Tandoori Vegekebabs

Fresh vegetables grilled golden brown then brushed with tandoori yogurt sauce make a low-fat dish with an Indian edge. The sauce is quick and simple: combine tandoori paste (available in Indian groceries and many supermarkets) with nonfat yogurt, garlic and cumin. Just brush it over the vegetables during the last few minutes of cooking.

It’s best to grill each vegetable separately so it can be cooked to just the right degree of doneness. Spray both the grill pan and the vegetables with nonstick cooking spray to prevent sticking while keeping the fat to a minimum.

The vegetables look best when spooned onto a bed of grilled onion wedges and sprinkled with chopped cilantro. A squeeze of lemon or lime heightens the flavor. You may want to accompany the vegetables with steamed long-grain brown or white basmati rice.

TANDOORI-STYLE GRILLED VEGETABLES

1/2 cup bottled tandoori paste

1/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

12 small red boiling potatoes, quartered

Salt

2 large white onions, each cut into 12 wedges

Nonstick cooking spray

1 small head cauliflower, trimmed and broken up into florets

4 Roma tomatoes, quartered

1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 2-inch pieces

Minced cilantro

Lemon or lime wedges

Stir together tandoori paste, yogurt, garlic and cumin in small bowl to make tandoori yogurt. Set aside.

Cook potatoes in boiling salted water about 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Cook onion wedges on grill pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray until browned and charred in spots, about 15 minutes. Brush with tandoori-yogurt mixture during last few minutes of cooking, then turn and brush other side with mixture. Keep onions warm while grilling remaining vegetables.

Spray potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes and bell pepper with nonstick cooking spray and season lightly to taste with salt. Grill vegetables separately: cauliflower about 15 minutes, potatoes 8 to 10 minutes, bell pepper pieces 8 to 10 minutes and tomatoes 3 to 5 minutes. Brush each vegetable with tandoori yogurt during last few minutes of grilling.

After all vegetables are grilled, place grilled onion wedges on 4 plates, then spoon remaining vegetables over them. Sprinkle with minced cilantro. Serve with lemon or lime wedges.

Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

146 calories; 283 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 32 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 1.6 grams fiber.

* Annie Glass plate from Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles