5:30 challenge -- Caesar Beef Kebabs

Caesar Beef Kebabs

To make the meal

Green beans

Mixed green salad

Way back in 1995, Susan Nicholson began writing the “The 7-Day Menu Planner,” a weekly column that ran in the Food section of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and now runs in the Sunday Living section. It wasn’t long before the column was picked up and began appearing in newspapers across the country, where it continues to run today.

Nicholson, a registered and licensed dietitian, lives in Midtown Atlanta. Her new book, “The 7-Day Menu Planner for Dummies” (Wiley Publishing, $19.95), came out last fall and offers a year’s worth of weekly menu plans as well as chapters devoted to choosing healthy foods and time-saving techniques.

One of the highlights of Nicholson’s column is the way she plans for and then creatively reuses leftovers. For example, for this recipe, she suggests making two extra kebabs and then turning them into dinner the following evening by dicing them into a salad with lettuce, tomatoes, artichoke hearts and crumbled blue cheese.

These days most top sirloin comes in a vacuum-sealed package in your grocer’s meat case. It’s hard to see exactly what you’re getting. You may want to buy a larger piece in order to have enough left over after trimming the beef. Using the microwave to precook the potatoes for the kebabs is a clever idea I know I’ll be using again.

Take the 5:30 Challenge. If you have a great-tasting main-dish recipe that uses no more than five ingredients and can be made in 30 minutes or less, tell us. (Salt, pepper, water and oil for greasing a pan don’t need to be included in the ingredient count.) You can also suggest a side dish if it can be made within the same time. Send recipes with your name, address and phone number to fivethirty@ajc.com.

Caesar Beef Kebabs

Hands on: 15 minutes

Total time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

If you don’t want to cook these on the grill, Nicholson suggests they’ll cook nicely under the broiler instead.

4 small to medium potatoes, cut into quarters

1 pound boneless beef top sirloin, trimmed, 1-inch thick, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 small onion, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup noncreamy Caesar dressing, divided

Preheat grill.

In the microwave on high power, cook potatoes on high 3 to 4 minutes or until just tender. Cool slightly.

In large bowl, combine beef, bell pepper, onion and potatoes. Reserve 2 tablespoons dressing and set aside. Pour remaining dressing over kebab mixture and toss to coat. Alternately thread beef and vegetables onto skewers.

Grill, uncovered,10 minutes for medium-rare to medium, turning occasionally.

Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle kebabs with reserved dressing just before serving.

Adapted from “7-Day Menu Planner for Dummies” by Susan Nicholson (Wiley, $19.99).

Per serving: 525 calories (percent of calories from fat, 58), 25 grams protein, 28 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 33 grams fat (8 grams saturated), 77 milligrams cholesterol, 383 milligrams sodium.