So we had this for dinner tonight and we really liked it.  I would definitely recommend prepping the sauce and veggies and everything before cooking the meat because it goes fast.  And I may or may not have slightly burned them, since I was trying to get the rest of the stuff ready, heh heh.  Jeff bought pita bread b/c he couldn't find flatbread and I didn't want to go back out to look for flatbread.  Anyway, pitas worked but flatbread would definitely be better.  We also used ground turkey cause that's what we had.  I prepped the meat the night before and I think I would do that again because then the flavors all had time to develop.

Tiernan wouldn't try the sauce because of the cilantro, and Jeff said, "cilantro, presented right, can be good."  Ha ha ha!

Chicken (or turkey) Kofta with Yogurt Sauce

Serves 4

For the meat:

1 lb. ground chicken (or turkey)

1/2 medium onion, grated (I used dehydrated onion and not quite enough to equal a 1/2 onion)

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

1 Tbsp. canola oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. coriander

1/4 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper 

pinch of ground allspice

pinch of ground cinnamon

For the sauce:

1/2 C. plain greek yogurt

1 tsp. grated orange zest

1 Tbsp. orange juice

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

1/8 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. coriander

Flatbread

1 red bell pepper, diced

cucumber, diced, optional

salad greens (spinach, spring mix, whatever you like)

In a medium bowl, add together ingredients for meat mixture and mix until well combined.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes and up to overnight.

Prepare the sauce by mixing all sauce ingredients together until well combined.  Set aside.  

Chop the red pepper and set aside.

Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler to high.  Spray a rimmed baking sheet and metal skewers with nonstick cooking spray.  Remove meat from fridge and form about 2 tablespoons of mixture into an oval around metal skewer.  Add a second oval with another 2 tablespoons of mixture on the same skewer.  Repeat with remaining meat.  Place skewers on prepared pan.

Broil the kofta, flipping once, until browned and an instant-read thermometer registers 165°, about 8-12 minutes.  

Remove from oven.  Serve the kofta on the flatbreads with salad greens, bell pepper and sauce.

Recipe from Eating Well magazine. 

Jam & Cheese Braid Dough

This is the recipe I like to use for jam & cheese braids because I never buy Bisquick. This is a quick and easy dough, too. It makes 4, but you can obviously scale that down. I use Mom's cream cheese filling and method of adding the jam, etc.

I'm also listing the fruit filling I make for those crazy boys of mine that don't like cream cheese.

Jam & Cheese Braid Dough (Yield: 4 braids)

1 c. sour cream

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. butter, cut into pieces

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 T. yeast

1/2 c. warm water

2 eggs

4 c. flour

Combine the sour cream, sugar, butter, and salt in a saucepan and heat over med-low until the butter melts, stirring occasionally. Let it cool a bit so it's not too hot for the yeast (about 105-115 degrees. Don't stress too much about it, though, as long as it's not super warm).

Meanwhile, combine the yeast and warm water in a large mixing bowl and let stand for about 5 minutes. Stir in the sour cream mixture and eggs. Gradually stir in the flour (dough will be soft). Cover and chill overnight or at least 8 hours.

If you're making the fruit filling below, do that now.

Divide dough into fourths. Roll out each fourth on a greased cookie sheet into a 12x8-inch rectangle. Spread the filling (cream cheese or fruit) down the center. Cut the sides and fold over the center to form the braid.

Heat the oven to 375. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until browned.

Fruit Filling (enough for 1 braid)

Mix 1-2 T. cornstarch with 1/4 c. sugar in a saucepan. Add 1 small package of frozen fruit (any kind of berry is good, or a mix). It can be thawed or frozen. Bring it to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Let it simmer until it has thickened. Set aside to cool a bit while you shape the dough.