Delicious Veggie Kabobs

For a recent bring-your-own-meat BBQ with some friend recently, I decided to ditch the meat altogether and just go right for the good stuff. So, Kirsten and I came up with these delicious veggie kabobs, and also grilled some corn, and had quite the satisfying meal.

Here's what you do:
Mix a healthy amount of balsamic vinegar, a dash of olive oil, a bit of brown sugar, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a dash of cumin together. Mix in various chopped vegetables. We used mushrooms, red onions, green peppers,  and fresh pineapple. Let the veggies and fruit marinate for about a half hour. Then skewer them (if using wooden skewers, remember to soak them. Get them going before you even mix the marinade). The grill them until they are tender. Really simple, and quite delicious.

I would say that the onions and the pineapple are a must for this recipe, they add a sweetness and a bite to the other vegetables that is really great. Also, the favorites at the table were the pineapple and the mushrooms, so make sure you have plenty of those on both skewers.

Cooking in a Hotel room

I am in England, have been for several weeks now, and even though I am eating pretty well at restaurants some nights and eating decently well on the nights when my fellow students cook up meals for us in the hostels, I was still eager to try my hand at cooking. Especially because my hankering came on a night when we were in a hotel, and there were no cooking utensils to be found.

Still, my friends and I came up with some delicious food, cooked entirely in the hotel room, served entirely on dished found in a hotel room and the ones we happened to have in our luggage (some tupperware for holding sandwiches).

So, next time you are on the road, you can still make: Spicy Couscous with Vegetables. Or, you can adapt the recipe as you like to cook at home...



First, boil water in the coffee pot. (I guess this recipe only works with hotels that provide a water boiler for coffee or tea. I have yet to be in one in England that didn't have one.)

Once the water is boiled, pour it over the couscous, which you can put individual servings of in the tea cups or water glasses. Let stand for 3-5 minutes, then drain extra water off.

Meanwhile, steam fresh vegetables: brocolli, cherry tomatoes, and spinach, all of which you will be able to find pre-cut in a local grocery store. Steam them by pouring boiling water over them, again in the tea cups or in some tupperware. If the hotel has a kitchen, they might let you borrow a plate or bowl.

Mix the veggies and couscous, and then pour on a delicious sauce that requires no additional cooking. We used a coconut korma we found at the local grocery store.

It wasn't much, but it was delicious and good, and we fed 5 people for 2 pounds each (including some ice cream bars for dessert).

Well, that is all from England for now. I will have more about some of the foods I've tried eventually.