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| The picture doesn't do it justice! |
It's been a while since I had one of those, but I'm in the middle of one of these intense calculations that truly knocked my socks off, blowing my mind, and changing how I look at what I do on a regular basis... and may blow your mind as well.
But that'll have to wait. Hopefully it'll be ready by tomorrow, at which point I will be able to astound you with my deductions...
In the meantime, let me knock your socks off in another way- with these better than restaurant quality but super easy kofta kebabs.
What exactly are kofta kebabs?
Well, most people, I assume, know what shish kababs are- cubed bits of meat and veggies speared onto a skewer and then grilled... Kofta kebabs are a whole different kettle of fish- the only thing they have in common is that they too are on skewers. (Though not always. Our local stores sells kebabs without skewers.) They're made from ground meat as opposed to cubed, and if you prepare them right, they are out of this world.
I have shared a recipe for Greek style kofta kebabs before, and they really are delicious, but the last time I made kebabs I wanted to try something different; I didn't have mint, so needed a different spice mixture, and I wanted to bake mine in the oven instead of grilling them, since I was feeling lazy and didn't want to have to stand over the grill with finicky kebabs that might fall apart if I am not careful, or might burn on the outside before the inside is fully cooked...
After perusing many recipes, I made this one up, roughly based on this recipe, and oh my gosh- I thought I died and went to heaven, they were that good. Probably the best kebabs I've eaten in my life. Mike was laughing at me because I was seriously swooning as I was eating these.
Needless to say, they were a hit with the entire family, and this will now be my "go to" recipe when I have ground beef to use.
Ground Beef Baked Kofta Kebabs Recipe- Restaurant Quality, Gluten Free, Egg Free, Paleo and GAPS Legal
Ingredients
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound ground beef
1 large grated onion
1 1/2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper/hot paprika
3 tablespoons ground flax seeds
Instructions:
1. Grate your onion.
2. Mix all the other ingredients with your onion.
3. Divide into 12-14 parts, and form them into logs onto 12-14 skewers, then lay them flat on a lined baking tray.
4. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.
5. Try not to devour all at once!
P.S. See- I told you this was super easy!
Enjoy!
Have you ever eaten kofta kebabs before? Does this look like a recipe you'd try? What is your favorite ground beef recipe?
Have you ever made something so simple that was so good that you were swooning and people were making fun of you for it? What was it?
Linking up to Allergy Free Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday
Tags
allergy friendly
egg free
frugal recipes
frugal strategies
GAPS
gluten free
grain free
made from scratch
meat
paleo/primal
proteins
recipes
simple meals
sugar free
Curious - how do you know these are restaurant (or better) quality if you never eat out?
ReplyDeleteI can't say we go out to eat often, but we do go out to restaurants here and there, usually at the very least a few times a year (typically for special occasions, etc...). Kofta kebabs is something I've had in restaurants many times. And these are definitely better.
ReplyDeleteThe spice blend sounds amazing!!
DeleteThank you! It is!
DeleteWhat can I use instead of flax seeds?
ReplyDeleteGround chia seeds would also work. I assume that you could leave out the flax seeds and it wont change it too much... Or maybe add 3 tablespoons of whatever flour you use for cooking...
DeleteI read often but this is my first time commenting. I am amazed how you display your life to the unforgiving public- triumphs, struggles, and all. Very different than the typical internet self-portrayals, where people always look gorgeous and are having a blast. They could almost fool you to believe the they live perfect lives.
ReplyDeleteI love how you cook various cuisines. I, too, love experimenting and finding new ways to serve old staples.
I don't have flax. For this recipe, should I substitute an egg, or simply omit?
Thank you so much for your feedback Sara! I'm just me online, flaws and all...
DeleteAs I said in the other comment above- you can sub it with ground chia seeds, or sub with another flour... but you could probably leave it out. Just watch the spices and salt because maybe they;d be too strong without those extra three tablespoons...
what can I use in place of the flax seeds?
ReplyDeleteUsually I'd serve pasta to meatballs or sloppy joes, bread to burgers, what do you serve with kebabs?
ReplyDeleteThe standard would be flat breads like pitas or taboon breads aka laffas. You can make gluten ones or gluten free flat breads, depending on your preference. Alternatively, you can serve it with rice or couscous. Plus a variety of fresh salads and dips, like tahini, hummus, roasted eggplant salad, cucumber and tomato salad, cabbage salad with lemon and oil, pickles, olives... if you want to get really traditional.
DeleteI know a lot of Japanese burger recipes call for using crumbled bread to mix with the meat to add more volume to the dish while slashing the cost and I was wondering if you think I can do the same for kebabs?
ReplyDeleteSure you can do that, or homemade bread crumbs made from stale bread- I just left it out because I'm gluten free, but you can certainly stretch the meat with some bread crumbs. Just maybe add an egg to bind it if you do that, and you might need to increase the spices and salt, depending on how much bread crumbs you add.
DeleteThanks my family enjoyed them with the pitas, coleslaw, pickles, olives, cucumber and tomato
ReplyDeleteAwesome! So glad they were a hit with your family!
DeleteCan’t wait to try the recipes for Passover!! Thanks for the great recipes. I appreciate it so much.
ReplyDeleteJoseph Donahue