Middle Eastern Feast

One of our feasts last summer - chicken shwarma, lamb kofta, & grilled eggplant!

Every once in a while, nothing sounds better than a Middle Eastern feast! This is a good menu for entertaining - easy to prep ahead and throw things on the grill, lots of exciting flavors and spices, and very healthy. I often use this menu to entertain when I am not eating carbs but my guests are not low carb - there's plenty of food to satisfy everyone.

Chicken Shawarma spices - you can marinate overnight

Here's the menu:

Grilled Chicken Shawarma Skewers from The Shiksa (I skip the second frying step myself and do the skewers on the grill, and I only use boneless skinless chicken thighs - yum!)

Lamb Kofta Kabobs from AllRecipes (this recipe is legit, tastes just like restaurant quality and I simplify by putting all spices/onion chunks/garlic cloves/parsley in the food processor to make a paste & save some time, and then mix that in with the ground lamb).

Lamb mixed with the seasonings for Lamb Kofta

Grilled Eggplant - Simply slice eggplant into 1/4in slices or so, sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper and grill until soft and charred and ridiculously yummy. (Seriously, eggplant tastes 1,000 more amazing prepared this way).

Add some fresh herbs to your hummous, basil-garlic-lemon is so delicious!

Megan's Hummus - I love hummus on any occasion and homemade always seems to taste the best. I always use my sister-in-law's recipe: In your food processor, puree 1tsp grated lemon peel, 2 T fresh lemon juice, 1 can garbanzo beans rinsed/drained, 2 T tahini sauce, 3 T olive oil, 2 T water, 1 garlic clove, 1/8 t cayenne pepper, and 1/4 t salt. Really puree for a long time to make it super smooth and I always add more lemon and garlic or salt, or make a double batch, etc. Adjust to your liking! I added some lemony basil once and it was fabulous! You can spread it over a plate and sprinkle with paprika and drizzle with olive oil and serve with pita wedges, or save in the fridge for 3 days.

Rice Pilaf (from a box), Sliced lettuce/onion/tomatoes, and Pitas and garlic sauce - I tried making that pure-garlic-yummy sauce that comes with chicken shawarma before and it was a fail, so I just head over to my local Middle Eastern restaurant and buy a large tub and a dozen or so pitas and that takes care of that! I don't typically have time to make my own bread. If anyone knows how to make that garlic sauce, let me know!

So for low-carb people, just make lettuce wraps with the shawarma and koftas with onions and tomato and garlic sauce - soo good! Eggplant is a great side and my new favorite vegetable to grill. For everyone else, the yummy fresh pitas and rice fills out the meal wonderfully. Instead of just making the same ole barbecue chicken when you have guests this summer, try something different and go middle eastern on the grill! You will not be disappointed.