Middle eastern spiced chicken koftas with tabbouleh

Serves 2-3 people  

 

Ingredients

• 400g lean minced chicken (or turkey) 
• ½ courgette, grated 
• 4 tbsp almond flour  
• 1 egg  
• 2 tbsp Zaatar spice mix – buy it as a mix or make your own, see below  
• 1-2 clove garlic (to taste), crushed or finely chopped  

Zaatar spice mix  

• 4 tbsp Thyme 
• 3 tbsp Sumac 
• 3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds 
• 0,5 tsp cumin 
• 0.5 tsp salt  

Tabbouleh

• 100 ml uncooked quinoa or teff (equals 300ml cooked and cooled down) 
• 0,5 Cucumber, deseeded and diced   
• 300g cherry tomatoes, diced  
• 80 ml Pomegranate seeds, fresh or de-frozen 
• A large bunch of leaf Parsley (approx 35g), finely chopped   
• A handful of fresh mints, (approx 15g), finely chopped  
• 3 tbsp Lemon juice or more to taste  
• 2 tsp mild flaxseed oil or Avocado oil  
• Salt and pepper  
• 1 tbsp sumac  

Dressing/salsa

• 200ml plant based soya greek style yoghurt 
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint  
• 2 tbsp Lemon Juice  
• 0.5-1 garlic (or more, to taste), finely grated    

  

How to make

1. Heat up the oven to 130c. 

2. Prepare the zaatar spice mix by blending all spices together. 

3. Prepare the chicken koftas by preparing the ingredients and then blending all together. 

4. Form egg sized oval balls with a table spoon and your hands and place in an oven safe tray lined with a sprinkle of avocado oil. 

5. Bake in the oven 130c for 25-35 minutes or until cooked. 

6. Meanwhile, prepare the tabbouleh by cooking the quinoa according to instructions on the package and let cool down. 

7. Wash and prepare all the vegetables and fresh herbs for the tabbouleh. 

8. When the quinoa is cold then mix all together and add more lemon juice, sumac or salt and pepper if needed. 

9. Prepare the yoghurt mint sauce by mixing all ingredients together. 

10. Serve the tabbouleh with the warm chicken koftas and the yoghurt mint sauce. Sprinkle more zaatar on top for more spice if you wish. 

 

Health benefits 

For garlic lovers add more garlic according to your own taste. The zaatar spice mix can be bought ready to use or made by yourself as instructions above. Quinoa can also be replaced with teff grain.  

This is a middle eastern spiced recipe using lots of spices, fresh herbs and vegetables. It’s a balanced meal with protein, lots of fibre, colourful veggies and antioxidants adding different vitamins and nutrients.  

Garlic has several evidence-based health benefits. Many of its beneficial compounds, especially allicin, are released when garlic is crushed or chopped. It supports heart health by helping lower blood pressure in people with hypertension. It’s also rich in antioxidants, may boost the immune system and has antimicrobial properties.