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Lebanese chicken meatball & halloumi salad with pomegranate dressing

You can make this is a salad or leave the greens out and have it alone.  If making with the orzo, cook the orzo first and set aside.  I have a few orzo recipes on the website for variations.  The halloumi should be grilled right before serving otherwise it become rubbery.

The pomegranate dressing adds a nice kick to the entire dish, and brings us straight into the Middle East.  Pomegranates have a 4,000 year history in almost every part of the world.  They’re high in Vitamin C and potassium, along with antioxidants not found in many fruits.

In Persia, during the wedding ceremony, a basket of pomegranates is placed on the ceremonial cloth to symbolize a joyous future.   In Turkey, after the marriage ceremony, the bride throws a pomegranate on the ground. The number of arils that fall out are believed to indicate how many children she will have.

In Crete, when a bride enters her new home, the groom hands her a pomegranate. In China, a picture of a ripe, open pomegranate is a popular wedding present, expressing the wish, “May you have as many children as there are seeds!” (Pomegranates.org)

Lebanese chicken meatball & halloumi salad with pomegranate dressing

You can make this is a salad or leave the greens out and have it alone.  If making with the orzo, cook the orzo first and set aside.  I have a few orzo recipes on the website for variations.  The halloumi should be grilled right before serving otherwise it become rubbery.

The pomegranate dressing adds a nice kick to the entire dish, and brings us straight into the Middle East.  Pomegranates have a 4,000 year history in almost every part of the world.  They’re high in Vitamin C and potassium, along with antioxidants not found in many fruits.

In Persia, during the wedding ceremony, a basket of pomegranates is placed on the ceremonial cloth to symbolize a joyous future.   In Turkey, after the marriage ceremony, the bride throws a pomegranate on the ground. The number of arils that fall out are believed to indicate how many children she will have.

In Crete, when a bride enters her new home, the groom hands her a pomegranate. In China, a picture of a ripe, open pomegranate is a popular wedding present, expressing the wish, “May you have as many children as there are seeds!” (Pomegranates.org)

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Ingredients

Recipe serves: 4
1 medium zucchini
1 pound ground chicken
1/3 cup finely chopped scallions
1/4 cup chopped mint
optional: 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons tahini
as needed: 1/2-1 cup Panko bread crumbs
salad
3-4 heads baby romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup canned chick peas, drained
4 Persian cucumbers, sliced in rounds
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
option: in season cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
dressing
4 teaspoons ground sumac soaked in 4 teaspoons warm water for 15 minutes
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
2 small garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons white vinegar
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
option: 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
kosher salt, to taste
additions
halloumi *see recipe
1 cup orzo, cooked according to directions or *see recipe
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Lebanese chicken meatball & halloumi salad with pomegranate dressing
  • time
    1 hour
  • serves
    4
  • skill level
    Medium

Ingredients

  • salad

  • dressing

  • additions

Directions

1
Done

Preheat oven to 350F.

2
Done

Grate zucchini, combine with ½ teaspoon salt and let sit for 5 minutes. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

3
Done

Mix together zucchini and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. If the mixture feels too wet, add a ½ cup of Panko bread crumbs.

4
Done

Form the mixture into large size balls, the size of a golf ball. You can also use an ice cream scoop, and place balls on a baking sheet.

5
Done

Bake for 15 minutes, remove from oven, turn meatballs over and cook for another 10 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.

6
Done

dressing

In another smaller bowl, water with soaked sumac, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, garlic, vinegar and olive oil. Whisk to combine and season with salt as needed.

7
Done

salad

Mix all the salad ingredients together, our in half the dressing, toss, taste, add salt, and add more dressing to taste.

8
Done

Divide salad into bowls, add 3-4 meatballs to each and a scoop of orzo and a hot slice of halloumi.