I have seen so many griddle posts lately you all inspired me to dig mine out and get to work. I decided to do a spin on smashburgers using Lebanese lamb kofta for smashburgers along with other things to remain in the Lebanese theme.
Appetizer: Fried Halloumi – Fried Halloumi cheese with a tahini and my homemade sugar free
dandelion honey drizzle. Topped with pistachios and served with an olive tapenade.
Salad: Lebanese Fattoush: Romaine lettuce, cucumber, tomato , parsley and keto garlic pita chips served with a traditional Lebanese salad dressing highlighted by olive oil, lemon, fresh mint and Za’atar
Entrée: Lamb Kofta Smashburger and Mediterranean grilled vegetables: Fresh made lamb kofta patties smashburger style served on chaffles with garlic spread, spinach, feta cheese sauce and fresh pickled red onions. Served with a side of an eggplant and squash medley marinated with olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh mint, parsley and lemon with a hit of chili flakes.
I made the lamb kofta a day ahead of time to let the flavors marry.
Lamb Kofta Ingredients:
I made some sweet pickled red onions and a feta cheese sauce to go with the burgers. Recipes follow, didn't get pics of these finished. Pic is of the sauce prior to melting it.
Sweet Pickled Red Onion Ingredients:
Mediterranean Marinated Vegetables:
Fattoush Salad:
Here is the halloumi frying away on the griddle
Here are some of the kofta on the griddle and all of them on the cutting board after. 12 of them there double stacked. I ate lucky number 13 while I was cooking them lol.
Time to construct some things. Here is the halloumi appetizer plated.
Next a bowl of salad so I can give my wife the salad and appetizer while I work on finishing the rest.
Starting the kofta burger here. A nice layer of Mediterranean garlic spread on the chaffle.
First burger with spinach and feta cheese sauce
Double deckered up with some more cheese sauce and topped with the sweet pickled red onions.
Here it is plated up along with the vegetables and some spicy pepper infused Greek olives.
Well that's a wrap. The flavors in this were awesome. The sweet pickled onion on the kofta to contrast with the salty feta sauce was money. The saltiness of the fried halloumi with the tahini and honey was a nice combination as well. The vegetables were tasty if not a little lemony. All in all this was one tasty meal. I have the griddle now in a spot easier to get out so more griddle fun is sure to come. Thanks for looking!!
Appetizer: Fried Halloumi – Fried Halloumi cheese with a tahini and my homemade sugar free
dandelion honey drizzle. Topped with pistachios and served with an olive tapenade.
Salad: Lebanese Fattoush: Romaine lettuce, cucumber, tomato , parsley and keto garlic pita chips served with a traditional Lebanese salad dressing highlighted by olive oil, lemon, fresh mint and Za’atar
Entrée: Lamb Kofta Smashburger and Mediterranean grilled vegetables: Fresh made lamb kofta patties smashburger style served on chaffles with garlic spread, spinach, feta cheese sauce and fresh pickled red onions. Served with a side of an eggplant and squash medley marinated with olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh mint, parsley and lemon with a hit of chili flakes.
I made the lamb kofta a day ahead of time to let the flavors marry.
Lamb Kofta Ingredients:
- ½ cup each of almonds and walnuts (can use pine nuts too)
- 1 ½ small onions
- 4 ½ cloves minced garlic
- 1 ½ medium red bell pepper
- 2 medium jalapenos seeded
- ¾ cup cilantro
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/3 tsp each cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and pepper
- 2 ¼ tsp salt
- 3 lbs. of ground lamb
I made some sweet pickled red onions and a feta cheese sauce to go with the burgers. Recipes follow, didn't get pics of these finished. Pic is of the sauce prior to melting it.
Sweet Pickled Red Onion Ingredients:
- One medium red onion halved and sliced
- 1 -2 tablespoons sweetener (I used 2 Swerve)
- ¾ cup of white vinegar
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- Chili flakes to taste
- Mix all ingredients and rest for at least an hour. Much better if left overnight.
- 1 cup crumbled feta
- 1 tbsp. fresh minced basil
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 3 tbsp. heavy cream
- ¼ tsp cumin
- Pinch of sweetener
Mediterranean Marinated Vegetables:
- 1 eggplant
- 1 zucchini
- 1 yellow squash
- Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- ½ tsp salt
- Pinch of chili flake
- ¼ cup fresh chopped mint
- ¼ cup fresh chopped oregano
Fattoush Salad:
- 1 large head of romaine
- 2 cucumbers
- 2 containers of cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup fresh chopped parsley
- Keto pita chips (recipe I used was bad and I had to wing it to salvage so not shareable on the first go round)
- ¼ cup EVO
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tbsp. chopped mint
- 1 tsp Za’atar
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- Pepper to taste
Here is the halloumi frying away on the griddle
Here are some of the kofta on the griddle and all of them on the cutting board after. 12 of them there double stacked. I ate lucky number 13 while I was cooking them lol.
Time to construct some things. Here is the halloumi appetizer plated.
Next a bowl of salad so I can give my wife the salad and appetizer while I work on finishing the rest.
Starting the kofta burger here. A nice layer of Mediterranean garlic spread on the chaffle.
First burger with spinach and feta cheese sauce
Double deckered up with some more cheese sauce and topped with the sweet pickled red onions.
Here it is plated up along with the vegetables and some spicy pepper infused Greek olives.
Well that's a wrap. The flavors in this were awesome. The sweet pickled onion on the kofta to contrast with the salty feta sauce was money. The saltiness of the fried halloumi with the tahini and honey was a nice combination as well. The vegetables were tasty if not a little lemony. All in all this was one tasty meal. I have the griddle now in a spot easier to get out so more griddle fun is sure to come. Thanks for looking!!
