Mojo Pork Kebabs

 In our apartment complex, you're not allowed to grill anything within 20 feet of the building. But I'm not really a fan of grilling in the middle of a parking lot, so it's lucky that my husband had the foresight to own a George Foreman, as tiny as it is. Actually, I think that must have been all he cooked on before we moved in together, because I know he didn't own any pots or pans.

Anyway, I picked up this summer issue of Everyday Food at CVS when we were waiting for Roi's Rx's one day, and it gave me the urge to grill. Cuban-inspired flavors are always perfect summer recipes. These kebabs are adapted from this recipe.



MOJO PORK KEBABS
serves 2-3 

Ingredients:

1/4-1/3 cup olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

juice from 2 limes (~3 tablespoons)

1/4 cup orange juice

1 orange, cut into 16 pieces

1 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

1 zucchini, cut into 1-inch rounds

cumin

salt and pepper

 Directions:

 1. In a small pot, combine oil and garlic and heat over medium-low. Cook until garlic is soft, 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Make sure your garlic doesn't burn, or your mojo just won't taste the same!) Remove from heat, stir in lime and orange juices and let cool for 15 minutes. Stir in some cumin (about 1/4 tsp), salt and pepper.

2. In a ziplock bag, toss the pork with half of the marinade and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 12 hours) and refrigerate the remaining marinade.

3. Heat a grill, grill pan, or George Foreman to medium-high, making sure that the grill is clean before you start. Thread pork, orange and zucchini onto skewers. Season with a couple of shakes of cumin, salt and pepper. Grill kebabs 4-5 minutes per side for medium-well, and at least until they have the tell-tale grill marks. Brush with your reserved marinade and serve.

These tasted really excellent with a light summer salad. I tossed romaine lettuce with sliced fresh cucumber (peeled) and a chopped fresh peach. I paired the salad with a honey balsamic dressing and it was perfect: sweet and refreshing. For the dressing, combine 1 part honey, 1 part balsamic vinegar, and 3 parts olive oil. I usually heat the honey with the balsamic in the microwave for about 15 seconds so that all the ingredients mix together in the dressing. Toss and serve!