Veggie Kabobs and Lemony Spinach Cous Cous

This is one of my favorite summer dishes because these are even better when cooked on the grill.  But alas it is winter, so I adapted these for the stove for a light meal.  The key here is the marinate, it makes all the difference in the final product.  Use any veggies you like and I often add tofu.  The longer you can marinate these (especially if you use tofu) the better, but at least an hour.

Veggie Kabobs
Ingredients:
12 button mushrooms, washed well
12 cherry tomatoes
1 large green pepper
1 large red pepper
1 medium white onion
1 zucchini
1 1/2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
2 tablespoons of sesame oil
3 tablespoons of tamari (soy sauce works too)
1 tablespoon of agave syrup
Juice from one lime
Some black pepper
Wooden or metal skewers (metal if you are doing the grill)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Cut all of your veggies into 1 inch pieces (cut the zucchini into 1/8 thick pieces).  Don't cut the mushrooms or tomatoes :)

Put all of the veggies into a container and add all of the other ingredients.  Cover and toss well so that all the veggies get coated well.  Place them in the refrigerator to marinate.  Toss them several times while they are marinating.

Take the marinated veggies and thread them onto the skewers.  Place all of the skewers onto a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes.  Use the remaining marinate to baste them and then turn the skewers and bake for another 8 minutes.  Finish them off by broiling them for about 5 minutes to give them that grill like char.

Lemony Spinach Cous Cous
Ingredients:
1 cup of dry cous cous
3/4 cup of fresh spinach
4 fresh basil leaves
1/2 of a lemon
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of canola oil

Start by cutting your spinach into thin pieces.  I do this by rolling up the leaves and then cutting them, it makes it go much faster.

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil and then add the cous cous and spinach and stir well.  Cover and remove from the heat. Let stand for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, roll up the basil leaves and cut them the same way you did the spinach.  Cut the chives into thin pieces too.  Add them to the cous cous and spinach and add the canola oil.  Use a fork to fluff the cous cous and mix everything well.  Then add the juice from the lemon (be careful not to let the seeds fall in) and salt and pepper. Voila!