Hi everyone! Some bad news about the garden: the cucumbers won’t produce anything other than flowers, and although they are really pretty, it isn’t what I had in mind when I planted it. The tiny baby cucumbers shrivel up and disappear at just over an inch long, and the long cucumber vines choked the beans, so their leaves all turned brown. Also, the cabbage only grew to about 5 inches and stayed that size for at least 4 weeks. It looks more like a huge brussels sprout rather than a head of cabbage. So, I decided to take everything out of the raised garden (the plants have been in it for about 4 months anyway) and replant with more beans, some peas and some regular bell peppers. I’m hoping for at least 3 harvests a year in this central Florida climate!
The poor remaining tomato plant in the raised garden looks so lonely, but it does have the lettuce to keep it company. We did get a few meals with a side of steamed beans, and I will be using my tiny head of cabbage for a slaw next week. I also picked the radishes, which look gorgeous, but more about those later. The blossom end rot problem the new tomato plant was experiencing has cleared up great, due to watering it with milk!
I want to talk about one of the best ways to keep food costs in line: portion control. And one of the easiest ways to control portions is to put everything on a skewer. One of my favorite (and very cost-friendly) kabobs is the baked Greek chicken kabob.
Most people like to grill their kabobs on the barbecue or stovetop grill, but I start craving these Greek chicken kabobs in the Spring and Summer, and since I’m in Florida, it can be way too hot to start the fire or have the heat from the grill in the kitchen. I also like the control I have over the cooking process by using the oven. Here is my favorite recipe for the baked Greek chicken kabobs. It makes about 14-18 kabobs.
Ingredients
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into just over 1-inch cubes
¼ cup olive oil, plus a little more to drizzle on the veggies
Juice from 2 lemons
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp + ½ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp + ½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp ground coriander
1 tsp + ½ tsp salt
½ tsp + ¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
Large red bell pepper, cut into 1-1 ½ inch pieces
2 small zucchinis, sliced into ½ inch thick rounds
14 cherry tomatoes
½ large red onion, cut into 1 ¼ wedges
Instructions
For the marinade, put the ¼ cup olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, 2 tsp oregano, 1 tsp basil, thyme, coriander, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper into a bowl and whisk to combine.
Put the cubed chicken in a gallon sealable bag and pour the marinade over the chicken. Massage the marinade into the chicken to make sure every piece is covered with marinade. Put the sealed bag into the fridge for 1-2 hours (don’t marinade the chicken for more than 2 hours – the acidity in the marinade will change the texture of the chicken if left in longer than that).
If you plan on using wooden skewers, soak them in water for the last 30 minutes the chicken is marinating. This will keep them from burning in the oven.
Place the cut vegetables into a bowl and drizzle with oil. Season them with the ½ tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp dried basil, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp fresh ground pepper and mix with your hands to evenly distribute the spices.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil.
Thread each skewer with a piece of red pepper, a piece of chicken, a zucchini round, a piece of chicken, a couple slices of red onion, a piece of chicken, and a cherry tomato. Do the same for each skewer until the ingredients are all used.
Place the skewers on the foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, turning over halfway through.
This recipe gives you a really flavorful, lemony, full-course meal, and any leftovers can be heated in the microwave (or eaten cold!) for a quick lunch. Let me know what you think!
