Food On-A-Stick

Healthy food does not have to be boring or difficult to prepare. Kabobs are a healthy and fun alternative to on-a-stick foods that are deep-fried in batter or covered in chocolate. Furthermore, kabobs are an effective strategy for portion control and an awareness of what you are eating. Last Christmas, I (Tiffany) was visiting my sister-in-law and her family in Louisiana, so I was introduced to Jambalaya. This spicy treat was delicious, but it was loaded with calories and fat! The following is a recipe for Jambalaya On-A-Stick!

Ingredients:

1 lb. fresh or frozen raw shrimp in shells (peeled and deveined)
12 oz. lite smoked sausage, cut into 12 pieces
8 oz. skinless, boneless chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces
1 med. green pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 med. onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. dried thyme
2 tsp. bottled hot pepper sauce
3/4 tsp. minced garlic
24 8-inch wooden skewers
3 cup hot cooked rice
2 Tbsp. snipped fresh parsley
6 cherry tomatoes

Directions:

1. Thaw shrimp, if frozen. Peel and devein shrimp. Rinse shrimp, sausage, chicken, pepper, and onion in a resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish.

2. In a small bowl, combine vinegar, tomato sauce, oil, thyme, bottled hot pepper sauce, and garlic. Pour half of the tomato sauce mixture over meat and vegetables. Seal bag; turn to coat pieces. Marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 2 hours, turning bag occasionally. Cover and chill remaining tomato sauce mixture.

3. Meanwhile, soak wooden skewers in enough water to cover for 30 minutes; drain.

4. Drain meat and vegetables, discarding marinade. On soaked skewers, alternately thread meat and vegetables (to secure pieces, use 2 skewers for each kabob-1 skewer through head end of shrimp and another skewer parallel to first skewer but through tail end of shrimp), leaving 1/4 inch space between pieces.

5. Preheat grill, reduce heat to medium. Place skewers on greased grill rack over heat for 10-12 minutes or until shrimp are opaque and chicken is no longer pink, turning occasionally.

6. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan heat chilled tomato sauce mixture. Combine cooked rice and parsley. Serve rice mixture and cherry tomatoes with kabobs. Pass warmed tomato sauce mixture.

Number of Servings: 6

Nutritional Information: Calories: 388.6, Fat: 14.3 grams, Carbohydrates: 28 grams, Protein: 35 grams

Recipe taken from www.sparkpeople.com