Recipe: grilled okra and tomato skewers

Focused on Health - June 2012

grill vegetables tomatoes okra Don’t make your barbecue a meat-only affair. Load up the grill with vegetables, and you’ll load up on vitamins and nutrients that help your body fight off diseases like cancer.

This recipe for grilled okra and tomato vegetable skewers is a great way to do just that. The tomatoes boast plenty of lycopene, an antioxidant that may reduce the risk of prostate cancer, as well as breast, lung and endometrial cancers.

So what are you waiting for? Get out your skewers, pick up some vegetables and light up the grill!

Ingredients

2 small onions, each cut into 8 wedges
24 okra pods (about 3/4 pound), trimmed
16 cherry tomatoes (about 1/2 pound)
4 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. water
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8 tsp. sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
Cooking spray

Preparation

Prepare grill.
Divide each onion wedge into 2 equal pieces. Thread 3 okra pods, 2 cherry tomatoes and 2 onion pieces alternately onto each of 8 (12-inch) skewers.
Combine olive oil, kosher salt and the remaining ingredients (except for cooking spray) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.
Brush olive oil mixture over the skewers.
Place skewers on a grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill for 3 minutes on each side or until tender.

Yield: 8 servings

Each serving provides:
Calories: 44
Total fat: 2.4 grams
Protein: 1.3 grams
Carbohydrates: 5.5 grams
Fiber: 1.9 grams
Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
Calcium: 42 milligrams
Iron: 0.5 milligrams
Sodium: 241 milligrams