How to cook vegetarian skewers: tricks and easy recipes

food on skewers can be cooked quicklyeach piece that we insert is a perfect bite and we can use practically any food.

The skewers, in addition to being appetizing and very colorful preparations, are very practical. They are ideal for preparing barbecues, grilled meals and the like because we can cook many foods together in a very simple way.

Types of skewers

We have to take into account some details so that our skewers turn out great, especially if we are going to cook them.

Wooden or bamboo skewers

We must soak the wooden or bamboo skewers before using them. This is important both so that they do not break easily and so that they do not burn, important if we are going to grill, grill or barbecue them. It’s very easy, you just have to take your skewers out of the package, put them on a baking tray and cover them with cold water.

Ideally, they should be soaked for 30 minutes.so before you start let them soak and start preparing the ingredients.

If you have leftover skewers, drain them and store them in the freezer (in a container), and you will have them pre-soaked for next time. No need to defrost.

In the case of cold skewers, it is not necessary to soak them, but it is necessary to take a look at them and check for splinters that, when inserting the food, they can be stuck. to avoid it check them and pass a fine sandpaper to those that are rougher.

If you use metal skewers, you have the advantage that you don’t have to soak them, which they are reusable and they conduct heat very well. Of course, be careful when handling them when they are on the fire because they burn.

Metal skewers won’t splinter on you, so also you can use them for cold skewers.

How to cook vegetarian hot skewers

To prepare hot vegetarian skewers, choose ingredients that cook and brown very well (and quickly) without burning.

Vegetables and mushrooms:bell peppers, onion, zucchini, mushrooms, mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, baked or roasted new potatoes, cherry tomatoes, brussels sprouts, etc.Fruit: Watermelon and pineapple are very good on the grill, but also more meaty ones such as peaches, nectarines and plums. Use them only if the flavors go well with the other ingredients.Others: tofu, seitan, tempeh, solid (and non-melting) vegan cheeses, coarsely chopped vegetable meats, coarse textured soybeans (you have to hydrate and flavor them first), etc.

Tricks for cooking hot skewers:

To get great flavors when browning your skewers, you can marinate the ingredients before threading them, or the already assembled skewers, before cooking them.

Marinades can give us a lot of flavor, prevent the ingredients from drying out too much, and favor browning and caramelization.

They are very useful especially with foods that absorb well, such as tofu, tempeh, seitan, vegetable meats, cauliflower, broccoli or mushrooms.

To marinate your skewers you can use typical sauces such as yakitori or teriyaki, diluted with water, or make your own mix of spices and sauces. For example:

Soy sauce, gomasio, parsley, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and water. White wine, rosemary, thyme, garlic, parsley, onion, chilli and water. Soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds toast, minced garlic, crushed onion, Provencal herbs, water.

It will be much better if the food spends the whole night marinating, but the marinade is also useful for putting it on top of the skewers while they are being cooked.

String food and cook before serving. That is, go doing them as you go.precook food, cool, skewer and brown before serving. This is very useful if we want them to be done quickly when browning them, for example on the barbecue. They can be carried in a tupperware and make the skewers to the taste of each one.Make the skewers and brown at home (the day before for example) and then heat and serve. In this way, if you go to a barbecue, for example, you avoid having to cut and assemble things there.

Tofu skewers: easy recipe

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Ingredients:

600g extra firm hard tofu1 tablespoon olive oil2 tablespoons soy sauce1/8 teaspoon cumin powderPinch ground black pepperPinch grated fresh ginger (less than half a teaspoon)1 tablespoon rice vinegar1/2 teaspoon sugar brown1/4 teaspoon of salt150 ml of water

Preparation:

Cut the tofu into large cubes or thick slices and thread it on skewers that are not very large (less than 15 cm). Mix the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl or, if you can, beat them with the mixer, adding the oil at the end little by little to create an emulsion. Put the skewers on the grill and brush them from time to time with the sauce that we have made. Turn them every few minutes. We should have some skewers with browned tofu, well done, but not burnt. Serve freshly made.

Vegetable skewers: recipe

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Ingredients:

Red pepperGreen pepperPurple onionZucchiniMedium size white mushroomsA few cherry tomatoesA few pitted olivesOlive oilSalt

Preparation:

Wash the vegetables and cut them into medium pieces. Leave the tomatoes and olives whole. Thread the pieces onto medium-sized skewers and finish with a cherry tomato and an olive. Pour a little olive oil over the skewers (better with an oil spray) and sprinkle with salt, and put it on on the grill over high heat. When marked, turn them over and let them cook on the other side as well. If you prefer, you can brush the skewers with some sauce as we did with the tofu ones. Serve them hot.

How to cook vegetarian cold skewers

As ingredients to prepare vegetarian cold skewersYou can use all those things that can be eaten without cooking.

Vegetables and mushrooms: zucchini, cucumber, sweet peppers, onion, cauliflower, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, pickles, etc.Fruit: all that are in season, cut into pieces. For example watermelon, melon, banana, apple, pear, pineapple, strawberries, grapes, kiwi, avocado, nectarines, etc.Others: tofu, seitan, tempeh, solid vegan cheeses, large chunky vegetable meats, coarse textured soybeans (you have to hydrate and flavor them first), baked or baked potatoes, etc.

Tricks for cooking cold skewers:

Brown the food first, let it cool, skewer it and serve.You can take your already browned ingredients in a tupperware container and the skewers separately and assemble them.Skewer raw foods (especially if they are fruit) and serve.The same, but with pieces of vegetables and raw fruits.

Fruit skewer: recipe

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Ingredients:

Sliced ​​natural pineapple or fresh pineapple slices Seedless watermelon Cantaloupe or Galia One or two bananas A few fresh raspberries A few fresh blueberries A couple of water pears

Preparation:

First wash the fruits. You can leave them in the fridge so they are cooler. Peel them (those that need it) and cut them into medium pieces. The raspberries and blueberries do not need to be cut, we will skewer them whole. To better cut the watermelon and melon, first cut them more or less in half and make another parallel cut, so we get a slice that we can put on a plate and cut into cubes .Use skewers that are not very large (less than 20 cm) and thread the ingredients, alternating colors and flavors.

Optional: sauce to preserve them and give them a touch of flavor

Ingredients:

The juice of half a lemon Half a glass of orange juice A little sweetener (whatever you want, it is only to compensate for the acidity of the lemon)

You just have to mix both juices with the sweetener and brush the skewers with it. This way the fruits will not dry out or oxidize so quickly while giving them a touch of fresh flavor.