Back in my single days, I attended a large bible study class at a local mega-church. We met twice a week – once for business and once for play. Most of our play revolved around eating. Actually, I think all of our play revolved around eating. The more things change…

Once, we threw a large themed potluck with the assignment: Bring a dish that starts with the first letter of your last name. Damn. Could Mom and Dad have made this any more difficult on me? I could only think of two items that started with “K.” Ketchup and Kebabs. Since I didn’t think I could get away with bringing a bottle of Heinz, I settled on Kebabs 🙂

My Strawberry Shortcake Kebabs were nothing special, for sure – last-minute store-bought angel food cake cut into cubes approximately the same size of the hulled strawberries, all threaded onto small skewers and served with a bowl of sweetened, vanilla-scented whipped cream. People loved the interpretation and I won “Best Dish.” I think it’s because people love any food that you can put on a stick – I sure do 🙂

I’ve been sitting on this recipe (with its original salmon interpretation) for weeks but never could work up the urge to pull the trigger when it came time to make dinner. Again, nothing revolutionary here but it doesn’t have to be revolutionary to be tasty. It’s basic and comes together quickly. My husband, eager to break in our new grill, handled Executive Chef duties. He did a great job and we both enjoyed dinner. These kebabs will go into rotation.

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Beef & Pineapple Teriyaki Skewers

Summer's best grilled skewers, loaded with tender beef cubes and sweet pineapples.

Ingredients

• 1 lb flank steak, cut into 1" cubes
• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 18 grape tomatoes
• 3 large green onions, cut into 1" sections
• 1 lb fresh pineapple, cut into 1" cubes

Instructions

1. Place the beef in a large ziploc bag.
2. Whisk the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, green onion, oils, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Add to the bag, massage to distribute, and refrigerate until ready to assemble.
3. Soak 6 wooden skewers in water for 20 minutes.
4. Alternately thread the beef cubes, pineapple cubes, tomatoes, and green onions on each skewer. Cover with plastic wrap and let come to room temperature.
5. Pour the marinade into a small sauce pan and boil for 10 minutes, until reduced and thicker. Transfer to a bowl.
6. Heat the grill to medium heat. Grill the kebabs over direct heat for approximately 5 minutes on each side. Baste often with the glaze. Remove from the grill.
7. Serve over brown rice with additional glaze spooned over the skewers.

Notes

Yields: 6 Skewers

Estimated time: 30 minutes