Yogurt-Marinated Chicken Kabobs with Mint Quinoa

You are going to love me for this one! It's my new favorite for sure. It is a combination of a couple of different recipes I've found from Cooking Light and Sunset magazine. I altered it a bit using herbs from my garden and a few extra veggies... of corse.

The smoky char flavor that the chicken, onion and peppers get from the grill pair wonderfully with the tangy yogurt-feta sauce. I am in love with garam masala right now! It is a very popular spice used in India in all kinds of dishes. It is a mix of cumin, coriander, cardamom,  black peppercorns,  cinnamon, whole cloves,nutmeg and saffron. It isn't as pungeant as a curry. The cinnamon, cloves & nutmeg make it very mouth watering, especially as a rub on chicken.

 

SERVES 6  TIME 45 minutes 
Ingredients:


10-12 metal or wooden scewers
2 cups plain fat free yogurt, divided

3 tsp garam masala

1 tsp Madras curry pwdr

2 garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small yellow onion, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/3 cup crumbled low-fat feta

3 TBSP minced red onion
1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 TBSP chopped mint leaves, divided

1 cup quinoa

Directions:

1. If using wooden scewers, soak them in water for at least 20 minutes so they don't burn on the grill.

Meanwhile, combine 1 cup yogurt, garam masala, curry and garlic in a zip lock bag. Add chicken, seal bag and shake to coat. Let sit at room temp for 20 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, stir together remaining yogurt, feta, onion, lemon zest and 1 TBSP mint. set aside.

3. Bring 2 cups water to boil in a pot. Rinse quinoa very thouroughly in a seive to rinse off the naturally "soapy" coating it has. Bring quinoa to a boil, turn down heat to a simmer and cook covered for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove lid, stir, cook for about another 5 minutes. Cover when done and remove from heat.

4. Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken, onion & bell peppers onto scewers. discard marinade. Grill kabobs, turning only once ( it's easier to pick them up with a large tong in the middle, not by the stick.) cook till juiced run clear, 10-15 minutes.

Pile quinoa on platter, sprinkle with mint ( I used parsley too) serve with kabobs and sauce.

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This is a very flavorful, mouthwatering dish! Enjoy!