Moroccan Chicken Skewers with a kick!

Skewers have got to be one of the best foods created. Who doesn't like eating meat and veggies on a stick?! I like skewers any way I can get them - especially when they are easy to make and pack a lot of flavor. I am always on the lookout for meals that take me less than 1/2 hour - no one has time to spend hours in the kitchen when your busy with after school running around, homework, emails, etc.

These Moroccan Chicken Skewers* are amazing and have a bit of Moroccan flare to them! You'll notice a little kick with the paprika, cumin and cayenne so if you are not big on spice, reduce these spices by 50%.

I consider this one of our go to meals because my kids will always gobble these with a side of whole wheat naan bread. BONUS: essentially no silverware required - which my boys always like.

We invested in a Big Green Egg grill a couple years ago, so we grill all of our meat. You can definitely bake these if you don't like to grill or don't have access to a grill. They will still turn out delicious!

Ingredients:

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 1 inch fresh ginger peeled + chopped

• 1/2 to 1tsp cayenne pepper

• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro

• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley

• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika

• 1/2 tablespoon cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• Juice of 1 lemon + zest of lemon

• Marinated Artichoke hearts

• Asparagus

• Grape tomato

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken cut into cubes

Process:

Place the garlic, ginger, or cayenne, cilantro, parsley, smoked paprika, cumin, salt and pepper in food processor. Process 1-2 minutes or until everything is finely chopped. Stream in 1/2 cup olive oil. Stir in the lemon zest + juice.

Pour this marinade over chicken in a bag of bowl and mix well. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hour or overnight. *I tend to do overnight because the more flavor the better!

When ready to eat, preheat grill and thread the skewers rotating the chicken, asparagus, tomato & artichoke hearts (you could even add in other veggies if you like). Make sure to use metal skewers or wood skewers that have soaked in water for several hours. Grill 5-7 minutes on each side depending on the temperature of your grill.

If you prefer to bake, turn over to 450 degrees and bake at 10minutes on each side.

Ingredients for Mint Yogurt Sauce with Goat Cheese:

• 1/2 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt

• 2 tablespoons fresh mint chopped

• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 1 lemon - juiced

• salt and pepper to taste

• crumbled goat cheese to taste

*recipe adapted from Rachel Ray and Half Baked Harvest.