Lemon Barbecued Kebabs and Fennel Apple Slaw with Bleu Cheese

Lemon Barbecued Kebabs

With the warm weather hopefully here to stay, barbecue season is open at our house. Never one to be satisfied with recipes I have already tried, I developed a new marinade for our kebabs last night. Chicken, shrimp and kielbasa were marinated, skewered, and grilled. Accompaniments for the Lemon Barbecued Kebabs included a crunchy Fennel Apple Slaw with Bleu Cheese, Fruit Salad, and Tri Color Pasta tossed with Olive Oil and Parmesan.

Very flavorful was the consensus review of the marinaded kebabs. The Husband especially enjoyed the Fennel Apple Slaw. "I'll eat anything with bleu cheese in it." My Oldest raved about my cut up fruit. She is easy to please. We had a dinner guest (a friend of My Oldest) who especially liked the chicken kebabs. No Thank You Boy stuck to the protein of the meal. A couple chicken kebabs and one shrimp (to give them a try) were his dinner last night. He was saving room for ice cream.

I liked the ease of the meal prep. Cut up boneless chicken breasts were marinated for a few hours. The shrimp was marinated separately for about 30 minutes. Sliced smoked kielbasa chunks, chicken, and shrimp were skewered and grilled for about 8 - 10 minutes. The Fennel Apple Slaw was just a little chopping for a fresh new salad. I keep cooked pasta in a resealable bag in the refrigerator as it makes for quick side dishes. It was heated with olive oil and tossed with Parmesan and salt and pepper. Cut up some bananas, apples, oranges, and kiwi for the fruit salad. Dinners on!

Lemon Barbecued Kebabs

serves 6

marinade -
1/4 cup ketchup
3 scallions, sliced thin
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon sesame seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon allspice

3 boneless chicken breasts, cut in chunks
1 pound shrimp, peeled (I used 21 - 25 per pound)
1/2 pound kielbasa, cut in chunks
wooden skewers

In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the marinade. Place the chicken in a resealable bag and add about 1/2 of the marinade. Marinate for about 2 - 4 hours in the refrigerator. Place the shrimp in a separate resealable bag and marinate for about 30 minutes. If using wooden skewers, soak in water for about 30 minutes to prevent burning.

Thread the chicken, shrimp and kielbasa on skewers. Grill for about 3 - 4 minutes per side. Remove from grill and serve.



Fennel Apple Slaw with Bleu Cheese

4 servings

1 fennel bulb, sliced thin
1 medium apple, sliced thin
2 celery stalks, slice thin
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup crumbled bleu cheese
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
big pinch of salt
big pinch of pepper

In a large bowl, combine fennel, apple, celery, pecans, and bleu cheese. In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss dressing with the fennel mixture.