While we all love comfort food like lasagna, I typically reserve those dishes for the winter months. When the days are long and the sun stays out late, I usually gravitate toward bright and fresh flavors. Georgetown’s medical students have been working hard in their culinary medicine elective and it has inspired me to add some Mediterranean flair to my diet this week. While the red meat may not be in line with the Mediterranean diet per se, I opted for a lean piece of beef, the chickpeas and hummus add some legumes, and the salad adds a whole lot of vegetables to the mix. Chicken could easily stand in and be just as delicious or if you were looking for a vegetarian option, add more veggies like whole mushrooms and zucchini in place of the meat.

While beef can make a meal feel heavier, this is offset by the light salad and bright marinade. Enjoying that delicate beef, lamb, or chicken with a zingy and refreshing salad makes a perfect dinner. And if you are bored of the same dishes night after night, and you want a little something that is easier on the eyes, full of color, but also has a lot of health benefits, you can’t go far wrong with this! It also took very little time to prepare, making it an easy dinner to make on a weeknight. Tips to save time are prepping your kebab veggies while the meat marinates, and making your dressing and salad while the kebabs are cooking. Give your taste buds a treat with this succulent, flavorful, and healthy dish!

This can be easily made with any kind of lean meat, including beef, lamb, and chicken. Serve these kebabs alongside a Greek salad and some hummus or tahini. The meat could also easily be cooked on the barbeque grill in the summer as well.

Shish Kebabs

• 1.5 pounds lean cut of beef like top round, alternatively lean cut of boneless lamb or boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs can be used, cut meat into 1″ cubes
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
• Juice of one lemon
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (or dried marjoram, if you have it)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 medium red onion, cut into 1″ pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1″ pieces
• 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1″ pieces

Cut the meat of your choice into 1″ pieces. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, onion, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, salt, oregano, thyme, and ground pepper. Add your meat and toss to coat all pieces with the marinade. Cover and place in the fridge for at least one hour. Using metal or soaked wooden skewers, alternately thread the meat and vegetables, placing completed skewers across a baking tray. Spoon some of the marinade across the skewers to get it on some of the vegetables. Adjust top rack to about 6″ from the broiler and turn broiler onto high. Place the baking tray with the skewers under the broiler. Broil for 10 minutes. Turn over all skewers, spoon over the remaining marinade, and broiler for another 10 minutes. Remove skewers from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving alongside a Greek salad with a dollop of hummus or even learn how to make tahini sauce that really hits the spot.

Greek Salad

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of one lemon
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 4-5 mint leaves, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Mixed greens and spinach
• Cherry tomatoes
• Red onion, thinly sliced
• Cucumber, halved and cut into 1/4″ thick slices
• Large black olives, pitted
• Feta cheese, crumbled
• Canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Make the dressing by combining olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, oregano, thyme, mint, salt, and pepper. Whisk vigorously to emulsify the oil with the lemon juice and vinegar. Set dressing aside. This will make more dressing than you need for your salad; the remainder can be stored for later use.

Assemble your salad based on the amount needed. For one serving, I combined about 2 cups of mixed greens and spinach, a small handful each of cherry tomatoes, black olives, and cucumber. Then added a few thin slices of red onion to taste, 2 tablespoons of crumbled feta, and 1/4 cup chickpeas. I then dressed the salad with a couple tablespoons of the dressing, lightly tossed, and seasoned with salt and pepper to taste.