Shish kabobs

[Corey]

Shish kabobs I make every summer whether for barbecuing at home, or for taking along on a camping trip.
These were always a hit with my two sons when they were young when we went camping all the time.

So easy to make, but there is a lot of preparation time involved, then the assembling of them.
To save time I used my new Food Saver vacuum sealer machine I bought a short time back.

I stopped at off at Safeway after work Thursday and bought the following fresh veggies as seen in the three bags below.
First bag = white mushrooms
Second bag = Walla Walla Sweet onions and cherry tomatoes
Third bag = red and green bell peppers

I just cut up the veggies to size, then placed them into one quart bags, and then ran them through the sealing process.
When I was ready to make the shish kabobs Friday, all I had to do was cut open the three bags, pop open a can of pineapple chunks I already had, open a can of sliced white potatoes, and cut up some doggies.
I usually get the whole white cooked potatoes in the can, but they were out, so the sliced will have to do for this time.

Having the veggies cut up ahead of time saved a lot of time standing at the counter in the kitchen.
You can take the sealed bags camping and assemble the shish kabobs at camp, or assemble the shish kabobs like I just did and throw them in the fridge a day before you go camping.
They should last for a few days like this easily if kept cold.
The amount I made was ten I think, that is about three days worth for just me, or if my sons stop by for dinner, there might be one or two left over.

Here they are in a Tupperware container I have had since the 80s.
It comes in very handy for shish kabobs.

On the grill

On the plate

Serve them up with a side dish of rice pilaf, macaroni salad, potato salad, and you have an instant hit on your hands with guests at home or friends while camping.

I also prefer the metal shish kabobbers I use over the wooden ones.
I have had these for around seventeen years or more.

 

[Mike_rupp]

If you are going through all of the trouble to cut up the veggies and thread everything on the skewers, why would you use a premade sausage as the meat? Go buy some lamb and marinate it in some red wine vinegar, s&p, grated onion, and olive oil.

 

[Corey]

If you are going through all of the trouble to cut up the veggies and thread everything on the skewers, why would you use a premade sausage as the meat? Go buy some lamb and marinate it in some red wine vinegar, s&p, grated onion, and olive oil.

Because I am a vegetarian since about 1982 for health reasons.
I do not eat any meat anymore.
Those are Tofurky Gourmet Sausages I used.

Those were the Kielbasa ones.



Yes, if I still ate meat, I would be using some lamb as I used to make shish kabobs back in the 70s with them.

 

[Mike_rupp]

bummer. if I had to give up meat for physical health reasons, I'm sure that I'd exchange the physical health problems for mental health problems.

 

[Corey]

It was very easy to give it up, and I was raised a meat and potatoes person by my parents.
We ate meat nightly for dinner, roasts, pork, fish, chicken, lamb, all of it.

I went this way back around 1982, as my X was one, and she introduced me to many alternatives.
There are so many meat alternatives on the market now I really do not miss it at all.

Daily I eat the Morningstar Breakfast Sausages flavored with maple syrup (new flavor they came out with) and they are pretty good.

I am also fairly decent around the kitchen, I went to chef school for two years back in 1975 to 1977 after high school.

 

[spressomon]

Tempeh Taco Salad. Tempeh Reubens. A couple of our regulars. Not Shishkabobs...but darn good just the same and meatless to boot. I was a veggie for 6-years...never felt better. Although, Corey, you say its easy and apparently you had to convert, I got impatient with how much pure time it took to be a veggie. Everything in moderation now...well except for tequila. Wait a minute...add aged rum to that list :sombrero:.

Hijack over.

 

[Mike_rupp]

Interesting. To improve my health I decided to give up anything with sugar in it and replace it with more meat, veggies, fruits and a very minimal amount of complex carbs. I lost a ton of weight, lowered my triglycerides, lowered my ldl, raised my hdl, lowered my bp, and most importantly have more energy and feel better than I have felt since I was in high school over 20 years ago.

But everyone's issues are different and need to treat them accordingly. The thing is, though, if I had to give up meat for whatever reason, there's no chance that I'm eating tofurkey or other meat substitutes. They just taste aweful, IMHO. I'd just learn how to cook Indian style vegetarian cuisine.

