Purim Party Kabobs for 4 or 40: Walnut Crusted Tuna Kabobs with Onion and Pepper Rice
Are you having a Purim Party or just looking for an easy weeknight dinner? These recipes fit both.
Whether cooking for 4 or 40, these kebabs will please all age groups. Prepare them in advance and then cook them just before they’re needed. The recipes are for 4, but you can increase the amounts for the numbers you need.
Juicy cubes of tuna with a crunchy coating of chopped walnuts are cooked on skewers accompanied by thick rings of zucchini and plump, ripe grape tomatoes. Brown rice with chopped green bell peppers and onions makes a simple side dish.
Talking about cooking through – have you ever made kabobs and found that they look done, but when the food is taken off the skewers, it’s not cooked through? To avoid this dilemma, I leave about 1/4-inch space between the pieces on the skewer. This way the heat can reach the sides of the food as well as the top and bottom. You can cook the kebabs on a stove-top grill or under the broiler. Here’s a tip: I place the tuna on one skewer and the vegetables on another. They cook for different lengths of time and you can remove each from the heat when they’re cooked through.
Brown rice takes about 30 minutes to cook. I like to cook rice like pasta in a large pot of boiling water. You don’t have to measure exact amounts of liquid. Just add the rice to the boiling water. Drain and dress with olive oil, salt and pepper.
If using wood skewers, be sure to soak in water for about 15 minutes before use. This prevents them from burning while on the grill.
- This meal contains 560 calories per serving with 19 percent of calories from fat.
HELPFUL HINTS:
- Pecans, almonds or peanuts can be used instead of walnuts.\
- Finely chop walnuts in the food processor.
- White rice can be used instead of brown. Boil it for 10 minutes using the same method as for the brown rice.
- Fresh onion and green bell pepper can be used instead of frozen.
COUNTDOWN:
- Prepare the kabobs.
- Preheat the stove-top grill or broiler
- Cook kabobs.
- While kabobs cook, make rice.
SHOPPING LIST:
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for tonight’s Dinner in Minutes.
To buy:
- 1 1/2 lbs. tuna steaks
- 1 small jar low-sugar apricot jam or jelly
- 1 small package walnut pieces
- 2 medium zucchinis
- 1 package grape or cherry tomatoes
- 1 package frozen chopped onion
- 1 package frozen chopped green pepper
- 1 package brown rice.
Staples:
- Salt
- Black peppercorns.
Linda Gassenheimer is the author of fourteen cookbooks including her newest, Prevention’s Fit and Fast Meals in Minutes and Mix ‘n Match Meals in Minutes for People with Diabetes. Email Linda at dinnerinminutes@ou.org. You can visit Linda on her web page at www.DinnerInMinutes.com.