If you feel like immersing yourself in more primitive times or would love to be a contestant on Survivor, then you need to start cooking things on a stick. There's no simpler way to capture the taste of summer than to make your own meat kebabs and char them over a hot grill.
I made these Yogurt Plumped Lamb Kebabs from a fantastic yogurt based recipe book by Cheryl Sternman Rule. Cheryl's book called Yogurt Culture is full of fantastic yogurt recipes far surpassing plain breakfasts of yogurt and granola or popsicles. The recipes range from drinks and dips all the way to marinades and amazing baked goods. I never knew a simple tub of yogurt could produce so much deliciousness! The secret to keeping the lamb tender is to marinade it in Stonyfield Whole Milk Yogurt along with some paprika and turmeric. The yogurt will help tenderize the lamb and seal in all of those spicy flavors. This recipe couldn't be any simpler, the hardest part is waiting on the marinade working it's magic.
I also made a batch of Cheryl's Avocado Ranch Dressing as a dip for the chunks of juicy lamb. You might never go back to store bought ranch after you see how easy it can be to make your own, and it's full of creamy avocado! Just whisk together all of the ingredients and then transfer to a blender to and add the avocado. I used this whisk from OXO which, like any OXO product is so easy to use You can have this dip ready in no time, but try and make it a day ahead to let the flavors get friendly with one another. I like to keep my lamb rare, leaving you the easy task of tearing of a chunk and dipping it deep into that avocado ranch for a perfect summer dinner.