 

[Corey]

When I was a total strict vegan years ago (no dairy products such as eggs, milk ice cream, cheese, ect) I felt my best.
Flat stomach, 31" waist, and full of energy.

I now eat ice cream only on the weekends, eggs cooked various ways Saturday breakfast only, but no consumption of milk from the carton or cheese.
I gave up cheese about nine months ago and that has helped my colon a lot.

For milk for cereal I use Silk soymilk flavored in the extra vanilla flavor.
http://www.silksoymilk.com/

I suffered from allergies at an early age and had to take drugs regularly to control it.
When my X got me into a total vegan diet, guess what?
100% of the allergies went away, not even scotchbroom along the side of the highway had any hold over me.

There are a lot of drugs pumped into both meat and dairy products that I was allergic too.
Her father worked in the dairy industry and was a good source of info for us.
With me back on a few dairy products such as eggs and ice cream, I suspect most of the allergy causing items were from what was present in many forms of meat you buy over the counter.

 

[calamaridog]

I love grilled vegies. I fail to understand the allure of fake meat products, however.

 

[Corey]

I love grilled vegies. I fail to understand the allure of fake meat products, however.

To many they taste quite well.
Garden Burgers, Boca Burgers, Boca chicken flavored patties, the list goes on, they all taste good to me.

Some use the right amount of spices in them that makes them taste almost like the real thing without the fat or cholesterol of meat.

Not trying to convince anyone here to go vegetarian, just saying for me this was a health reason and it has worked out to my advantage clearing up my allergies and other things.

 

[calamaridog]

My sister-in-law and my niece and nephew are vegetarians. I cook for them frequently. I believe a diverse vegetarian diet can be very healthy and fullfilling.

I just have to remind myself that different people are vegetarians for different reasons. When someone tells me they don't eat meat cause "meat is murder", then they turn around and eat dairy and fake meat, I fail to get the message. I think this is why I said "I fail to understand the allure of fake meat products".

Your explanation, if I'm understanding correctly, makes sense to me. It's not the taste of meat but the effect of the junk used to produce meat that effected you most.

I think I'll try out the kabobs on the kids soon. TKS.

 

[Corey]

Oh yeah, I still love the smell driving by a Burger King at lunch time when you can smell the meat searing on the grill.
It is intoxicating in the same way when I walk down the coffee isle in the grocery store and you can smell the whole beans in the dispensers.

From my needs I had to give it and milk up for allergy reasons.
I also had to give up all nuts, corn (fresh corn, cobbed corn, any whole corn), and a few other foods I use to enjoy.

 

[mk4]

When someone tells me they don't eat meat cause "meat is murder", then they turn around and eat dairy and fake meat, I fail to get the message.

I've come across my fare share of these people. Then I comment to them that they don't seem to mind when it comes to their nice purse, shoes, belts, and their leather seats in their luxury cars.

 

[RHINO]

hey cory,,,, i am no veggie or vegan but i have been cutting down on meat, especially red meat and getting into other things,,, my wife and son have both been leaning to more veg lifestyle and i have tried some great stuff. i really like the black bean burgers out there, we made some enchiladas based on a black bean burger patty recipe as the filling and they were real good. we have been making grilled veg sammiches that are just plain awesome.

several years ago i really cut back on milk,, i used to drink a gallon of 2% a week myself, and now a gallon of skim easily last a week or more for the whole family. i too like soymilk, and ive made almond milk once in a while for something different. i drink much more tea now and i also cut out soda to just a treat once in a while,,, havent lost a pound since any of it, but i feel better.

 

[Corey]

That is pretty cool.
The only soda I drink is Henry Weinhards root beer, and that is two bottles on the weekend usually with dinner Friday and Saturday nights.

Morningstar has a good Asian burger, and also black bean ones.
http://www.morningstarfarms.com/products.aspx?coid=23&family=363

I really like the Asian ones.
http://www.morningstarfarms.com/product_detail.aspx?family=363&id=11331

It was pretty amazing when my X got me off of meat and the milk and my allergies became a thing of the past.
Most of the stuff I think that some people are allergic to is the hormones used in both.
I had been that way all my life since being raised with my parents.
Teachers use to think I was high in school too from the red droopy eyes, but it was the allergies.