Vegetable Kebabs

I traveled to California this past week to visit my dear best friend, Kelly. With a short break between spring and summer quarter, I jumped at the chance to hop on a plane and peek into her wonderful little life in Newport Beach.  We had such a great time together! We ate frozen yogurt with fresh fruit, tanned and talked on the beach, and dined on lots of incredible vegetarian foods.  Kelly's sweet boyfriend, Sam, invited us over for a barbecue one night and I thought it would be the perfect chance to try out Vegetable Kebabs.

One thing's for sure in California: there is an abundance of seriously fresh produce! It was refreshing, as all I have been seeing at the local farmers market lately is rhubarb and some depressingly tiny strawberries. I accidentally left my Moosewood Cookbook back in Seattle and was so grateful for Charlie as he read the recipe to me over the phone. Kelly and I stocked up on the veggies we'd need: zucchini, red bell pepper, onion, potatoes, corn on the cob, and cherry tomatoes. We threw a couple of artichokes and a few peaches into our grocery basket for good measure.

The marinade for the veggies was fairly simple: olive oil, red wine vinegar, pepper, salt, rosemary, oregano, thyme, and minced garlic. After cutting the veggies into manageable bites, we marinated them. Due to a lack of planning on my part and a crunch for time, we didn't marinate the veggies for as long as the recipe called for.  After skewering them, they were off to the grill!

The kebabs shared the grill with some meaty items for a bit, then continued on solo. Kelly basted the veggies with the remaining sauce while they grilled.

It took about 20 minutes for the veggies to get soft and blackened. I took them off of the skewers and served them in a bowl. The tomatoes were my favorite: super soft and flavorful with the char of the grill.

We served the vegetables kebabs with grilled artichoke and a half of a grilled peach.  A scrumptious meal on a wonderful California night!