Beef and Veggie Kabobs with Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette and Lime Aioli Dipping Sauces

Kabobs can be one of the easiest and most colorful ways to provide a great meal especially during the summer. I made these along with the recipes for the Skinny Spaghetti Summer Salad and the Balsamic Blue Cheese Avocado Salad.

“One must maintain a little bittle of summer, even in the middle of winter.”

Beef and Veggie Kabobs with Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette and Lime Aioli Dipping Sauces


Ingredients:

Kabobs:
Cubed pieces of Top Sirloin
Whole Mushrooms
Red, Yellow, Orange, and Green Mushrooms Chopped into Squares
Large Sliced Red Onions
Grape or Cherry Tomatoes
Large Wooden Skewers
Worcestershire Sauce
Teriyaki Sauce
Sea Salt

Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup of Trader Joe's Asian Style Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette
1 tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Lime Aioli Dipping Sauce
Juice Squeezed of One Lime
1 Cup of Mayonnaise
1 tbsp of Minced Garlic
1 tsp of vinegar (balsamic or red wine)
2 tbsp of Freshly Grated Lemon Pepper
Sprinkle of Sea Salt
1 tsp of Onion Powder

On large wooden Skewers Combine the following order:
Tomato
Onion
Beef
Bell Pepper 
Onion
Mushroom
Beef
Onion
Bell Pepper
Tomato

When all skewers are put together put in a dish to marinate.
Drizzle Skewers with Teriyaki and Worcestershire Sauces and sprinkle a very light amount of sea salt.
Let Marinate for at least a 1/2 hour before grilling.
Place on grill, not touching about an inch at least apart. Cook for 3 minutes a side (12 minutes total).

Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette Dipping Sauce:
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk together

Lime Aioli Dipping Sauce:
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk together

Serve Dipping Sauces along side Kabobs.

Balsamic Blue Cheese Avocado Salad

I made this very simple salad for a family get together. This goes along with the same meal as the Skinny Spaghetti Summer Salad and Beef Kabobs with Dipping Sauces recipes come from. This can be used with any meal and is very simple and much more of a hit than I thought it would be.

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”

Balsamic Blue Cheese Avocado Salad


Ingredients:
2 Heads of Romaine Lettuce
2 Ripe Large Avocados
1/3 a package of Grape Tomatoes
5-6 Mushrooms

Dressing:
1/2 cup of Bob's Famous Blue Cheese Dressing and Dip (you can use another if you prefer but I think this is the best... they also offer a Lite version for a healthier option)
1 tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp of Ground Fresh Black Pepper
1/2 a lime squeezed

Simply chop the Romaine. Then cut the avocados into cubes. Quarter the grape tomatoes. Slice finely the mushrooms. Combine together in a bowl.

In a small mixing bowl, mix all dressing ingredients together. Combine until completely mixed.

Add dressing to salad and serve!

Easy peasy!

Skinny Spaghetti Summer Salad

So I just had a family get together for a couple family birthdays and also some family was in town from Santa Barbara. So I made a Summery meal. I made Beef Kabobs, An Avocado Blue Cheese Salad, Garlic Bread and this pasta salad. Recipes to come for all.

This salad is light, I suggest adding parmesan cheese but I avoided since my niece is Vegan. I make this with Whole Wheat Spaghetti however you can use with regular pasta.


"A healthy attitude is contagious but don't wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier."


Skinny Spaghetti Summer Salad


Ingredients:
One package of Whole Wheat Spaghetti
One Bushel of Parsley
Ten Sprigs of Basil (15-20 leaves)
One package of Grape Tomatoes
1 Tsp of Oregano
1 Tsp of Lemon Pepper
1 Tsp of Flower Pepper
1 Tsp of Sea Salt

Dressing:
1/3 cup of Olive Oil
1/3 cup of Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 packet of Equal
1 tbsp of dried Oregano
1 tsp of Onion Powder

1 Tsp of Oregano
1 Tsp of Lemon Pepper
1 Tsp of Flower Pepper
1 Tsp of Sea Salt
1 tbsp of Minced Garlic

Boil Water, then add Spaghetti and Cook for 10 minutes or until Al Dente

Mix together all Ingredients for Dressing

When Pasta is done cooking, drain and put into a large bowl.

