With summer now here and the welcome warmer weather looking like it might last for a while, many of us will be dusting off the barbecues to eat in the garden but why not venture further afield and take the barbie to a different venue.

We often take along a gas stove to cook our one-pot meals but thought it might be different to cook in the outdoors using a barbecue. We recently bought one from Aldi and what appealed to us what the fact that it was portable, folding flat into a small carry case. You do obviously need to take along some charcoal separately. Alternatively use an instant barbecue but make sure it is raised off the ground so that it doesn’t damage the grass below.

You can be as creative as you want with kebabs, mixing meats and vegetables to suit the tastes of each and everyone in the family. Everyone can also be involved in the different stages; get the kids chopping, marinading and threading the food onto the sticks as well as turning them regularly during the cooking.

Here are a couple of different kebabs that we created whilst on a riverside walk:

Chicken and tomato kebabs (makes 4 kebabs):

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Slice the chicken into long strips.
2. Pierce the kebab stick through one end of the chicken strip.
3. Thread a tomato onto the stick and then pierce the stick through the other end of the chicken.
4. Repeat with more chicken and tomato pieces.
5. Coat lightly with vegetable oil
6. Sprinkle with cumin powder (to taste)

Then it’s time to put them on the barbecue, turning them over regularly as the chicken starts to brown. Always make sure the chicken is cooked and not pink before eating.

Oriental Tuna kebabs (makes 4):

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Cut the tuna steaks into large chunks and place in a bowl.
2. Add soy sauce and lemon juice and leave to marinade while you chop the vegetables.
3. Slice the Corn on the cob and cut the pepper and mushrooms into large chunks.
4. Thread the vegetables and fish onto the kebab sticks in whichever order you wish.
5. Pop them on the barbecue and cook for 5 – 10 minutes (depending on the size of your chunks).

Kebabs are a fun and enjoyable outdoor meal. We served ours with fresh bread and a green bean (tinned) salad.

We regularly try and ‘eat out’ as a family. Why? Here’s a blog post about it.