Kefta Kebabs w/Roasted Pepper and Tomato Salad

I first saw this recipe in a cooking light magazine.  It reminded me of the kebabs that my best friend's mother used to make for us when we were kids.  They were from Iran and I loved eating at their house because her mom would make tradition Persian food which was so delicious and unlike anything I had ever had before.  OhMyGoodness...the yellow rice with the crusty bottom to it was to die for...oh how I could tear some of that up right now!  I really need to learn how to make that.  Um, sorry, I totally got off topic.  I tend to do that often when thinking about food...  Anyway, these kefta kebabs are actually Moroccan and are made of ground beef or lamb and typically mixed with cumin, paprika, minced onion, coriander and parsley. Cinnamon, hot ground pepper, and mint leaves are nice additions as well.  I planned on using a combo of beef and lamb to make these, but the lamb was $9.99 lb. so I passed and used beef only.  Traditionally, the meat, spices and herbs would be passed through a meat grinder together.  While I do have a ton of kitchen equipment, a meat grinder is not one of them.  So, I just used a bowl and spoon and a little elbow grease.  Ugh, I've always hated that term.  Elbow grease?  Gross!  I served these kebabs with a Roasted Pepper and Tomato Salad which could not be a better compliment to the meat.  Ya know what's really good the next day with the leftovers?  Get a wrap ( I like the FlatOut Spinach wraps) and put the meat and pepper tomato salad in it and wrap it up.  Score!  Also pictured here is Zucchini Rice.  Could not be easier!  Just prepare your rice as you normally would.  Then grate a zucchini into it.  Yup, that's all folks!  What an easy way to add veggies to an otherwise boring side dish.  Hope you like this one as much as my family and I do!

What You'll Need for the Kefta Kebabs:
1 lb.  ground beef or lamb (or a combination of the two)

1 medium onion, chopped very fine
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves (optional)

What You'll Do:
Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, and leave for an hour or longer to allow the flavors to blend. The kefta is then ready to shape and cook.

To make kebabs, take small amounts of kefta and shape them into cylinder or sausage shapes. Skewer the meat, squeezing it to mold in the skewer.  (I have also just made these as patties like you would a hamburger.)
Cook over hot coals, approximately five minutes each side. (It may take less or more time, depending on how hot the coals are, and how thick you shaped the kefta.) Watch the kebabs carefully, so you don't dry out the kefta.

What You'll Need for the Roasted Pepper and Tomato Salad:
4 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

*2 roasted green peppers, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
2 to 3 teaspoons vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

What You'll Do:
Place the tomatoes, roasted green peppers, and parsley in a mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate if you won't be serving the salad right away.
When you're ready to serve the salad, add the salt, pepper, cumin, oil and vinegar. Toss or stir gently.
You can eat this salad with a spoon, but it's also delicious scooped up with a piece of crusty bread.

*To roast the peppers, just hold them over an open flame, rotating them to char all sides.  Once they are nice and black, put them in a ziplock bag.  They will steam in the bag and the blackend skin will release.  Use the bag to rub off the skin.  Take out of bag and proceed to take seeds out and chop. 

Chicken Salad w/Grapes, Pecans & Tarragon

The BEST chicken salad I have ever had...period! I am super picky about chicken salad. Honestly, I just don't usually like most people's chicken salad. This is Ina Garten's recipe, back from when she used to cater and I just don't think it gets much better than this. Roasting the chicken with the bone and skin keeps it super moist and the fruit and pecans add just the right amount of sweetness and crunch. I omitted the walnuts and doubled the pecans. Make sure you toast them first...makes a big difference! I like to eat this chicken salad with a side of honeydew, but it would be fantastic inside a soft croissant, nestled inside some fresh butter lettuce, wrapped in a tortilla or stuffed in some pita bread. Just be careful...this stuff is addictive. I ate it every day for three days straight for lunch!