Pour in Half of the dressing mixture into the pasta and mix well.

Cool Pasta in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours until cooled all the way through.

When the pasta is cooled, chop the basil and parsley finely.
Chop the grape tomatoes into quarters.

Mix basil, parsley and grape tomatoes into pasta along with remaining dressing.

Then add more Oregano, Lemon Pepper, Flower Pepper, and Sea Salt to taste.


Top with Parmesan Cheese and Sprigs of Basil in a large bowl and serve.

Vegan Whole Wheat Spaghetti and Meatballs

I made this recipe for my niece for dinner. She is vegan so I decided to make her a veggie hearty spaghetti with meatless meatballs (yes I know, kind of an oxymoron lol). She really enjoyed it. I would definitely rather with meat, because the meatballs break up and don't have as much flavor but it is better for you with less fat and high in protein.


"Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have." -Winston Churchill

Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ingredients
One yellow squash
One zucchini
Three-Four Sweet Bell Peppers
1/3 of a red onion chopped
6-8 small mushrooms chopped
1-2 tbsp of minced garlic
5-6 yellow cherry tomatoes
One package of Whole Wheat Spaghetti
One jar of Mushroom and Garlic Organic Marinara Sauce
6 Nate's Meatless Meatballs (sold at Sprouts and Trader Joes)
Olive oil
1 tbsp of dried thyme
1 tbsp of dried oregano
1 tbsp of dried rosemary
1 tbsp of dried basil
1 tsp of ground sage
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring Water to a boil in a large pot
Chop onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, bell peppers, squash, and zucchini
Take all chopped veggies, minced garlic and olive oil and all spices and put into a sauce pan.
Saute veggies until onions are soft and golden and squash is soft
When veggies are soft bring to med heat and add marinara sauce and frozen meatballs
Meatballs will break up and turn into more of a ground meat consistency which is fine. (If you want the meatballs to stay more in tack, you can do one of two things, you can saute or microwave them and add them to the finished sauce.)
Stir occasionally
Add spaghetti to pot cook 9-11 minutes stirring occasionally
After a few minutes of pasta cooking, turn heat on sauce to low to avoid any burning of sauce but to keep warm. Stir occasionally.
When pasta is soft, drain and serve with sauce atop.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms (Including a Vegan Alternative)

So this recipe I made for my niece and I for dinner last week. My niece is Vegan so I made a non Vegan cheesy version for me and a vegan recipe for her. She is a great eater and will try anything and loves mushrooms which are typically a food most kids even a lot of adults don't like.


"I feel very adventurous. There are so many doors to be opened, and I'm not afraid to look behind them." - Elizabeth Taylor

Ingredients:
Ricotta Cheese
Sweet Bell Peppers (orange, red, yellow)
Large Portobello Mushrooms
Chopped Green Onions
Minced Garlic
Mayonnaise
1 tsp of dried Thyme
1 tsp of dried Basil
1 tsp of dried Oregano
1 tsp of Sea Salt
1 tsp of Pepper (can add red peppers if you like a little more spice too)
1 tsp Lemon Pepper
Shredded Parmesan cheese
A few small mushrooms

Vegan Ingredients:
all above except Ricotta, Mayonnaise, and Parmesan cheese
Instead of dairy products use Vegannaise to replace Ricotta and Maryonnaise and Use Veggie Shreds to replace Parmesan cheese

Clean mushrooms and remove stems
Set Portobello tops to the side
Chop mushroom stems and small mushrooms into small, fine pieces
Chop onions, bell peppers
In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients except the Parmesan cheese and portobello tops
Add salt and pepper to taste
Set oven temperature to 375 degrees.
Fill portobello caps with mixture to the top of the cap
Cook in over for 25 minutes
After 25 minutes add on shredded cheese to top of mushrooms
Cool for another 5 minutes

Let cool and serve