Skewer Yourself

I know summertime is here when walking down the street the smells of grilled food fills the air. One of my favourite things to grill are skewers, they are easy to prepare in advance, and are even easier to eat! Bonus, year round, they are great on an indoor grill.



Reebs Skewer Pointers:

Shrimp - toss shelled, deveined shrimp in a bowl with some olive oil, a bit of citrus (lemon, lime or orange) and some salt and pepper. Thread onto soaked skewers. These don't take long to cook, so should go on the grill last. Cook until nice and pink.


Chicken - between sheets of waxed paper, pound chicken. This helps it to cook faster and I find helps it to stay moist from the marinade. Much like the shrimp, I just toss the chicken in some olive oil, citrus and salt and pepper. You can let the chicken marinade for longer. Thread onto soaked skewers. I am neurotic about chicken, so I put this on the grill first, and check repeatedly. I find the biggest mistake is not letting the chicken cook right through. Patience young grasshopper, patience.

Veggies - Cut veggies in big chunks, you don't need to cook them all the way. My favourite combo's are green and red peppers, red onions, mushrooms, zucchinis. Again, I toss them with the oil and citrus and salt and pepper. Thread onto skewers and I usually put them on the grill shortly after the chicken.


You can enjoy these on their own or make a quick seafood sauce, some peanut sauce, anything really. Here's a quick seafood sauce that will surprise you with it's easiness and taste - and I bet you have most if not all the ingredients on hand!

Seafood Sauce
In bowl, mix together 1/3 cup ketchup, 2 tsp (or more) prepared horseradish, squeeze of lemon or lime juice, splash of Worcestershire sauce and a dash of hot pepper sauce. I guarantee you'll stop buying bottles of seafood sauce!

Enjoy your spread with some good fresh bread and your favourite wine or beer!

Simple Stir Fry

Other than a good ole PB&J sandwhich, there aren't many meals out there that are as easy and as fulfilling as a good stir fry. This is the 'let's clean the fridge' meal, allowing you to really try your hand at creativity. The basics for stir fry are simple:

Protein - chicken, beef, pork, tofu, shrimp, almonds etc.
Veggies - anything goes, just make sure they are all cut the same size, and that you cook them in a good order (watch for veggies that cook super fast!)
Sauce - 1/2 cup of broth (veggie, chicken, beef, even water will do in a pinch), 2 tsps cornstarch, 2 tblsp soy/tamari sauce (easily doubles if you have loads of veggies)
Carb - rice, noodles

My favourite stir fry starts with extra firm tofu. I pat it dry, cut it up, and marinate it in some tamari for about 5 minutes. While the tofu is marinating I chop all my veggies. Staples for me include celery, carrots, peppers, snap peas, zucchini, canned baby corn (that's a Brent pick!), water chestnuts, & sprouts. Some things we've tried include cucumbers (not that awesome), asparagus (works depending on your protein). Just play with the flavour combinations, you'll figure out what you like. I love adding pineapple if I'm making a beef stir fry.

Heat some olive oil in your wok or frying pan on high, and start frying up the tofu (about 4 minutes is what I prefer). Add the veggies. At this point I usually add about half a cup of water and put a lid on, toss it all up and let it steam. Watch it, the veggies don't take long to cook, and you'll know when they're ready. Save snap peas and sprouts etc. for right before you add the sauce.

For the sauce you just want to mix the ingredients, and don't worry, it will settle and need to be stirred right before adding to the pan. It will thicken when it heats in the pan.

For my carb, I like to use steam fried noodles, they take about 2 minutes in boiling water to cook, and there's just something about them that I love. That being said, if you are going to serve this with rice, try and remember to put the rice on before you start anything, cause it will stay warm, but there's nothing worse than waiting for rice to cook!

Once everything is cooked up, I prefer to mix it all in the same pan, but to each their own.

Don't forget to grab your chopsticks!

Meatballs

Meatballs are easy to make, freeze wonderfully, and add so much to many simple meals. I've tried different meatball recipes over the years, and there are a few things I've taken from each of them to create my own.

One of the most important things about meatballs is, of course, the meat. If you can, always get your meat from a reputable butcher. We are really lucky in Vancouver, with Granville Island a tugboat away and a great Butcher on Denman Street, a few blocks from home. The type of meat you want to use is completely up to you, it really doesn't change the recipe that much. Recently I was at Tenderland Meats on Granville Island, and I put in my order (1/3 lb lean gr. beef, 1/3 lb gr. pork, 1/3 lb gr.veal) and a gentleman beside me said 'You must be making meatballs, and it sounds like a gourmet recipe'. It made me smile, because meatballs are so affordable and still 'gourmet'. My order usually comes to $5.00, and I end up with at least 6 meals out of it.

Needless to say, here is my recipe for my favourite meatballs!

Meatballs for All Occasions

1 - 2lb ground meat (my favourite mix is beef,veal and pork)
1 egg
1/4 cup or so Italian breadcrumbs (I make my own with fresh grated parmesan and parsley, and then freeze)
1/4 cup onions, finely chopped
Herbs or spices to your liking

In medium bowl, beat egg lightly, add breadcrumbs and onions, any herbs or spices, and mix. This is where it's fun to play with flavours. - One thing I recently discovered was liquid smoke. Just a drop or two adds a lot of to a simple meatball or hamburger recipe - .
Add meat. Mix (with your hands is best!).


Using a spoon or a scoop (the one I use is actually a cookie dough scoop) divide into equal portions, shape into balls. It's really important they are all the same size, no matter what size you decide, that way they cook evenly and remain moist.

Place on tinfoil lined baking sheet (so easy on the cleanup) and cook for about 18 minutes in 375F oven. Just check them every once in awhile after 15 minutes.




Cool on rack, and then freeze in single layer in ziploc baggies. When you want to use them, just reheat in sauce. My favorite uses are Meatball Subs, Party Meatballs in BBQ sauce, or just plain old Pasta and Meatballs. Enjoy!