Meatless Meals, Vol 12: Steph's Veggie and Cheese Kabobs

I created this recipe last week, when my sister (Jess) and her boyfriend (Tom) were coming over for dinner. It was a beautiful day which called for some grilling, and I was excited! As we continue to try to reduce the amount of meat in our diet, I have found difficulty in the area of grilling. As Americans, I associate grilling with meat, meat and more meat. Grilled hamburgers, grilled hot dogs, grilled chicken, grilled steaks. Augh! I love the smell and taste of it. Luckily, Hubby and I have a great local meat supplier that we feel good about buying from, so we don't have to give up the Great American Grilling Dream. But I do think we should make an effort to find meatless ways to grill.

As with our whole meatless adventure, it comes down to thinking creatively. So, when this impromptu BBQ came up, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try something new!

I love kabobs, and figured it wouldn't be too difficult to make a filling kabob without the meat. The result was GREAT, and everyone had some (even those who were stuffing themselves with burgers). We also grilled up some Tofu Pups on the side (which are a great alternative to hot dogs. I get a bit skeevy when it comes to non-meat meat products (like "bacon," "chicken," and "ground beef"), but these taste (and have the texture of) the real deal.

Here is the simple kabob recipe...

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

Meatless Meals

Steph's Meatless Kabobs

• 1 Green Pepper, cut into large chunks
• 1 Red Pepper, cut into large chunks
• 1 Onion, cut into large chunks
• 1-2 cartons of Cherry Tomatos, halved
• 1 large can of Diced Pineapple Chunks, drained
• 1 or 2 Mozzarella Balls, cut into large chunks (roughly 1/2 inch)
• Awesome Grilling Marinade (click here for recipe)
• Skewers

1) Make marinade, and marinate all the vegetables (ie: everything above minus mozzarella and pineapples) for 1-2 hours (longer is even better)

2) Soak skewers (if they are not metal) in water for 15-30 minutes (or more)

3) Alternate green pepper, tomato, pineapple, red pepper, mozzarella, tomato, pineapple, onion, pineapple, mozzarella, pineapple...you get the picture...on the skewers

4) Grill kabobs for about 5 minutes, turning every 1-2 minutes, or until cheese begins melting (should still retain it's shape though).

5) Enjoy!

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

I can't get over how tasty they were. And with the combination of fruit, veggies and cheese, I was STUFFED. Lots of fiber :) These also make a good side dish to meat, if you aren't into the whole "No Meat" thing.

Feel free to substitute your favorite vegetables (especially if your garden is overabundant in any area - like zucchini!). I think experimenting with different fruit could be fun too - I think Apples or Peaches might be downright delicious!

I'd love to hear YOUR meatless kabob combinations! Leave a comment below!

Always excited for more (meatless) recipes - moderndaydonnareed@gmail.com