Linny's Kitchen: June 2011

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Zesty Summer Shrimp Kabobs

I am loving that weather has gotten warmer and that it is finally grilling season!! It is the time of year where I would like to declare that I will officially be shutting down the indoor kitchen and vowing to only use the grill for the rest of the season but, I do not want to jinx myself just yet...

Zesty Shrimp Kabobs

Ingredients:

Makes 4 Hearty Kabobs

1lb of Peel & Eat Shrimp (peeled with tails left on)

1 Zucchini cut into ½ - ¾ inch rounds (8 pieces)

1 Red Onion ½ & then quartered (8 pieces)

8 Cherry Tomatoes

1 Green Bell Pepper cut in ½ and then quartered (8 pieces)

Marinade:

2 tablespoons olive oil

5 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped

1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped chives/cilantro/Italian parsley leaves

Juice of 1 Lime & Zest

1 teaspoon of Munroe Dairy Orange Juice

Ground black pepper

Peel and rinse the Shrimp and set aside in a non reactive stainless steel or glass bowl. Add the olive oil, garlic, jalapeno, herbs, orange juice and lime juice/ zest. Let the shrimp sit in the marinade for at least 30 minutes.

Skewer the shrimp and vegetables alternating the veggies after each shrimp. Brush the skewers with the remaining marinade and grill for 6 minutes before turning the kabobs. Cook the Kabobs for another 4 minutes or until the shrimp is opaque.

Enjoy with a salad of Olivia’s Spring Mix for a healthy and flavorful meal.

Linny's Tip - Cooking and Storing Potatoes

Potatoes should be kept in a cool, dark place with good ventilation. The ideal storage temperature is 45 to 50ºF. At these temperatures, potatoes will keep for several
weeks. But don't store potatoes in the refrigerator! When kept below 40ºF, potatoes develop a sweet taste, due to the conversion of starch to sugar. This increased sugar causes potatoes to darken when cooked. If you store potatoes at room temperature, try to use them within a week or so.

Keep potatoes away from prolonged exposure to light, which causes them to turn green. This greening causes a bitter flavor. If potatoes develop green areas or start to sprout, just trim off these areas before using.

Always add potatoes to cold water to boil. This ensures that potatoes will cook evenly throughout.

Linny's Tip: Tomatoes

Did you know tomatoes are second in consumption to potatoes!

However, there is one important thing everyone should know about tomatoes and that is how to store them. Tomatoes do not like the cold at all. In fact when you keep them in the refrigerator they will become mealy and loose their robust flavor.

Instead store them in a cool dark place with their stem side down for ripe tomatoes. For those tomatoes that a not quite ripe leave them on a sunny window sill and soon they will turn bright red and juicy ready to honor any salad or BLT!