Another flavor adventure? If you’ve eaten at a Middle Eastern restaurant, you may recognize these flavors: carbohydrate-rich rice, bulgur, or couscous in stuffing’s, salads, side dishes; calcium-rich yogurt in soups and drinks; goat’s-milk cheese on salads; fresh and dried fruits, fiber-rich legumes, and nuts as common ingredients; mint, coriander, and cinnamon to season it all.
Experience Middle Eastern-inspired flavors this week.
- Enjoy store-bought hummus or make your own. Purée canned chickpeas (garbanzos), garlic, tahini or sesame seeds, lemon juice, and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley; spread on a whole-wheat pita. Check online for a recipe.
- Mix a yogurt sauce with plain yogurt, garlic, fresh mint, and ground pepper to spoon over cucumbers or cooked vegetables.
Lamb Kebabs with Mint
- 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
- 1⁄2 cup fresh mint, chopped
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Salt (optional) and pepper to taste
- 14-ounces boneless leg of lamb, fat
- removed, cubed
- 4 small zucchini, cut in 1-inch
- chunks
- 4 plum tomatoes, halved
- 2 cups cooked couscous or brown rice
Mix yogurt, mint, mustard, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl. (Reserve some marinade for basting later.) Add lamb pieces and refrigerate overnight. Preheat broiler or barbecue grill. Thread lamb with zucchini and tomatoes onto skewers. Broil or grill. Cook until desired doneness, turning and basting with marinade, approximately 7 to 10 minutes. Serve over couscous or rice. Makes 4 servings.
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