Now that we’re hitting the beach several times a month, I need some good, portable, grillable recipes. Just grill delicious meat and fish you say? Guess what Bertrand and I gave up for Lent.

Enter the vegetable skewer.

Benin’s got delicious cheese. It’s kind of like ricotta, except that it’s solid, has a tofu-like texture, and doesn’t melt, and grills up perfectly. Oh wait, it’s nothing like ricotta.

Start your skewers soaking. This is so they don’t turn black on the grill (or in the oven). This is less important if you’re not a freak about aesthetics.

Optional: blend up a basic Beninese sauce for your marinade (recipe to come this week), heavy on the ginger and the hot peppers. Wait, there aren’t any hot peppers in that recipe? Just chop up a tablespoon oo so, and add it to the blend mix. Add in a teaspoon or so of salt and a tablespoon of oilve oil. Don’t cook the sauce!

Then, chop a bunch of vegetables. Also chop some pineapple and wagasi (or leave the wagasi, if you’re not in Benin).

Toss marinadeable veggies (zucchinis, pineapple) and wagasi with the marinade. If you didn’t make a marinade, toss with olive oil, red pepper flakes, and salt.

Build your skewers! Leave chunks of onion in tact. They are more delicious that way.

I cheat and roast my skewers in the oven for 20 minutes before heading out to the beach. This cooks all of the vegetables, so all I have to do once I get to the beach is reheat on the grill. When I’m cooking at home, sans grill, I roast for 30 minutes, turning and rotating the skewers halfway through.

Grill.

Eat.