Vegetarian, Gluten-free Shish Kebab Recipe

This is my vegetarian version of a dish that is traditionally meat cooked on a stick. Shish kebab actually means “roast meat.” The shish kebab was developed by nomadic peoples who once inhabited the area around present-day Turkey. Today, variations of the dish exist in almost every culture. In Asia they are called satay and are usually served with a dipping sauce. The French call them brochettes, meaning skewers. Whatever the terminology, this dish is easy to prepare, serve, and eat.

Shish kebabs make a perfect dinner whether you are entertaining, camping, or want an easy dinner at home. They can be prepared in advance and assembled fairly quickly. For my vegetarian shish kababs, I like to use mushrooms and/or seitan (a wheat-based product with the texture of meat and a high protein content).

The marinade for them can be as easy as your favorite teriyaki sauce, Italian salad dressing, or barbeque sauce—or you can be creative and mix and match fruit juices, hot sauces, herbs, and spices to create your own signature marinade. Allow the mushrooms and/or seitan to marinate for at least an hour in the refrigerator to absorb the flavor. I use an organic gluten-free teriyaki sauce. 

“Dinner on a stick” is especially fun as a hands-on cooking and eating experience for kids. The main utensil needed will be stainless steel/metal or wood skewers. Always soak wood skewers 20–30 minutes, and then dry off any excess water before assembling.  This keeps them from catching fire while cooking.

This is a great vegetarian dish that can fill that craving for a meaty food. When I first became a vegetarian, I missed the chewing, the barbecue sauce, and the texture of meat. Wheat meat, or seitan, really can be extremely delicious. I prefer to use seitan instead of tofu. Seitan has twice the amount of protein as tofu, and I like the texture better. Mushrooms are also a wonderful, hearty substitute for meat.  (My recommendation is to always buy certified organic Non-GMO ingredients (especially Seitan) if possible, or don’t buy it at all.)

In my recipe below, I have combined the two to make a rich, hearty meal. Mix in a variety of flavors and colors by adding different fruits and vegetables. When everything comes together, you will have a beautiful, fun, and delicious meal!

This recipe will fill approximately 25 8-inch skewers.

Ingredients:

1 lb. seitan, cut in 11⁄2-inch cubes

1 lb. button mushrooms, stems removed
1 c. or more teriyaki sauce
extra virgin, pure coconut oil
1 large red onion, cut in 1 inch cubes

2 zucchini, thickly sliced

1 and 1⁄2 c. cherry tomatoes, whole
1 pineapple, cut into 1-inch cubes
salt to taste (optional)
black pepper to taste (optional)

1. Place mushrooms and seitan in a large Ziploc bag with enough teriyaki sauce to completely cover them. Refrigerate an hour or two, turning bag over every once in a while, to make sure mushrooms are thoroughly marinated.
2. If you are using a grill, start the fire. Skewers can also be broiled or baked in the oven, or grilled on an electric indoor grill.
3. If using wood skewers, soak in water 20–30 minutes, then dry.
4. Rub skewers with coconut oil.
5. Assemble skewers with mushrooms, onion, zucchini, tomatoes, seitan, and pineapple.
6. Put skewers in a large Ziploc baggie with teriyaki sauce and keep in the refrigerator until time to cook.
7. Bake, broil, or grill shish kebabs over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until seitan is done to your liking, turning kebabs every few minutes. Make sure they don’t burn.
8. Season with mineral-rich salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Notes:

1. Teriyaki sauce is rather salty. Because of this, you may not need to add additional salt and pepper to this recipe.
2. You can also cut a yellow, red, or orange bell pepper to be one of the ingredients on the shish kebab.
   3. For a nice glaze, and to keep kebabs more moist, brush them with marinade while cooking.

Variation:

1.  Make your own marinade for this dish. Using olive oil, garlic, herbs, soy sauce, and a little maple syrup or brown rice syrup, you can make a very nice marinade of your own creation.

This is an excerpt from “How to Be a Healthy Vegetarian,” Second Edition,  pages 229 -230, by Nancy Addison

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