SURF & TURF KABOBS

If you are a "Foodie", today's post will most definitely blow you away......

My Nephew Jon is passionate about food. Well...actually that is an understatement. He doesn't view his meals as merely "sustenance". He views most every meal as a multi-sensory "experience".

When Jon finds a recipe that looks appealing to him, he will take it, and put his own personal twists on it, to even make it better! This recipe is an example of his gastronomic talent. Just in time for grilling season!!

SURF & TURF KABOBS

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs of ground meat of your choice (Jon chose to use a mixture of ground turkey and ground Chorizo sausage meat)
2 tsp. kosher salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup coarsely grated red onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 lbs med/large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cooked (tails off)
Vegetable oil (for brushing)
Wooden or metal Kabob skewers

Directions:
Place ground meat into large bowl. Add salt, garlic, red onion, cilantro, cumin, red pepper flakes, & black pepper. Mix all ingredients together very well, using your hands. (Hint: wear disposable latex gloves or make sure your hands are freshly washed!)

Look, it's beautiful already!! Next, skewer four or five shrimp per kabob. Then, also using your hands, mold enough of the meat mixture around the skewered shrimp so that the shrimp are mostly covered (see photo below)

Place kabobs on cookie sheet, and chill in your freezer for about 20 minutes. This firms up the meat so that your kabobs stay intact while grilling. All of the above can be done up to 6 hours ahead of time. Just cover and chill until you are ready.

Brush kabobs with oil and grill, turning occasionally until nicely charred and cooked through, 6-8 minutes per side.

We enjoyed these magnificent Kabobs with Rice & Tzaziki Sauce. The spicy meat mingled perfectly with the taste of the shrimp, and we found that one kabob per person was quite filling. He made them again for us with just the ground turkey (no chorizo) and it was just as delicious! Maybe just a little less spicy-hot.

It's already been several days since we ate these. But if I close my eyes, I can still imagine the authentic Mediterranean flavors in my mouth. Mmm....

I think I am guilty of being passionate about food as well.

Please! Leave a comment letting us know what you think about this recipe!!! Thanks :-)

Spaghetti and Meatballs MAKEOVER

Up until last May/June, I was doing wonderfully well with a healthy eating lifestyle, inspired by Jorge Cruise and his Belly Fat Cure. If you are interested, go ahead and check it out on his site: http://jorgecruise.com/

But then, my summer became very..... hectic. So needless to say, my way of coping was to go ahead and eat anything that wasn't "nailed down", so to speak. (Note to self: not a good idea.)

Well, I've recently decided to get back on track, and this DEE-luscious recipe fits right in with Jorge Cruise's "Belly Fat Cure"! What's nice about it is that it's a tasty and filling meal for anyone, not just for those watching their waistline. (Surprising since it includes so many veggies, but I won't tell them if you don't!) My daughter even made this for our dinner one night, to help me out. It almost tasted too good to be healthy!

Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meatballs

1 Spaghetti squash (about 3 lbs) halved lengthwise

Extra virgin olive oil (to taste

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves minced

1 tsp dried oregano

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

2 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs

16 oz lean ground turkey

2.5 cups chicken stock

6 cups baby spinach, washed

salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Season sides of squash with salt and bake, cut sides down on a baking sheet for about 1 hour. Let stand until cool enough to handle, then scrape into strands using a fork. let drain (covered to keep warm.)

Heat two tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic until soft, 8-10 minutes. Add oregano, and divide mixture into two bowls.

Stir 2 tablespoons cheese into 1 bowl of onion-garlic mixture. Mix in breadcrumbs, turkey, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper using your hands. Form mixture into balls.

Heat 2 tsp oil in large skillet over medium heat. Brown meatballs, turning, for about 6 minutes, transfer to plate.

Add remaining bowl of onion garlic mixture, meatballs, and chicken stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, then add spinach and cook for just a minute or two.

Toss spaghetti squash with a few drops of olive oil onto serving platter, then top with everything from the spinach meatball skillet. Put out a shaker of Parmesan cheese for shaking over each serving as desired. Enjoy!

As usual, we love hearing your comments and suggestions!