Lamb Kofta Pita Pockets with Quinoa Tabbouleh

Koftas are ground meat mixed with a few spices and shaped into balls or kebabs. They can be found in many different cuisines including Indian, Afghani, Pakistani, and Turkish. The Greek variation is a popular dish including chickpeas, usually fried and served with yogurt or tzatziki. They are simple to make and taste great. I've made the recipe a little more healthy by baking the koftas. 

Tabbouleh is a fantastic, nutritious Mediterranean salad. Generally made with bulgur wheat, I have swapped this out for quinoa, inspired by this fantastic recipe from Meal Planning Maven. I absolutely LOVED quinoa tabbouleh and will definitely be making it this way from now on. Linda suggests making it at least a few hours in advance to allow the flavor to develop. She was absolutely right. I gave it a try when it was just finished and thought it really tasty, a few hours later at dinner time it was even more delicious!

Don't be daunted by the long ingredients list. I promise it's not as bad as it looks!

Lamb Kofta Pita Pockets with Quinoa Tabbouleh 

Serves 4

Tabbouleh:

1 Cup uncooked quinoa
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1 bunch mint, chopped
2 spring onions, sliced
1/4 Cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tomato, finely diced

Lamb Koftas:

1 onion
2 cloves garlic
400 g (14 oz) can chickpeas, drained
500 g (17.6 oz) ground lamb
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt

Sauce:

1 Cup fat free plain yogurt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp tahini

To serve:

4 wholemeal pita pockets
lettuce leaves

1. To make the tabbouleh, cook the quinoa following the package directions. Once cooled, combine with all of the other tabbouleh ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use.

2. To make the koftas, preheat the oven to 200C (400F). Place the onion and garlic in a food processor and process until "chopped." Add the chickpeas and process again. Add the ground lamb, cumin, chili, and salt. Process until well combined.

3. Divide the mixture into 4 equal sized portions and divide each in half again (total of 8 pieces). Shape into koftas and bake on a baking paper lined oven tray and bake for 15 minutes, turning once.

4. While the koftas are baking,  make the sauce by mixing the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.

5. Fill pita breads with koftas, tabbouleh, sauce, and lettuce.