I'm trying hard to go low-ish carb, swapping cauliflower rice for, well, regular rice, and spiralized zucchini for pasta. These grilled vegetable skewers of halloumi, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes and onions over zoodles is a perfect example of my dinner. It's not Whole30, but I think of it as Whole30-Lite. Or maybe Whole29. And this dish was uber-easy, one of my new meal requirements. It looks a lot more complicated than it is.
Your first question might be - what the heck is halloumi. It's a Greek cheese that is semi-hard, unripened and brined. Halloumi, typically made with goat and sheep milk, is perfect for grilling and frying because of it's very high melting temperature. Sometimes, cow milk is added to the mix. It's not very tangy, but has a hardy milky cheese flavor. I find it packaged in slabs that are easily sliced with a sharp knife. For the skewers, I sliced a slab into cubes and threaded them onto the same skewer with zucchini and tomatoes.
Cook Like a Chef:
#1. Group similar cooking-time vegetables on the same skewers. I threaded baby bell peppers, potatoes, and onion together, and as I mention above, put the tomatoes, zucchini and halloumi together. The potatoes need to be pre-cooked for 2 minutes in the microwave first, as they take a little longer than anything else.
#2. Use baby bell peppers to save time. Unlike larger bell peppers, they're small enough to be threaded whole onto the skewers (as you can see in the photos).
#3. A grill pan or mat makes clean up MUCH easier, and help prevent shooting flames from the marinade. Here are my favorites:
I like the trays on the left because they're non-stick, and have great handles that makes it easy to place on the grill and remove them. Click on the photo to check them out on Amazon.
I love the mats on the right because they're non-stick, dishwasher-safe, and thin enough to give you lovely grill marks. You can even use them in the oven up to 500˚F. Mine have lasted for years now, without any sign of wear, and have a life-time warranty. Click on the photo to check them out on Amazon.
#4. Zucchini is loaded with water, and any sauté of them for longer than a few quick minutes will result in a large puddle of zucchini juice in the pan, and very limp zoodles. If you purchase zoodles already spiralized from zucchini at your market, be sure to use them within the next day or two. Otherwise, they will become a little soggy, and as soon as they hit a hot pan, they'll release all that lovely moisture.
#5. Make the marinade / dressing ahead of time to save yourself a few extra minutes. And feel free to use whatever vegetable you prefer. Asparagus, for example, can easily be added to the mix.
Grilled Vegetable Skewers Over Zoodles
Ingredients
Marinade / Dressing
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Skewers
- 6 small red potatoes halved or quartered (depending on their size)
- 10 baby bell peppers assorted colors
- 1 medium red onion sliced into wedges large enough to skewer
- 2 medium zucchini sliced into 8 large chunks each
- 12 1- inch chunks of halloumi cheese large enough to skewer
- 15 cherry tomatoes
Zoodles
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic or garlic paste
- 6 cups zoodles spiralized zucchini
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup shredded Asiago or Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons slivered basil for garnish
Instructions
Marinade / Dressing:
- Whisk together all of the ingredients for the marinade / dressing in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the olive oil. This can be made up to several days in advance and refrigerated.
Skewers:
- Pre-cook the potato halves for 2 minutes in the microwave oven. Toss all of the vegetables, including the potatoes, and cheese in the marinade, and soak for 15 minutes while you fire up the grill. Slide the potatoes, onions, and peppers together on a few skewers. Slide the zucchini, tomatoes, halloumi together on your remaining skewers. You should end up with 8 skewers, depending on how long your skewers are.
- Oil the grill if you're not using a grill pan. Place the skewers with the potatoes on the grill first, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the zucchini skewers, and grill for 2 minutes. Turn the skewers over and cook for an additional 2 - 4 minutes until charred, and softened. If grilling with a grill pan or sheet, I grill over the direct flame on medium. If not, I use indirect heat to make sure they don't catch on fire from the marinade.
- Remove from the heat while you quickly make the zoodles.
Zoodles:
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and add the garlic. Stir it around in the pan, and add the spiralized zucchini, lemon juice, and salt. Toss for 2 - 3 minutes, only until they begin to relax in the pan, and place on a serving plate. Sprinkle with grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese, top with the skewers, and finish with a flurry of basil.
Notes
Make Vegan and Whole30:
Nix the cheese on the zucchini and the halloumi on the skewers.
For the Wimpy Vegetarian Table:
Either cubes of chicken, salmon, or large peeled and deveined shrimp work great with this dish!
Liz
We fire up the grill every Sunday night, but I haven't grilled veggies in ages! Your skewers will be the perfect side dish for our next cookout!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
This is such an easy way to do them! Thanks so much!
Rita
Glad you said you're going "low-ish carb". People tend to think of carbs as starch, when all veggies and fruits are carbs (carbohydrates). I've a grill pan that I love, with higher sides. It, and my recipes, will be in my local paper in July, featuring grilled veggies. A note: Always pre-heat the grill pan on the grill before adding the veggies.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Exactly, there are definitely carbs in vegetables - not as much (generally) as in fruit, but they're there! Which local paper?? And I didn't know to preheat the grill pan! Totally makes sense. Thanks for that great tip!
Rita
My grilled veggies will be in the Los Altos Town Crier first or second Wednesday in July. https://www.losaltosonline.com/special-sections2/sections/food-a-wine/57993-cider-from-a-kiwi-yes
Rita
Here's a link to my grilled veggies blog post http://getcookingsimply.com/grill-your-veggies-its-easy/
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much!!
Jane, The Heritage Cook
What a beautiful dish Susan, everyone would love to dive into it! I love grilled halloumi and adding it really bumps up the flavor. Brava!!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Halloumi is wonderful! I love it's mild but definable taste. Unfortunately I have to drive to Reno to get it since the stores in my town don't carry it 🙁
Kristy Bernardo
I'm going low-carb, too, and this dish looks AMAZING! The char on those peppers! I'm definitely making this for my next barbecue.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I have to admit I feel so much better since cutting out grains, although I seriously miss pasta right now. So there are lots of zoodles at our house right now. Thanks so much!!
Karen
The colors in these grilled vegetables are beautiful. What a gorgeous dish! I need to try halloumi!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Karen. Full confession: I bought halloumi a few times and then waited too long to try it, and had to throw it away. About a year ago, I finally got my act together and tried it. I loved it!
Carol Borchardt
Would you believe I haven't tried halloumi cheese yet? That clearly needs to change! This recipe gives me the perfect reason to finally try it! Such pretty photos, too!
Laura | Mother Would Know
I'm a huge fan of both grilled vegetables and halloumi - why haven't I ever thought (before this) to pair them? Luckily you've given me the template. And while I'm not doing Whole30, or even Whole 29:), the zoodles sound like a fun addition. what a marvelous dish!