kefta and zucchini kebabs
One of my favorite things about cooking is being surprised. As much fun as it is chasing some childhood recipe or flavor ideal I caught a whiff of at some restaurant, somewhere, nothing matches the surprise of finding a recipe that you’re not entirely sure will be your thing, trying it anyway and then spending the rest of the night going “this is good,” “wow, this is so good,” and “wow, I had no idea it would be this good.”
Estimated Nutrition (whole recipe, rough)
Counts 18 of 20 ingredients — the other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and contribute nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume — 18 portions →
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Lamb | 100g cooked | 294 |
| Pine Nut | 1 oz (28g) | 191 |
| Chicken | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Yogurt | 170g plain Greek | 100 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Cucumber | 1/2 cup sliced (52g) | 16 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Cayenne | 1 tsp (1.8g) | 6 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
| Allspice | 1 tsp ground (1.9g) | 5 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Parsley | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g) | 1 |
| Cilantro | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Peppermint | not in our table | 0 |
| Meat | not in our table | 0 |
Totals for the whole recipe, adding one typical portion per ingredient — listed above. Quantities in the recipe are not counted, so this is a rough guide only — not suitable for medical or dietary planning.
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain yogurt (preferably whole-milk)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup olive oil (we used about half of this)
- 2 medium zucchini (1 1/4 lb total), cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices (don’t skim on their thickness, or you will have difficulty threading them, as we did)
- 2 slices firm white sandwich bread, torn into small pieces
- 1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves
- 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 lb ground lamb (from shoulder) (or if, like Deb, you do not like lamb, dark turkey meat is an excellent substitution)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted and finely chopped