L is for Lamb Koftas for The Kids Cook Monday

Bear and Bee are slowly becoming more adventurous with what dishes they will try at the dinner table.  Lamb hasn't been part of our diet much in the past as it can be really expensive due to its popularity.   This combination of ingredients was fairly new to Bear and Bee too as they usually like their food fairly bland - apart from salty and Bee's love of vintage cheese!

Meatballs are usually a familiar and liked food for most children so using different ingredients to make meatballs can be a way of introducing new tastes.  Also crispy bread that resembles potato crisps is always a hit in the threefootcook household.

Depending on your family's tastes you may like to increase the amount of herbs in the koftas recipe.  Normally this amount of mince would have 1 cup of fresh herbs added, however as it was a new dish for Bee and Bear to try I didn't want to make it too strong.

Lamb Koftas

Makes 22 approximately
Download a free recipe card for this recipe here.

Ingredients
1 small red onion, grated
500g lamb mince
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil
200g plain Greek-style yoghurt
skewers 


Method

Tearing fresh herbs is a great cooking activity for young children.

 

1.  Instead of grating the onion, we blitzed it along with the herbs in our hand blender.  This is an easy way to get very small pieces of onion without the mess.

Bee and Bear practice cracking eggs whenever they get the opportunity.  It's a great skills for children to learn.

2. Combine onion, mince, parsley, mint, cumin, coriander, egg, breadcrumbs and garlic in a bowl. Mix well.

Bee has come along way in the past 6 months from not wanting to touch mince.

3. Shape level tablespoons of mixture onto wooden skewers. Place on a plate. If you are using bamboo skewers it helps to soak them in water for 30 minutes beforehand so they don't burn while the koftas are cooking.

4. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook koftas, turning, for 5 to 7 minutes or until browned and cooked through. This step was completed by hubby while Bee and I made the salad to serve with the koftas.

Fattoush

Serves 6
Fattoush is a Middle Eastern salad of green vegetables, herbs and fried flatbread.  Instead of frying the bread I went for the healthier option of spraying it with olive oil and then grilling.

Download a free recipe card for this recipe here.
Ingredients
olive oil spray
1 piece Lebanese bread, grilled
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
2 Lebanese cucumbers, halved lengthways, deseeded, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup mint leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 tablespoon sumac

Method

1. Make a dressing by combining 25ml of olive oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of sumac in a screw-top jar. Secure the lid and shake until well combined. This is a great step for children to do.  Just make sure you use a plastic container for younger children.

2. Place tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, parsley and mint in a large bowl. 

3. Drizzle with dressing and toss gently to combine. 

4. Break bread into pieces. This is another great step for even the youngest chefs to have a go at.  They will love the crunching sound as they break the bread up.

5. Add the pieces of bread to the salad. Toss gently and serve.

Lamb Koftas and Fattoush

 Even hubby gave this dish a big thumbs up!