aside.

Start skewering!

If you're in a "mixed household" as I like to call it (that is one with a vegetarian and a meat-eater) keep the veggies and the meat on separate skewers. If you're both meat-eaters, go ahead and mix the meat in with the veggies on all of the skewers.

You want to alternate each veggie on the skewers so that you get an even number of all of them. (If you have any veggies left over that don't fit on the skewers, don't worry: check out the recipe below for a quick & simple salad you can use them in the next day for lunch.)

Once all skewers are ready, place them on the hot grill pan, leaving a little bit of space between them. Keep rotating the skewers every four minutes or so throughout the cooking time to ensure one side isn't burning. It's Okay if they get a little char on them though...

When meat is cooked to your taste, take it off the grill and allow it to rest for at least five minutes before serving. When the veggies are softened, they're done, so take them off the grill at this point. This whole process should take around fifteen minutes.

Using a fork or tongs, pull the veggies/meat off the skewers and place them on the serving plates. Serve with a rice side dish, such as this Rachael Ray one I used (Yum-O!). Salute!

Now, for those leftover veggies.

You already marinated them in EVOO, oregano, and S&P, so just put them in the fridge with some plastic wrap over the top of the bowl to keep them fresh and waiting for you until the following day.

The only additional ingredients you'll need are:

1 handful of baby spinach leaves

a splash of red wine vinegar

a sprinkling of feta cheese

Take the bowl with the veggies out of the fridge and remove the plastic wrap. Add your handful of baby spinach and splash of red wine vinegar directly to the bowl, then sprinkle with feta. Toss with a fork and serve. Doesn't get much easier than that!