Flank Steak with Middle Eastern Spice Marinade

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. beef flank steak, cut in half, lengthwise
• 1 tbsp. garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp. chile flakes
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Makes 4 Servings

1. Season steak with salt and pepper. Let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Combine remaining ingredients.
3. Spread spice mix evenly over both sides of the steak; rub in with you fingers. Place steak in a shallow dish. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 1-24 hours.
4.  For a charcoal grill, place meat on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals. Grill for 17-21 minutes or until medium doneness (160 F), turning once halfway thought grilling. For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place meat on grill rack over heat. cover and grill as above.
5. Transfer grilled meat to a cutting board. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. To serve, slice very thinly across the grain.

WW POINTS  VALUE: 4 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the New Sonoma Cookbook. Here's another quick and easy way to enjoy your steak without having to go out to the restaurant. If you enjoy Mexican food or any other spicy food, you'll love this dish. The key to the heat in this spicy is the combination of cumin and cardamom. You can enjoy this steak on it's own with a side of sautéed vegetables, serve it in a salad or serve as a sandwich in a pita with a sauce. You can also use this Middle Eastern marinade on chicken, turkey, pork, lamb, and if you dare, fish and your protein will still be delicious. 

Kofta Skewers with Peppers

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1/2 lb. lean ground lamb
• 1 small onion, grated
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 medium bell peppers, any color, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
• 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

Special Equipment:

• 8 (12-inch) skewers

Makes 4 (2-skewer) Servings

1. In a large bowl, combine beef, lamb, onion, parsley, tomato paste, garlic, cumin, red pepper flakes and salt. Divide meat mixture into 8 equal portions. Form each portion into 6-inch sausage shape around a skewer.
2. In a medium bowl, toss peppers with oil.
3. Lightly coat a grill or grill pan with cooking spray and heat to medium-high. Grill meat, turning frequently, until browned on all sides and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Halfway through cooking, place peppers on grill and cook, turning frequently, until lightly charred on all sides, 8-10 minutes. Serve kofta hot with peppers.

WW POINTS VALUE: 9 pts

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook. Kofta means pounded meat in Persian andusually consists of balls of ground meat (usually beef or lamb) mixed with spices and onions. Koftas are often enjoyed in Middle Eastern and South Asian countries. These meaty treats were delicious with the roasted red bell peppers I grilled. This was also the first time I had ground lamb but it was mixed in with the ground beef and I must say I enjoyed my meats. I also made grilled sausage for the first time and I was nervous but they turned out smoky, filling and delicious. These sausages will quickly fill you up and leave you satisfied. I do highly recommend using a grill basket when grilling your Kofta sausages and peppers so nothing will fall apart or fall through the gate.

Middle Eastern-Style Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground turkey breast
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 small onion, grated
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted and cooled
• 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 4 (7-inch) whole-wheat pitas, warmed
• 1 large tomato, cut into 8 slices

Makes 4 Servings

1.  Spray the rack of a broiler pan with nonstick spray and preheat the broiler.
2. Mix together the turkey, the egg white, onion, pine nuts, oil, cumin, paprika, salt, allspice and crushed red pepper until well combined. With damp hands, shape the mixture into 4 (1/2-inch thick) patties.
3. Place the patties on the broiler rack and broil 4 inches from the heat until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the side of a burger registers 165 F, 5-6 minutes on each side.
4. Cut off the top third of each pita (save for another use, if desired). Stuff wach pita with 2 tomato slices and a burger.

WW POINTS VALUE: 7pts

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW in 20 minutes Cookbook. I was craving a burger and I wanted to try something new. I've always been questionable about Middle Eastern food and now that my palate has improved over these last few years I decided to take the plunge. This was a delicious burger that has a lot of different flavors to it. The paprika and the cumin are the key spices that give this burger an extra kick of heat. If you don't have any whole-wheat pitas, you can use buns instead. I also highly recommend adding lettuce and some condiments such as mayonnaise, ketchup or mustard to add more flavor.