Summer time in Chicago means making a big old plate of Veggie Kabobs for my family members. The tradition started several years back when preparing for a family grill out, my mom asked me what we (myself and the kids) would eat since we don’t eat meat. No problem, I said, I can make some veggie kabobs.

Turns out the veggie kabobs were a big hit with my extended meat eating family. Even my older brother who is a die-hard carnivore loved them. When he first put a few kabobs on his plate he points to a chunk of tofu and asked me if it was cheese. Knowing if I told him it was tofu he wouldn’t touch it, I brushed him off with a casual “yeah, kind of”. Later he says to me “That cheese was really good grilled like that“. At that point I did confess it was tofu! We still tease him about it every year when we have our family grill out.

Ingredients: 

2 Red Peppers

2 Zucchinis

1 Large Onion

12-15 mushrooms

4 red potatoes

1 package of extra firm tofu (be sure to select a non-GMO, organic variety)

Marinade Ingredients:

1/2 cup of olive oil

3-4 cloves of crushed garlic

Juice from 1 lime (or more to taste)

1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped

2 tablespoons of your favorite all-purpose seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

12+ skewers

Directions: 

Boil potatoes until they can be pierced with a fork. Set aside to cool. Pre-boiling the potatoes allows them to grill for the same length of time as the other veggies. If you don’t pre-boil potatoes before grilling you will end up with burnt veggies and soft potatoes or perfect veggies and hard potatoes. 🙂

Mix marinade ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Cut all veggies (including cooled potatoes) and tofu into large bite size chunks. You don’t want to cut them too small because they will then be hard to place on the skewers or fall off while grilling. Put veggies and tofu in a large container that has a lid (ie- Tupperware, corningware, pyrex, etc) and pour marinade over them. Close container with lid and shake to evenly coat veggies and tofu. Allow to marinate in the fridge for at least a half hour or up to several hours.

When done marinading, thread veggies and tofu onto skewers and grill for approximately 10 minutes. Serve with a side of quinoa or brown rice.

*If you are hosting a BBQ, veggie kabobs offer a nice alternative for any potential vegetarian guests. So skip the over-priced, over-processed, pre-packaged veggie burgers and grab some fresh veggies and tofu to grill instead. Not only are they healthier and tastier, they look amazing!

-Sarah