When we lived on the East Coast, beautiful foods from cultures around the world were readily at our fingertips. Russian, Iranian, Indian, Thai, Japanese, Mexican, Spanish, and French foods all featured regularly in our takeout line-up and made for awesome inspiration for home cooked meals.

Colorado Springs, sadly, isn’t really a place you move to for great restaurants of any kind of cuisine. I didn’t know this when I moved here, but, after living in Colorado for nearly three years, I can say with certainty that it is so. This lack, however, doesn’t prevent me from craving the variety of flavors I grew so accustomed to eating in my years of East Coast living.

I love this dinner because it is fun and vibrant and nothing like the dull takeout food that plagues Colorado. These kebabs have a wonderful variety of spices and flavors that remind me of my Eastern European heritage. And while it’s as delicious as the meals we used to order regularly from our favorite D.C. shops, I love that I can make it at home, in Colorado, quickly and easily. You can accomplish this meal in 30 minutes or less (not including marinating time), which is less time than it takes to wait for takeout or delivery. Plus the ingredients are wholesome and satisfying. No wonder this recipe features regularly on our dinner lineup.

There’s not too much that can go wrong here besides overcooking or under-marinating. You are in charge of determining your desired meat temperature, so I’ll leave that to you, but I will say that allowing the meat to marinate for at least 30 minutes, if not overnight, will make a big difference in the tenderness of your kebabs. If you have a tougher cut of meat, say stew meat, go for a longer marinade for best results.

Grilled Kebabs - Serves 4

Equipment:

• Metal skewers

• Grill

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 lbs beef or lamb, cubed

• 1 tsp. kosher sea salt

• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp. Hungarian sweet paprika

• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 2 Tbs. olive oil

• Cucumber Dill Relish (recipe below) + plain yogurt, olive oil, and paprika for serving

Method:

1. Combine the salt, pepper, cinnamon, paprika, allspice, and garlic in a large bowl. Stir well then add the meat and olive oil. Mix until the meat is completely coated. Allow the meat to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or in the refrigerator overnight.

2. Heat a grill on high. Spear the meat onto the metal skewers. Grill to your desired temperature, about 5-7 minutes per side for medium.

3. Top with yogurt, cucumber dill relish, and a dash of sweet paprika and serve.

Cucumber Dill Relish - Serves 4 as a side

Ingredients:

• 1 cucumber, peeled and finely diced

• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced

• 1/3 cup fresh dill leaves, chopped

• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

• 1/4 tsp. kosher sea salt + more to taste

• Freshly ground pepper to taste

• 2 tsp. rice wine vinegar

• 2 TBS. olive oil

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir to mix well.

Recipe adapted from Dinner: Changing the Game