What You'll Need:
2 split (1 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on (1 1/2 pounds)
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup pecan halves
1/2 cup walnuts halves
1/2 cup good mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves, divided
1 cup green grapes, cut in 1/2
Lettuce leaves, for serving

What You'll Do:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chicken breasts, skin side up, on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside until cool.
When the chicken is cool, remove meat from the bones and discard the skin and bones. Cut the chicken into a 3/4-inch dice.
Meanwhile, place the pecans and walnuts on a separate sheet pan and toast in the oven for 7 to 8 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool.
For the dressing, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Fold in half the chopped tarragon leaves.
Place the diced chicken in a bowl, add the pecans, walnuts and grapes. Pour the dressing over the chicken and toss well. Sprinkle the remaining chopped tarragon leaves on top, and serve on a bed of lettuce leaves.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

My friend, Deana, made this for girls night once and I fell in love with it. It's so simple to throw together. I've made it several times since. It's a great summer salad! I'm not including amounts for the ingredients because you can just use as much or as little as you like depending on your taste and how much salad you need. Oh, and you can buy resealable packs of bacon pieces which means you don't even have to get out a frying pan. Yes!

What You'll Need:

Baby Spinach
Feta Cheese, crumbled
Bacon, crumbled

Strawberries, sliced or quartered

Pecan Halves or Pieces

Mandarin Oranges
Newman's Own Raspberry Walnut Vinagrette

What You'll Do:

Throw it all together, of course, and then just toss in dressing!

Tomato & Cucumber Salad

This is a super fast little side salad. You can use any tomato that you like...cherry, roma, ugly, vine-ripe...whatever is most tasty at the time. As with most things that I throw together quickly, I have not listed amounts for ingredients. Just add as much or as little to suite your tastebuds!



What You'll Need:
Tomatoes, halved or sliced
Cucumber, cut into chunks
Red Onion, sliced or chopped
Balsamic Vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

What You'll Do:
Put all veggies into a bowl. Drizzle on EVOO and balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix well and let marinate for at least 20 minutes.

Harvest Salad

This salad reminds me of Fall and Thanksgiving for some reason. It has so many yummy things in it, and the dressing is different than most because of all the fresh basil in it. It is a sweeter dressing, so if don't like sweet, you may want to put less sugar than called for.

Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup cider vinegar (more or less to taste)
2 cloves garlic
1 package fresh basil, chopped or torn
Salt & Pepper to taste

Salad:
Romaine Lettuce
Bacon, crumbled
pples, very thinly sliced
Craisins, large handful
Pecans, broken into pieces
Blue Cheese, crumbled

Mix everything together just before serving.

Panzanella Salad

I had several ingredients left over from cooking for the week and wanted to use them up. A couple of the creative ladies from the What's Cooking board on the Nest.com recommended that I make Panzanella Salad. My first thought...What on earth is Panzanella Salad? I looked up recipes for it and instantly knew that I had to try it. Wow! That's all I can say! Wow! It is so yummy. I can't believe I've never had it before. My picture does not do it justice...you'll just have to trust me on this and try it for yourself! This particular recipe came from AllRecipes.com and makes 8 servings. I reduced the amount of ingredients and just made enough for me. I also used black olives instead of green.

What you'll need:

6 cups day old Italian bread, torn into bite-size pieces
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
3/4 cup sliced red onion
10 basil leaves, shredded
1/2 cup pitted and halved green olives
1 cup fresh mozzarella, cut into bite-size pieces

What you'll do:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
In a large bowl, toss bread with 1/3 cup olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. Lay bread on a baking sheet, and toast in the preheated oven until golden, about 5 to 10 minutes; allow to cool slightly.
While the bread is in the oven, whisk together 1/4 cup of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Gently toss together the bread, tomatoes, onion, basil, olives, and mozzarella cheese.

Toss with the vinaigrette and let stand for 20 minutes before serving.

Caprese Salad

I fell in love with Caprese Salad while in Italy. It's such a fresh, yummy salad...a nice departure from regular every day salads. What makes this salad great, is using deliciously ripe tomatoes and a great extra virgin olive oil. It's best in the summer when tomatoes are at their peak. It also makes a great appetizer if you use cherry tomatoes, cut the mozzerella into smaller bites, and then skewer everything together.



What you'll Need:
Fresh, ripe tomatoes
Fresh Buffalo Mozzerella
Fresh Basil
EVOO
Salt and Pepper

What you'll Do:
Slice the tomatoes and cheese.
Pull of some basil leaves. (You can leave the leaves whole or tear them apart into smaller pieces.)
Drizzle the EVOO all over the tomatoes, cheese, and basil.
Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.