Hungry Girl: Standout Skewers for Your Labor Day Cookout

One of the fastest ways to cook on the grill? Skewer your food! The small pieces cook up quickly and evenly, and it’s just plain fun to eat food on a stick. This recipe combines the smoky flavor of bacon, the sweet goodness of mango and the fresh flavor of shrimp for some show-stopping kebabs.

Bacon-Mango Shrimp Skewers
Serves 4

12 slices center-cut or turkey bacon, halved widthwise
¾ cup cubed mango (fresh or thawed from frozen)
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. brown sugar (not packed)
24 raw large shrimp (about 12 oz.), peeled, tails removed, deveined

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1. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20 minutes to prevent burning. (You’ll need four.)

2. Cook bacon in a skillet or microwave until cooked but not crisp, about half the time stated on the package. Transfer to a layer of paper towels.

3. In a food processor or small blender, combine mango, vinegar, and brown sugar. Pulse until smooth and uniform. Reserve half of this mixture for dipping.

4. Wrap half a slice of bacon around each shrimp, and evenly thread onto 4 skewers, skewering the bacon so it stays wrapped.

5. Bring a grill sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Place kebabs on the grill, and brush with half the unreserved mango-balsamic mixture. Grill for 5 minutes with the grill cover down.

6. Flip kebabs and brush with remaining unreserved mango-balsamic mixture. With the grill cover down, grill for 5 more minutes, or until shrimp is cooked through and bacon is crispy.

7. Serve with reserved mango-balsamic mixture for dipping.

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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Nutritional Information: ¼th of recipe (1 skewer with sauce): 207 calories, 8g total fat (2.5g sat fat), 690mg sodium, 9g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 7.5g sugars, 23.5g protein

‘Til next time… Chew the right thing!