Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Kebabs for a Group

When I studied abroad in Australia there was one food that was heaven after a night out: kebabs. They're not like the kebabs we think of here: skewed on a stick and grilled. Kebabs in Australia are basically wraps filled with chicken, cheese and barbecue sauce that are then grilled and served in aluminum foil. In other words, they were pure heaven at 2AM after a few too many drinks. In Surfers Paradise in Queensland where I spent most of my time, kebab stands were as frequent as hot dog stands here. It's amazing to me that I didn't gain thirty pounds when studying abroad there. It probably had a lot to do with the fact I was eating a lot of food that I was intolerant to without even knowing it.

Flash forward six years to the kebabs I eat and serve today: no wrap, no cheese, no barbecue sauce. But still, they're good and my friends seemed to like them too. In an attempt to celebrate the one Spring-like day we've had this year I had some friends over and broke out the grill: chicken, steak and vegetable kebabs were on the menu.


Kebabs (gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo)

10 wooden skewers soaked in water overnight
6 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes
2-3 pounds steak, cut into cubes
1 red and 1 yellow pepper, cut into large squares
1 large yellow onion, cut into squares
about twenty small mushrooms, cleaned

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon Greek style seasoning (like oregano, garlic powder, lemon salt, onion powder)

In bowl combine the marinade ingredients and pour into a large ziploc bag. Add the meat and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (and up to 6). Then, alternate the vegetables and meat and place on the skewers. Or, keep them separate to have them cook more evenly. When all of the meat and vegetables are on the skewers, place on a large plate and drizzle with olive oil and freshly cracked salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes per side.

Here's the gang after the feast:

2 comments:

Ricki said...

What a great party! And now I have yet another good reason to visit Australia! ;)

Stacey said...

Mmm, I love kebabs. I'll have to try your marinade.