Sweet and Spicy Beef Kebabs on Brown Rice with Anne's Aioli Sauce

Orange bell peppers, Anne's aioli sauce (which you can't really see...,) sweet and spicy kebabs on brown rice

I think one of our favorite meals are my sweet and spicy beef kebabs. However, both the husband and I prefer the traditional kebab veggie (bell peppers) raw, so we never stick those on our skewers. The husband also doesn't care for onions cooked or raw, so I never bother making those either. Though for a large crowd I think I would. I didn't make these on the grill either, thanks to the weather, but they work just as well in the broiler. Honestly, I think the broiler does a really nice job of caramelizing the brown sugar on these. Also, since I didn't grill, I didn't skewer them, just out of convenience sake.

This entire meal is very simple to make, and the longest part is cooking the brown rice.  It took about an hour in the rice cooker, and once it's finished cooking in the rice cooker, you need to let it sit for another 10 minutes. Brown rice also takes more water then white rice; 3 cups of water to 1 cup of uncooked brown rice. This will make enough rice for 4 to 5 people.

The prep for the kebabs takes about 10 minutes, which includes cutting the sirloin steak, mixing the rub, and rubbing the cubes of steak. Then broil the kebabs for about 10 minutes for medium/ medium well, depending on how large you cut your cubes.

While the kebabs are in the broiler, go ahead and make the aioli sauce. The reason I call it an aioli sauce is because my husband says it taste exactly like all the aioli sauces he's had on sandwiches. However, it's quite different, and much easier then your traditional aioli sauce. Oh, and MUCH healthier. All I do is mix together Greek yogurt, garlic powder, Punjab red tandoori, and very very little cayenne pepper (the husband likes a little kick to it.) It works great as a veggie dip (I'd say add a little more cayenne pepper in it for just veggies) but it also is a great way to cool off these sweet and spicy kebabs. The husband also like to mix it into the brown rice to give the rice some more flavor.

The fact that he likes this so much is astounding to me, because when we first met, and even by the time we started dating, he was very picky with his food, thought ketchup was spicy, would never ever touch sour cream, Greek yogurt, or vegetables. He's come a long way, but is still picky. Especially when it comes to sauces.


Brown Rice (in a rice cooker)
1 cup of brown rice
3 cups of water
Let sit in the rice cooker for about 50 minutes, until the rice cooker says it's ready. Let stand for an additional 10 minutes.




Anne's Aioli Sauce (for 1 to 2 people)
Ingredients:
1TBS Greek yogurt
1/8 tsp of Tandoori spice
1/8 tsp of garlic powder
A tiny shake of cayenne red pepper (if you'd like a bit of a kick)

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.


Sweet and Spicy Beef Kebabs
Ingredients:
2lbs sirloin steak cut into cubes
2 pinches sea salt
3 TBS light brown sugar
1 tsp chili powder -Use less for less spicy
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper -Use less for less spicy
1-2 bell peppers (if desired)
Half an onion (if desired)

1. If broiling, turn on broiler. After cutting steak into cubes (or you could use beef stew cubes), mix your seasoning together in a medium sized bowl.
2. Toss in 4-5 cubes into the bowl at a time, and coat them with the rub, using your hands. This will ensure that you don't have excess rub on the steak. Place in a separate bowl/ plate to be skewered later with bell peppers, or place on a broiler safe baking dish.
3. If broiling, broil the kebabs for about 10 minutes for medium/ medium well depending on how big your cubes are. If grilling, make sure you do skewer your kebabs and cook on a medium heat until desired done-ness.