Grilled Mango & Pineapple Vegetable Skewers with Mojo Rojo & Mojo Verde

Today’s recipe is another healthy barbecue inspiration: Grilled Mango & Pineapple Vegetable Skewers with Mojo Rojo & Mojo Verde. The idea for this recipe came to me when I recently visited a local food market in my beautiful small German town. It was a fun little market with local vendors selling home made foods such as healthy popsicles, roasted chickpeas, sauces such as tomato sauce, pestos, or mojo sauces, and there was even a nut butter booth. I guess it is unnecessary to say that I was in food heaven. However, every time I saw something that I liked, I instantly thought: I can do this myself. I have all this fancy equipment in my kitchen, so there is actually no need to buy anything anymore. Of course, we ended up buying lots of stuff, mostly because the vendors were so nice and friendly. However, as soon as I got home, I had to try making my own mojo sauces, because it reminded me of my last vacation with my mom and little sister. Mojo is a chili sauce from the Canary islands, which is traditionally served with wrinkly, salty potatoes. If you’ve ever been to the Canary islands, then you’ve probably tried Mojo at some point. 

Most restaurants on the Canary islands serve mojo rojo, or red mojo, which is made from red chilies and red bell peppers. However, I’ve always been a fan of mojo verde, or green mojo, which is a variation of the traditional sauce as it is made with cilantro and parsley – some of my favorite superfood herbs. I felt like adding some mint leaves in there, too, because I’ve developed a slight mint obsession lately, but you can leave these out if you like.

I used zucchini, red bell pepper and red onions for the skewers, but you can of course use any vegetable you have in the fridge. I’ve actually tried them with mushrooms last week, which also tasted fantastic. The combination of savory veggies and sweet fruit pieces is a dream, and the sweetness of the grilled mango and pineapple gives the skewers an exotic touch. If you are not a fan of fruit in savory dishes, then you can of course leave them out, however, it’s just not the same without mango and pineapple. Try bringing these to your next barbecue with friends, and you’ll be the star at the table, I promise. The grilled mango pineapple vegetable skewers with mojo also go really well with the stuffed mushrooms with cashew basil cream, the grilled avocado bruschetta, and the harissa spiced sweet potato wedges – a heavenly healthy BBQ!

Grilled Mango & Pineapple Vegetable Skewers with Mojo Rojo & Mojo Verde

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Serves: 8

Ingredients

For the vegetable skewers:

• 1 zucchini
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 mango
• ½ pineapple
• 1 red onion

For the mojo rojo:

• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 red chili, 2 if you like it extra spicy
• ⅓ cup (80ml) of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic
• ½ teaspoon of cumin
• ¼ cup of almonds or pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of buckwheat flour
• 1 teaspoon of honey or maple syrup or rice syrup for the fructose-intolerant
• ½ teaspoon of sea salt

For the mojo verde:

• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 8 mint leaves
• ½ teaspoon of cumin
• ¼ cup (60ml) of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic
• ¼ cup of almonds or pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of buckwheat flour
• 1 teaspoon of honey or maple syrup or rice syrup for the fructose-intolerant
• ½ teaspoon of sea salt

Instructions

1. Peel the mango and pineapple and cut into cubes. Cut the red bell pepper into cubes as well. Slice the zucchini lengthwise, then cut it into bite-sized pieces. Peel the onion, and quarter it.
2. Stick the vegetables, fruit and onion on the sticks, alternating while you do so.
3. For the mojo rojo: Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Cut the red bell pepper in half and remove the seeds. Place the halves face down onto a baking sheet aligned with baking paper and bake for about 20 minutes until it starts to wrinkle, and darken. Do not burn it!
4. Add the baked red bell pepper to your food processor together with all the other ingredients. Blend until you have a smooth sauce. Set aside.
5. For the mojo verde: Simply add all the ingredients to your food processor. Blend until you have a smooth sauce. Set aside.
6. Grill the vegetable skewers on a barbecue or in a grilling pan for about 15 - 20 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked through. The time will vary depending on the strength of your barbecue grill.
7. Serve the grilled vegetable sticks with the mojo sauces.

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Enjoy!

Did you make this recipe or have any suggestions, questions or comments?

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