spicy not-beef kabobs {perfect almost-grain-free summer dinner}

these were good. after we spent a day in the sun, and before we spent time with our friends/mentors, they were the perfect hearty but still not heavy, summer dinner.

here were my tweaks (because of course there always are some) to this recipe at allrecipes:

used venison instead of beef.

marinated the meat for several hours (venison needs it) before adding to the skewer with veggies, and drizzling more marinade over the top.

veggies we used were par-cooked sweet potato chunks, baby peppers, stems removed, quartered onions, and fresh zucchini.  

 in another-more-organized-life, with a little more planning, i'd have made cauliflower "rice" to serve with these.  instead, fresh fruit and sugar cream pie rounded out the meal.  (80/20 did NOT happen this evening.  :)  )

i should have remembered the venison can get tough if it cooks too long; i might consider skewering the veggies separately next time so i can pop the venison on at the last few minutes.

still, we'll make this again.  it was good!

summer gourmet {Florida Food Photography}

so i did a Pinterest cleanse... i knew my body had dragged way back to neglect and it was time to spruce it up. i want to feel good again and eating "clean" is a huge part of that. i needed to feel what "hungry" really feels like; to taste what "real" food really means again. now that i'm through seven days of pure, mostly raw eats, i find i'm actually craving the stuff healthy is made of. and it feels and tastes GOOD! 

last night for dinner we had this:

my mouth's watering just reliving it through a photo.  :)

we had received a treat from a new company called simple and crisp to sample (i've still got their pear and apple crisps to play with), so i wanted to incorporate the slightly bitter, slightly-sour dried orange slices into the recipe.  i found some great looking organic greens, fresh mint and in-season peaches, along with ripe avocado.  we made a spicy-sweet dressing, grilled up some chicken, and dove in.

i love that i have built-in critics taste-testers. there was no criticism this meal.  in fact, after he helped me stage this shot, Little instructed, "tell me when you're ready for me to be in the shot."

 and it was a hit.  in fact, everyone cleaned their plates, went back for seconds, and some even for thirds.  :)

 want the recipe?  click here.

make this!  like the recipe?  leave a comment!  :)