Grilled Meatballs: Grilled, Gorgeous, and a Firewire Giveaway

Grilled kabobs are one of the easiest dinner ideas out there. Once the skewers are made (which can be done in advance), then all that's left is the grill. No pots. No pans. No dishes to do afterwards. Heck, even forks and knives are optional here! Their simplicity makes kabobs the perfect fare for backyard cookouts with friends and neighbors. The work can be done in advance, and then you can actually enjoy your own party! As if the simplicity wasn't enough, Fire Wire has made some awesome new updates to the classic skewer. Have you ever really thought about kabobs? They're really just food on a stick, right? If you think about it, our ancestors have been cooking kabobs for thousands of years. So who would go and change something that has been around so long?  Well, Fire Wire did, and the improvements are nothing short of genius! For starters, their classic cable-style skewer is flexible. So what? Well aside from it looking really cool on the plate, this means that you can thread the skewer and then easily marinate the whole thing in a bag before transferring it to the grill. Talk about easy! While I didn't use a marinade in this recipe, I did find the classic Fire Wire Flexible Grilling Skewer to be rather handy since it's about twice as long as a normal skewer. And since it's made of steel, you don't need to figure out how to soak it before throwing it on the grill! Plus, the skewers are dishwasher safe, which makes cleanup a cinch. (Notice the theme of grilling made easy here?) Fire Wire has also created a double-prong shorter skewer that is perfect for a single serving. The double prong idea keeps food securely on the skewers when you rotate them. (I personally find it rather difficult to turn traditional-style skewers because the food just rotates on the skewer. Problem solved!) For these Monterey Jack-Stuffed Meatball Kabobs, I wanted to do something just a bit different. I love cheese. But we all know that most cheeses don't grill that well. So then I had an idea…why not stuff the cheese inside of meatballs? Add some assorted veggies to the skewer along with the meatball and you've got an easy dinner! Plus, these skewers can easily be made in advance and stored covered in the refrigerator until it's time to fire up the grill. Just make sure to let the kabobs sit out for about 20 minutes first. Meats cooked at room temperature don't tend to dry out as fast! I think you'll love these homemade meatballs, and they'd be fantastic alongside Urvashee's Cucumber Tomato Salad Recipe. Now, who wants to win some awesome goodies from Firewire so you can try these tools at home? a Rafflecopter giveaway Grilled Meatballs Recipe Print This Recipe Ingredients For the Stuffed meatballs: 1 pound ground beef 1 egg 1/4 cup bread crumbs 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1/4 medium red onion, diced very finely 1-2 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup monterey jack cheese, coarsely shredded For the Skewers: 1 zucchini squash, cut into 1.5" cubes 1-2 red bell peppers, cut into 1" pieces 1-2 yellow bell peppers, cut into 1" pieces 1 red onion, cut into 1" pieces For the Herb mixture: 4 tablespoons canola oil 1/2 tablespoon italian seasoning 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper Directions In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the Meatballs except for the cheese.  Mix until well combined.  Separate into 9 meatballs of approximately even weight.  (This is very important so that the meatballs all cook in the same time on the grill.) Working with 1 meatball at a time, flatten it out into a large disc.  Add a small amount of shredded cheese to the center of the disc.  Carefully roll the sides up until the disc is again shaped like a round meatball. Thread meatballs, zucchini, peppers, and onions onto 6 skewers. Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the Herb Mixture in a small bowl.  Mix until well combined. Place kabobs on grill, and brush the veggies with approximately half of the Herb Mixture.  Grill over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes.  Rotate kabobs, and brush the veggies with remaining Herb Mixture.  Continue grilling for another 5-6 minutes, or until meatballs are done.  Notes Food Safety Tip: Ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F degrees. Disclosure: This giveaway is provided to you by Firewire. The views and opinions expressed by contributors on Food Fanatic are based entirely upon the contributor's experiences with Firewire products. Neither the contributor nor Food Fanatic was compensated monetarily by the brand for this post, but the contributor did receive the items listed for review. Please see the RaffleCopter Widget link for complete Terms & Conditions. via Food Fanatic http://www.foodfanatic.com/2013/09/grilled-meatballs-grilled-gorgeous-and-a-firewire-giveaway/

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