Looking for that delicious island-inspired meal without having to leave your own home? Our friend Amber, from @a_toastedcrumb shares her Mini Sweet Pepper Island Kabobs recipe with us that will give you those tropical flavors your crave without any travel time! Featuring Pure Flavor® Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers, this recipe is a great option to serve to guests at your next bbq or to enjoy on your own when you are craving a healthy, fun meal.
THE ISLAND TREAT –
When you think of island-inspired foods, it doesn’t always have to be limited to fresh fruits, sometimes it can be a savory dish too! Y’all know I’ve got a weakness for tropical tasting summer foods, so I just had to create this fun new grilling recipe – Mini Sweet Pepper Island Kabobs! I’m keeping things sweet and savory this summer and enjoying this meal on my own island time.
These delicious skewers are full of flavor and feature Pure Flavor® Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers, fresh pineapple wedges, and tender shrimp. As they are cooking, the skewers are brushed in an incredible brown sugar glaze. It was so delicious that I want to put that glaze on everything now!
I love prepping these for dinner parties because they taste as good as they look! I can’t wait to make them a highlight meal for my end-of-summer tropical barbeque. You can make these kabobs any time of the year using Pure Flavor® Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers, which are grown year-round. As much as the ingredients’ flavors speak for themselves, my favorite addition to this recipe comes from the glaze which is made of coconut oil, brown sugar, Sriracha, garlic, Dijon mustard, agave syrup, vanilla extract, and some salt and pepper.
PREPARATION IS KEY –
As always, set yourself up for success and prepare your workstation before you begin to cook. This will allow you to see all the ingredients that you are working with so you won’t be scrambling around the kitchen! I start by cleaning and deveining the shrimp, then chop up the pineapple wedges, and cut peppers into similar shapes and sizes. For the Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers, I just cut off the top & bottom ,and then slice them in half; this is the perfect method to get bite-sized pieces.
While you’re prepping your ingredients, go ahead and preheat your grill to medium-high heat or 400°F. When you’re tidying up, don’t throw out the pepper scraps! You can use the tops and bottoms in a fresh salsa, salad, scrambled eggs, or honestly to just snack on as you grill; I know I can’t help myself! You’re going to be addicted to these peppers if you’ve never tried them. Trust me, they are the perfect size and so delicious!
TIME TO ASSEMBLE –
Now comes the easy part; building the kabobs! I like to pre-soak my wooden skewers before I assemble them so they don’t burn while I grill them. Then, I start by stacking a skewer with a slice of pepper, a pineapple wedge, and a shrimp – then I repeat that process until the skewer is full. Since I used 8” kabob skewers, I only need to repeat the process twice for mine, but you can repeat as many times as you need to fill up your skewers! Also, if you don’t have wooden skewers, feel free to use metal ones which will work just as well.
Once you have prepared and built all the kabobs, it is time to make the delicious brown sugar glaze! I can’t even express how good this glaze is. I’m honestly thinking of about a hundred different dishes that I’d like to put it on—I just can’t get enough! I’m sure that you are going to feel the same once you try it! To make the glaze, combine the coconut oil, brown sugar, garlic, Sriracha, Dijon mustard, agave syrup, salt, pepper, and vanilla extract. Microwave in 30-second intervals, making sure to stir in between each interval until the coconut oil has melted and the brown sugar has dissolved.
HEAD TO THE GRILL –
One tip I suggest is to brush the grill grates with a little melted coconut oil prior to cooking, just to help keep the sugary pineapple from sticking to the grates. This is totally optional though, cooking spray will also work. Once the grill grates are ready, place all of the prepared kabobs on the grill and let them cook for 4 minutes undisturbed. At the 4-minute mark, flip each of the kabobs and brush them with their first round of brown sugar glaze. Keep flipping the skewers and glazing each side until the shrimp are cooked, the kabobs are coated with the glaze, and there are a few crunchy bits!
If you want you could use cooked shrimp instead of raw shrimp however you will have to reduce cooking time so that the shrimp don’t overcook. I personally prefer to use the raw shrimp as I feel the glaze adheres to them bit better, and it is also easier to keep them moist on the grill! As I said, it’s island time, which means it’s your choice to make this recipe your own!
MAKE IT A MEAL –
You can easily enjoy these skewers on their own as they are full of flavor. I like to serve them for an outdoor party because they’re easy for people to grab and enjoy. Even better, you could make them part of a smorgasbord of island treats, or serve alongside some rice to make it a complete meal. When I make these skewers, I almost always make a few extra skewers to enjoy the next day. You can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 – 2 days. To reheat, it is just as easy as removing the pieces from each kabob and warming them in the microwave for 30 – 60 seconds until heated through. This makes for a delicious quick lunch the next day!
Now that you have insight into how to bring the delicious tastes of the island into your own home, I am sure you will be craving these as much as I do! From serving them at dinner parties to enjoying them for an easy home-cooked meal, they are a crowd favorite for any occasion! Make them on your own time – island time – which can be any time of the year when using Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers that are greenhouse grown, all year round. You don’t have to hold onto the last of the warm summer months, you can enjoy the sweet and savory taste of the island all year round!
