I have to admit that my favorite thing about grilling season is that my husband cooks. Hamburgers and hotdogs he’s in charge of but if anything else is involved I usually help with the prep. One of our favorite things to grill are shish-kabobs. You can use metal skewers or wooden ones. We usually use the wood ones because we can make a larger quantity for parties and such. Soak them in water first to prevent them from burning. Alternatively, soak them in soy sauce, pineapple juice or another liquid to impart some of the flavor into your foods. We tend to use chicken breast but occasionally use beef as well. To be honest, we usually used a bottled teriyaki or other flavor marinade but one of our favorite and simple chicken marinade recipes is:
1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic—minced
Some of our favorite items to skewer with the meat on the Shish-kabobs are:
- Whole mushrooms
- Sliced Peppers — red, green & yellow
- Cherry tomatoes
- Pineapple
- Red potatoes
- Onions
If you are including potatoes on your shish-kabobs, I suggest cooking them almost fully in the microwave first. They take a lot longer to cook than everything else and you’ll end up with undercooked potatoes if you don’t prepare ahead. Skewer all of your meats and veggies on the skewers as close as possible so the flavors will meld together. Spray the grill with a non-stick spray to make turning your shish-kabobs easy. They’ll turn out delicious!
While the Hubs and I love shish-kabosbs, our little ones…not so much. They’d much prefer a hotdog any day. I was excited to learn that Applegate hotdogs are now widely available in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle & Portland areas). Applegate products are made with natural and organic ingredients you can feel good about feeding to your family. The animals are never given antibiotics, hormones or artificial growth promotants. Applegate is a company with integrity — their animals and land are always treated with respect.
Can you believe that 80% of antibiotics sold in the U.S. are used in animal agriculture? That number is completely staggering to me. The medications are used to promote animal growth and compensate for the effects of unsanitary and overcrowded conditions. Applegate does not promote these types of practices. They want you to enjoy eating all natural, antibiotic and nitrite-free foods so they are making them more readily available! To find a store near you visit www.facebook.com/applegatefarms and click “Product Locator.”
If you need more reasons to try Applegate, check out their promise:
When you pick up an Applegate product, you can be assured that…
- Their animals are never given antibiotics. Healthy animals don’t need medicine. Instead, we give them space, fresh air, and a healthy diet, which we’re certain beats the alternative.
- Their livestock eat a completely vegetarian diet with no animal by-products. Cattle in Applegate organic program are grass-fed. Hogs and poultry in their organic program are fed a grain diet that includes corn, soy, barley, and flax that are free from GMOs.
- Their animals are never given hormones or artificial growth promotants. They grow at their natural rate.
- All of their products are made with natural and organic ingredients. If you aren’t familiar with a particular ingredient, email Applegate and they’ll tell you what it is.
- Their products are all minimally processed, allowing for a wholesome texture and taste.
- Their products never contain artificial nitrates or nitrites. Instead, we use celery juice and sea salt to preserve their products the natural and old fashioned way.
- Their deli meat, hot dogs, burgers, and bacon are gluten and casein free.
- Their products are made from natural and organic whole muscle meat. Yes, even their hot dogs! No mystery here.
You can learn more about Applegate and it’s products at www.applegate.com, follow Applegate Farms on Twitter @applegatefarms and “like” Applegate on Facebook.
For more grilling tips, recipes & more check out my Summer Grilling board on Pinterest!
I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Applegate blogging program, to earn My SocialMoms Rewards Points. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own. To read more posts on this topic, click here.