Vegetable Polenta Kebobs with Chimichurri Sauce
Vegetable Polenta Kebobs with Chimichurri Sauce! Perfect for cookouts this summer! Served with herbed rice, this vegan and gluten-free dish is a must make.
It’s officially grill season! Which, for two vegetarians, means lots of kebobs, veggie burgers and corn on the cob.
Even though I roll my eyes at the typical grilled vegetable platter, there is something fancy and almost cathartic about threading hunks of vegetables onto a skewer. I knew I wanted to elevate the basic vegetable kebob, but I wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to head in. I danced around the idea of halloumi, tofu and tempeh before settling on the tube of pre-made polenta that I had sitting in my fridge.
Jackpot. Sweet, caramelized vegetables with crispy hunks of polenta are absolutely perfect together.
Since Sunday night has officially become our Game of Thrones date night, I try to come up with a special dinner and dessert that we can enjoy together on the couch. It’s like CineBistro with much better food and none of the distracting waiters.
Last week, I made a DIY burrito bowl which BL loved so much, he asked for it again last night. Of course, I suffer from ABC (always be changing) syndrome, and have a really hard time creating the exact same dinner that we had exactly one week ago. Where is the creativity in that? Yes, it’s really this annoying to be me.
But, I’ve also learned the art of the compromise. So, I paired our vegetable and polenta skewers with the same herbed rice that we enjoyed in our burrito bowl. Um, honestly this so-easy-a-4-year-old could-make-it rice has quickly become my favorite side dish.
As a dietitian, this is the part where I’m supposed to tell you how much better for you brown rice is over white but, the texture. I can’t do it. I will whole-wheat and whole-grain just about anything else, but not when it comes to my white rice. I added in a healthy serving of vegetables though, so we can call it even on the fiber front.
Then! To top these beauties off, we had a healthy portion of fresh chimichurri sauce. If you like pesto and/or herbs, then you will love these gorgeous green sauce. It tastes like you’ve dragged your kebobs through an herb garden- in the best possible way.
I think traditionally Chimichurri sauce is served with steak, but since vegetables are my steak- I choose this route. This sauce makes a lot, which is always a good thing in my book. I’ve mentioned this a thousand times before, but as a condiment fanatic, I want my food to always be covered in sauce. So, enjoy the extra to heap on leftover kebobs and every bite of this white herbed rice.
Lastly, a tip. You have to be fairly careful when it comes to threading your polenta on the kebobs so that it doesn’t break. To me, I made sure to cut a wide piece of polenta so that their was room on either side for potential breakage.
If this seems like a huge headache to you, then simply slice your polenta into 1″ rounds and grill separately. To serve, place your rice on the bottom, kebob vegetables and polenta slices on top. Then it drown in the Chimichurri sauce.
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag your Instagram photos with #delishknowledge . I absolutely love seeing your creations. Happy cooking!
Vegetable Polenta Kebobs with Chimichurri Sauce
Ingredients
Chimichurri Sauce:
- 2 cups lightly packed parsley leaves
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons white onion, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Kebobs:
- 1 medium zucchini, sliced in 1/2 lengthwise and then into 1/2 moons
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 small red onion, sliced into 2″ pieces
- 1 bell pepper, sliced into 1-2″ pieces
- 8 ounces pre-made polenta, see note
- olive oil, for drizzling
- salt/pepper
Herbed Rice:
- 2 cups cooked basmati rice
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
- salt/pepper
Instructions
- Preheat a grill to medium.
- Place all of the ingredients for the chimichurri sauce in a food processor or blender and puree until chunky, it should still have some texture to it- you don’t want it pureed. Set aside.
- Alternate threading the vegetables and polenta on the skewers until skewers are 3/4 full. Drizzle the prepared skewers with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Place skewers on a well-oiled grill pan or piece of foil and transfer to hot grill. Cook for 5-6 minutes, turning often, until vegetables and polenta are lightly charred.
- Combine the cooked rice, olive oil, lime juice, cilantro and salt and pepper together.
- Serve kebobs over rice with chimichurri sauce.