Easy dinner recipes: Keep it fun with food on a stick

Can’t quite decide what to fix for dinner tonight? Try skewers. Thread something -- almost anything -- on a stick and all of a sudden the food just seems fun.

Coconut chicken skewers: Coconut milk, garlic, curry powder, fresh mint, cilantro, lemongrass and fish sauce combine in a bright and lively marinade for these chicken skewers. Marinate the chicken first thing in the morning, or the night before (it will need several hours for the flavor to soak in properly), then thread the chicken onto skewers that grill quickly. The recipe is from Donna Deane, who suggests serving them “alongside fresh vegetable sticks such as jicama, or a colorful array of pepper strips.” You can find the recipe below.

Grilled shrimp with charmoula: Take advantage of the summer weather and head outdoors to cook dinner on the grill. Whip up a quick batch of charmoula (a North African spice blend combining bright, fresh flavors including lemon, garlic, ginger, cilantro, paprika and a little olive oil), then marinate some jumbo shrimp to infuse the flavor (the recipe calls for a couple of hours marinating time, but the flavor infuses in as little as 30 minutes). Skewer the shrimp and grill them a couple of minutes on each side, and you’re good to go. Serve the rest of the charmoula tableside if you want to add a little extra flavor.

Strawberry shortcake: How fun is this? Thread fresh strawberries and cubes of tender pound cake on skewers and serve alongside fresh whipped cream. It’s the perfect way to finish the meal, and comes together in minutes.

For more ideas, click through our easy dinner recipes gallery and check out our Dinner Tonight! page, devoted to recipes that can be made in an hour or less. Looking for a particular type of recipe? Comment below or email me at noelle.carter@latimes.com.

COCONUT CHICKEN SKEWERS

Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes plus 8 hours marinating | Makes 12 skewers

1 1/2 cups light coconut milk, divided
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, divided
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, divided
6 stalks lemon grass
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenders (about 12 pieces)
1 tablespoon chopped peanuts
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
Dried red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon salt
Fresh mint leaves, slices of lime, for garnish

1. Combine 1 cup of the coconut milk, the fish sauce, half the garlic, the curry powder, 1 tablespoon chopped mint and 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro in a bowl. Cut the bottom third off the lemon grass stalks and smash them with a cleaver, then coarsely chop. Add to the coconut mixture. Add the chicken, stirring to coat all sides. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

2. Cut the remaining 6 lemon grass pieces in half crosswise, then in half lengthwise to make 12 sticks. Cut one end of the sticks into a point to make threading the chicken easier. Wrap the sticks in plastic wrap until ready to use.

3. For the dipping sauce, combine the remaining 1/2 cup of coconut milk, the remaining garlic, the chopped peanuts, brown sugar, a dash of red pepper flakes, the salt and remaining 1 tablespoon each of cilantro and mint.

4. Heat a well-seasoned outdoor grill to high or a stove-top grill pan over high heat.

5. Thread one piece of chicken on each lemon grass skewer. Grill the skewers until cooked through and charred in spots, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve the skewers arranged on a platter with mint leaves and lime slices. Serve the dipping sauce alongside the skewers.

Each skewer: 76 calories; 111 mg sodium; 28 mg cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams protein; 0.15 gram fiber.