Lamb koftas

Last night for dinner we had lamb koftas.

I really like koftas for a variety of reasons. It's a great way to eat lam that's lean and relatively inexpensive. They're a change from an everyday burger, which I guess is exactly what they are in a deconstructed kind of way. Oh yes and they're yummy.

Koftas are essentially a big meatball on a stick.

I served these in Lebanese bread with tabbouleh, lettuce, and Greek yogurt.

Simple and delish.

My camera was having a bit of a moment so sorry the photo isn't so great.

Lamb Koftas

Bamboo skewers (soak for an hour in water to stop sticking)

500g minced lamb

1/2 an onion finely diced

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon cumin

zest of 1/2 a lemon

handful of chopped parsley

To serve

Lebanese bread

tabbouleh

Greek yogurt

salad of choice eg lettuce avocado etc

1. Combine lamb, onion, garlic, lemon, cumin and parsley in a bowl.

2. Form sausage shapes around bamboo skewers (my recipe made 10).

3. Refrigerate 1/2 an hour.

4. Cook on a BBQ or chargrill about 15 minutes till cooked (I browned mine and then finished them in the oven).

5. Serve in Lebanese bread with salads.

Enjoy!

Are we going on a picnic?

Well I wish I knew the answer to that question. Last night I asked my family what they wanted to do on Sunday. Shall we go on the boat? Shall we go to town? Shall we go to a National Park? Anyone got a different idea?

When we went to bed last night no one had really given me an answer. Helpful, right? So today my husband is working which makes planning impossible. (It's a very annoying aspect of his job actually that he often seems to work on sunny Saturdays).

So what do I do about the possible need for a picnic lunch tomorrow? Chicken wraps are the answer.

Today while my daughter and I were having lunch I tossed some chicken tenders in with the contents of a pack of southern fried coating mix and baked in the oven for 25 minutes. I like this coating because it doesn't use oil or anything else to coat the chicken, so it's actually low in fat but gives you that fried chicken taste. It also works really well on chicken legs.

Now we have crumbed chicken tenders ready to go. If we end up going on a picnic I'll use the above ingredients to make chicken wraps not unlike those from a famous fast food chain - good mayo, lettuce, tomato and tortillas and we're good to go.. Should we decide to do something else the chicken will be great for school and work lunches this week.

We can fill out the picnic with fruit, crackers and some dip. Simple. Inexpensive. Tasty.

What's your favourite picnic stand-by?