Summer Lovin'

One of my goals this summer was to do more cooking on the grill. BEST IDEA EVAR. I've been looking for good grill recipes with healthy, delicious food. I found this one courtesy of SimplyRecipes.com This is a recipe for kebabs in a teriyaki sauce that is as good as you'll have at any Japanese Steak House.

First, a few tips for picking the groceries you'll need . . .

Salmon - of course it's best fresh, but if you're in the middle of nowhere(like me) and on a budget, you can buy it by the package frozen.

Asparagus - lemme guess, no idea how to pick it? Color? Width of stalk? Actually, neither of these matter. It's all about the squeak. Take and bunch in your hand and rub them together. The squeakier they are, the better!

Pineapple - another tricky one. They all look the same, how do you know if they're ripe? Turn it upside down. Pull on the spiky leaves that come out from the bottom of the core. If they pull out easily, you've got a good one! If it's ripe, it will also be much easier to cut.

Ginger - you'll find this with the veggies in the grocery store. You want to pick a root with a nice brown color, that isn't mushy. As soon as you get home, throw it in the freezer; it'll make it easier to grate!

Salmon Teriyaki Kebabs

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup mirin rice wine or rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger (I just grate it with a cheese shredder)
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• Pinch chili pepper flakes
• 1 lb salmon fillet, rinsed, cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 lb fresh pineapple, cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch chunks
• Fresh asparagus bunch (6-7 stalks)
• 1 pkg small portabella mushrooms
• 8 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for at least 20 minutes before using

Method

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and brown sugar, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the fresh ginger, fresh garlic, chili pepper flakes, and vegetable oil. Place the cubes of salmon in the bowl, coat completely with the marinade. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

2. Remove salmon, and place marinade aside, you will use that to brush on the kebabs as you grill

3. Thread salmon, pineapple, asparagus, and mushrooms on skewers. Oil the grill grates with extra virgin olive oil carefully(or else big fire, whooosh!). Place skewers on grill. Cover. Turn after 2 to 4 minutes. Brush on reserved marinade. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes more, brushing marinade on frequently, until salmon is just barely cooked through.

Keep an eye on the salmon, and have a fork handy to test the flakiness to know when it's done. Salmon doesn't change color much, so you really need to keep a close eye on it, it's a fish that needs to be just barely cooked to be delicious.

4. Remove from skewers and enjoy!

I wish there was a way to post smells on the internet, the teriyaki would have you drooling in a heart beat, it's THAT good.