Diner Party Part 3: Pineapple, Mango and Chicken Kebbabs

I love fruits. I've always loved fruits. As a kid my grandma would give me money to go and get myself a soda and some candies and each time I'd come back with a juice box and a fruit which used to drive up the wall! "Normal kids like candies" she used to say to me. To this day, 95% of the time I'll be craving berries over chocolate and candies, it's just who I am.

My husband likes to complain that fruits are expensive and full of sugar so in order to convince him of the value of fruits, I've started integrating them into a lot of our meals. I clearly remember the look on his face when one night I told him that we would be having mango chicken... let's just say he didn't look impress, but to both my surprise and his, he loved it (and now asks for it all the time). Nowadays, fruits are part of most of our meals. I integrate them not only with meats, but also in most of my salads (I'll post some of my favourites later on).

One of our favourite fruit/meat combo recipe is the Pinneapple, mango and chicken kebbabs. The grilled fruits are so delicious (it brings out their natural sweetness) and the rich marinade is a perfect addition to the recipe. We enjoy this meal served with rice or a couscous.

If you have never used fresh pineapple and are unsure of how to cut it. Here are a few easy steps to follow:

1) Using a sharp knife, cut the head and the bottom of the pineapple

2) Run your knife around the outside of the pineapple, removing the bulk of the prickly skin. Your pineapple should look like this when you are done:

3) Cut the pineapple in half like this:

then cut in half again.

4) Remove the core of the pineapple

5) Finally, cut the pineapple in chunks and enjoy!

Hope you enjoy!

Mango, Pineapple and chicken Kebbab

(adapted from Napoleon Gourmet Grills cookbook)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 2inch cubes

1 large or 2 small mango peeled and cubeb

Half a pineapple, peeled and cubed

1 medium onion cut in “triangles”

Marinade:

1cup soy sauce

½ cup honey

¼ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup hoisin sauce

¼ cup molasses

¼ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 teaspoons ginger powder

4 garlic cloves chopped

Freshly ground pepper

In a medium bowl (I tend to use a measuring cup so I have one less to wash...), combine all marinade ingredients. Mix well.

Place cubed chicken, onion, mango and pineapple in a large plastic Ziploc type bag, add the marinade and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Remove chicken, onion, mango and pineapple from marinade. Pour marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until thickened. Set aside.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

Thread chicken cubes onto skewers, alternating with mango, pineapple and onion.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Place kebabs on grid, close lid and cook, turning and basting occasionally for 12 o 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, and serve with reserved sauce on a bed of rice.

Serves 4