Let's be honest: In terms of flavour, most fruit and veggie skewers are sort of...meh. Unlike meat skewers, which only take a shake of salt and pepper to be tasty, produce needs a little more TLC. If the final product isn't bland and boring, it's probably overcooked, still half-raw, or waterlogged. Blech.
Happily, it doesn't have to be that way. As these clever recipes prove, it's easy to make fruit and veggie skewers that are truly delicious. Don't let summer pass you by without trying them all.
Photograph courtesy of Damn Delicious
Rainbow Vegetable Kebabs
Threading a random assortment of veggies onto skewers can look sort of haphazard, and it's almost impossible to ensure that everything cooks evenly—so you end up with a mix of awkward-looking hard, undercooked pieces and charred, burnt bits. The fix? Add just one type of veggie per skewer, says Chungah Rhee of the food blog, Damn Delicious. The single-colour skewers, shown here, make for a prettier presentation, and best of all, everything on the skewer cooks at the same rate.
Photograph courtesy of The Yummy Life
Grilled Sweet Potato Kebabs
Sweet potatoes aren't just for roasting in the oven, people. According to Monica of The Yummy Life, they're also awesome on skewers. Slicing them into thick rounds helps the surface of the spuds get charred and smoky, and also allows the inside to turn soft and creamy.
And when it comes to flavour combos, the sky's the limit. Play up the smokiness with ground cumin or chilli, add a touch of sweetness with cinnamon, or go Mediterranean with garlic powder and chopped fresh herbs.
Photograph courtesy of Yummy Healthy Easy
Grilled Fruit Skewers With Easy Yogurt Dip
If you're not barbequing fruit skewers, you're doing summer wrong. Jen from Yummy Healthy Easy sticks to big chunks of sturdy fruits like nectarines, peaches and pineapple, which hold their shape against the heat of the barbeque. Brushing the fruit with a sweet cinnamon glaze takes the caramelisation factor to mouthwatering new levels. Add a quick Greek yogurt dip for tangy contrast, and you've got an incredibly sweet side dish, dessert, or even breakfast.
Photograph courtesy of The Greedy Vegan
Barbequed Zucchini Ribbons with Sriracha Marinade
Zucchini grows like weeds in the summer. But thick pieces have a tendency to be bland, waterlogged and all-around unappetising. The Greedy Vegan solves that problem by slicing the yellow squash into thin, noodle-like ribbons with a Y-shaped vegetable peeler, and folding the ribbons onto the skewers accordion-style. As for the whole no-flavour thing? Brushing the veggies with a spicy Sriracha, maple and garlic sauce takes care of that.
Photograph courtesy of Lord Byron's Kitchen
Grilled Basil Pesto Potato Skewers
Planning a backyard barbecue? Impress your guests by trading gloppy potato salad for these sophisticated skewers. Byron of Lord Byron's Kitchen uses multi-coloured baby potatoes and barbeques them whole until they're crispy on the outside and creamy in the middle. Drizzling the skewers with basil pesto delivers the same richness as mayo—only with way more flavour.
Photograph courtesy of Carlsbad Cravings
Drizzled Chocolate Frozen Fruit Skewers
Nothing ends an outdoor summer meal better than a cool treat. But instead of the usual ice cream or sorbet, how about frozen fruit skewers? Jen from Carlsbad Cravings threads whole fruit (like grapes and blueberries) and sliced fruit (like melon and bananas) onto skewers, drizzles them with an easy homemade chocolate sauce and pops everything in the freezer for a couple of hours. The resulting treats are seriously refreshing!
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