Preface: I am currently traveling for a hockey tournament and very, very bored in my hotel room. Currently planning a new diet for myself and got to writing down some recipes. Here's my favorite so far.

When Americans think of Shish-Kabab - the first thing that comes to mind is some tasteless chicken cubes on a stick with crunchy green peppers, soggy mushrooms, and some Mrs. Dash. Just like Mom used to make!

I'm talking about authentic Afghan style Kabob. As a young, Caucasian chef, fresh out of NECI two years ago, I was offered a job as head chef of an Afghan restaurant. Ultimately, I didn't take it for obvious reasons but learned a new style of cooking that is easy and amenable to tough, lean pieces of meat (what we should be eating).

In your food processor, mix 1 cup of greek yogurt with a dash of turmeric and a tbspn. of paprika to give it a nice orange color. Add a whole chopped peeled onion, 6 garlic cloves, and a tbspn. of lemon juice. Add 1/2 tspn. of dried coriander and cumin. Fresh cilantro and crushed red pepper are optional but good additions. Puree and then add salt/pepper to taste. I try to eat a very low sodium diet so I add minimal kosher salt. Marinate cubes of your favorite lean protein (Bison Sirloin is my favorite) in this mixture overnight and skewer it up when ready. These are amazing over an open-flame but can be broiled, or sauteed just as well.

As for sides, I often eat this pre-workout with a brown rice pilaf and some diced tomatoes in lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil.

As for that rice pilaf, simply sautee a generous portion of mirepoix (diced carrots/celery/onion) in evoo with the same seasonings we used in the marinade. Add a tspn. of tomato paste, a 1/2 cup of white wine and let it reduce. When you have a nice gravy coating the vegetables, add 2 cups of low-sodium chicken stock, and an appropriate portion of brown rice or whole-wheat couscous based on 2 cups of liquid.