Date Night Dinners - Kabobs

3/13/2015 tringel 0 Comments

The first glimpses of spring and summer are finally here, and I couldn't be more excited. Although I'm still a bit groggy from the hour of sleep I lost when we sprung ahead this weekend, I am loving soaking up that extra sunlight after work. Temperatures are reaching the mid-50s. The sun is shinning bright and high. And the now black, no longer pretty to look at, snow is finally melting away.



One defining aspect of summer is picnics and barbecues and picnics with barbecues. Unfortunately, the mini grill I have been eyeing for my apartment patio is still on my never-ending wish list. This makes grilling a bit of a problem for Brenden and I. But with delicious flavored sausages from Whole Foods in the fridge and a craving for kabobs in my tummy, we were determined to find a way around it. When I stumbled upon indoor kabobs on Pinterest, I knew our problem was solved.

We baked the kabobs, using a cookie cooling rack as a mock grill top and placed baking trays underneath to catch the drippings. "Grilling" all year long, here we come. Our recipe isn't perfect yet, the kabobs didn't get the perfect char marks that only come from a coal grill, but the idea was there and so was the flavor. The sausages were juicy and succulent and the veggies were tender without being overdone.

We will definitely be experimenting with these indoor kabobs again, trying different meats, different, veggies, and different methods. I found a recipe that calls for broiling the kabobs in the oven instead of baking. I think combining the two methods is just the trick Brenden and I need to take the indoor kabobs to the next level and get that outdoorsy taste.







Tandoori Mango Chicken Sausage and Veggie Kabobs
Recipe inspired by yummyaddiction.com, Chicken Pineapple Kabobs

Ingredients

• 8 oz. tandoori mango chicken sausage, sliced into about 1 inch slices
• 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced into large cubes
• Your favorite veggies, we used: 
• 16 cherry tomatos, 
• 1/2 large zucchini, sliced and halved
• 2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 orange), cut into about 1.5 inch square(ish) pieces
• 1 small yellow onion, cut into about 1.5 inch square(ish) pieces

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Prepare the kabobs by threading all of the ingredients onto the wooden skewers in random or desired order.
3. Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet. Note: the baking sheet is not necessary but prevents juices from dripping to the bottom of the oven.
4. Line up the skewers on cooling rack with about an inch between each one.
5. Place the prepared skewer on the cooling rack in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the meat is cooked through and veggies as desired.
6. Serve and enjoy.