Blood Orange Marinated Pork Kabobs

One great thing about where we moved to is the awesome grocery options nearby. Better yet is the price of groceries... and being able to shop just across the Illinois/Wisconsin border means no food tax! When I hit up a major grocery store just across the state border, I was surprised to see blood oranges available and on sale for $.50 each. I couldn't pass it up and so I bought a few of them to play with. It took me awhile to figure out what to make since the three blood oranges I had yielded only a small amount of juice. That's when Martha Stewart came to my rescue and I made these Blood Orange Marinated Pork Kabobs...

What I really liked about this recipe is how easy it was to prepare. Most recipes I came across using blood oranges were sweet - muffins, breads, dessert glazes, ice cream, sorbets, etc. But in a savory application, using the juice of these oranges in a marinade not only provided some good flavor but color as well. Who knew blood orange juice worked so well with fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary? If you don't have access to blood oranges, you can probably substitute with regular fresh orange juice to give your kabobs some bright flavors. I plan on making this again with chicken in the summer months. I served my kabobs with Parmesan & Basil Orzo and a fruity Strawberry Spinach & Goat Cheese salad...

Blood Orange Marinated Pork Kabobs
recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed blood-orange juice
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound boneless pork loin, cut into 1 inch cubes
3 portobello mushroom caps, cut into quarters
2 tablespoon olive oil


Place cubed pork in a baking dish just large enough to hold a single layer. In a small, nonreactive bowl, stir together 1 cup juice, 1/4 cup oil, thyme leaves, and rosemary; pour over pork to coat. Cover with plastic wrap, and let marinate refrigerated at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

Remove pork from marinade and pat dry; discard marinade. Alternate skewering pork and quartered mushroom caps onto skewers. Brush kabobs with olive oil and grill over medium high heat until cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.