Ground American Lamb Kebabs with Dried Fruit-Mint Quinoa "Couscous"
Courtesy of American Lamb Board 6 Servings • 30 Min. Prep Time • 15 Min. Cook TimeIngredients |
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For Lamb: |
2 lb. ground American lamb |
1/2 c. finely minced onion |
6 cloves minced garlic |
3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro |
3 Tbsp. chopped parsley |
1/2 tsp. ground cumin |
1/2 tsp. ground coriander |
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon |
salt and pepper to taste |
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For Quinoa: |
2 c. quinoa |
1/3 c. chopped dried apricots (about 6 apricots) |
1/3 c. chopped medjool dates (about 3 large dates) |
4 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint |
3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro |
2 tsp. freshly grated lemon zest |
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice |
1/2 tsp. salt |
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper |
Directions:
1. For Lamb: In a large bowl combine lamb, onion, garlic, cilantro,parsley, cumin, coriander and cinnamon and mix until well incorporated.
2. Form into 24 equal-sized oblong patties and thread 2 patties each onto 12 metal or soaked wooden skewers; reserve.
3. For Quinoa; Place quinoa in a 4-qt. saucepan and rinse with cold water three times, changing water each time. After third rinsing, add 3 c. water to the quinoa, bring to a boil and cook quinoa, stirring occasionally, until water is absorbed, 10-12 min. (quinoa should be mostly dry and slightly al dente). Remove from heat, fluff and cover to keep warm.
4. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill skewers until just cooked through 2 min. per side (meat will be pink on the inside). * Remove from heat and rest for 3 min.
5. While meat is resting, toss quinoa with apricots, dates, mint, cilantro, lemon zest and juice and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with skewers.
* Instead of grilling, skewers can also be cooked under the broiler for 3-4 min. until med. rare.
* Recipe and image provided by the American Lamb Board