Lunch ideas

Moroccan Chicken Kofta

~ SL

This post was written in a paid partnership with Manitoba Chicken Producers. As always, all opinions are my own and I only promote products and services that I use and love.

Summer is fast-approaching and that means dining outside, weekends at the cottage and maybe a few camping excursions. I love the simplicity of this Moroccan Chicken Kofta recipe for all those activities.  It’s easy to prep in advance and batch cook plus, you can cook it and serve it in a few different ways.

How to prep chicken kofta in advance

This recipe comes together in two steps: Mix and shape.  Since the assembly is so quick, I would double, triple, or even quadruple this recipe since it’s easy to freeze. 

The seasonings are like those used in falafel: garlic, onion, parsley, cumin and coriander.  Other spices you will need are likely already in your pantry: cinnamon, allspice, cayenne, salt & pepper. The addition of a bit of fresh mint really adds a punch of flavor.

Once you have mixed and shaped the ingredients you can freeze the kofta individually on a sheet pan. It will be a lot easier to store the kofta if they aren’t on the skewers, so you might want to consider freezing the logs without skewers or shaping the kofta mixture into patties or meatballs.

Once the kofta is frozen, transfer it to a freezer bag to use at your convenience.

How to cook chicken kofta

Depending on how you decide to shape the kofta, you can make it on the grill, bake it in the oven or cook it in a skillet on the stove. You can also cook it over a campfire!

Food safety tip: To ensure that chicken is cooked to a safe temperature, use a meat thermometer.  Cook ground chicken to 165°F (74°C). It’s important to note that cooking times will vary depending on the cooking method and the size of the pieces.

Download a Cooking Perfect Chicken is Easy Reference Card here!

Serving suggestions

Depending on how you shape the Moroccan Chicken Kofta, you have a few options for serving it:

  • Serve patties in mini naan rounds, topped with hummus, pickled banana peppers, lettuce, tomato and onions.
  • Serve meatballs with tzatziki and grilled vegetables or on a mezze platter with a few dips, crudités and tabouleh.  You’ll likely have some fresh mint, parsley and garlic leftover from making the kofta, so tabouleh is the perfect side to maximize those ingredients.
  • Stuff logs into pita pockets with hummus or tahini sauce, lettuce, tomatoes and olives and cilantro.

Meal prep tips for Moroccan Chicken Kofta

Let’s recap some of the great meal prep tips you can apply to this recipe:

  • Low prep, in two easy steps
  • Double, triple or quadruple the batch.
  • Freeze prepped kofta raw or cooked
  • Cook it in a skillet, in the oven, on the grill or over a campfire.
  • Make it in advance.
  • Use the same ingredients in your side dishes and/or condiments.
  • Shape it in different ways.
  • Serve it in different ways.

Make sure you add this to your summer menu!

Warm Roasted Pepper & Fried Halloumi Salad

~ SL ~ 1 Comment

This flavourful salad has an amazing texture, with the soft roasted peppers and the squeaky fried halloumi. The Honey Chimichurri dressing is tangy, herby and sweet.

Is it a salad or a side dish?

This Warm Roasted Pepper & Fried Halloumi Salad can be both! You can serve this both at room temperature or hot. Drizzle on the chimichurri dressing just before serving it, then top it with crunchy pumpkin seeds. You can even skewer the peppers and halloumi (cube it for this), drizzle them with oil, salt & pepper, then grill them for an appetizer-style kabob.

Jump to Recipe

Roasting the peppers

Use only sweet bell peppers for this dish. Any combination of red, orange and yellow bell peppers will do. You can also use the mini bell peppers if you wish. Cut the peppers in half, remove the seeds, then slice each half in 4 wedge-type slices. Place them on a parchment covered baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and salt & pepper and roast at 425F for 25 minutes. Roasting at a high temperature gives you a nice char which adds tons of flavour to this salad. No need to peel the peppers once they have been roasted. Simply arrange them on a plate or in a bowl with the halloumi, dress and top with the pumpkin seeds.

Meal prep tip: Roast extra peppers and use in another meal, like this Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup or add them to a grain bowl for lunch.

Cooking the halloumi

Halloumi is a type of cheese that doesn’t melt like other cheeses. Pan-frying it at medium-high heat caramelizes it and gives it a nice crispy texture. Watch it closely so that it doesn’t burn. I like to slice it in 1/4 inch slices, so that they are quite crispy. Slicing the halloumi a little bit thicker will give it a crust on the outside and a squeak on the inside. I like to use the PC Herb and Garlic Flavored Halloumi, but you can certainly use an unflavored brand as well.

Making the chimichurri dressing

This chimichurri recipe makes a good amount of sauce. You only need 1/4 cup for this dressing, but you can also thin it out with vinegar and olive oil and use it as a dressing for a grain bowl or pasta salad. I also love to use is in chicken fajitas or to drizzle over sheet pan meals. Chimichurri is also a great marinade for beef, pork, chicken or seafood and you can also use it to top almost any grilled protein.

Liquid honey is the key to this dressing. If you find that the honey has solidified, place your jar in some hot water to let it melt slowly or melt a few tablespoons in the microwave before combining it with the chimichurri.

How to meal prep warm roasted red pepper and fried halloumi salad

This recipe is meal prep friendly if you want to make it ahead of time. You can make all the components ahead of time and simply assemble the roasted pepper salad before serving. Roast the peppers, make the chimichurri dressing and fry the halloumi. Fried halloumi surprisingly keeps it’s crisp texture when made ahead of time.

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Warm Roasted Pepper & Fried Halloumi Salad Recipe

This flavourful salad has an amazing texture, with the soft roasted peppers and the squeaky fried halloumi. The Honey Chimichurri dressing is tangy, herby and sweet.

Course Salad, Side Dish
Keyword chimichurri, halloumi, honey, pumpkin seeds, roasted pepper
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 4 sweet bell peppers cut in 8
  • 1 pkg. PC Herb & Garlic Halloumi cut in 7-8 slices, can use unflavored halloumi
  • 4 Tbsp olive oil for roasting and frying
  • salt & pepper
  • 1/3 cup chimichurri see recipe linked in this post
  • 2 Tbsp liquid honey
  • 1/3 cup salted pumpkin seeds

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425F.

  2. Slice peppers in 8.

  3. Toss peppers in 2 Tbsp olive oil and season with salt & pepper to taste.

  4. Spread out peppers on parchment covered baking sheet and roast in the oven for 25 minutes.

  5. Prepare the chimichurri according to recipe instructions.

  6. Combine 1/3 cup of the chimichurri with 2 Tbsp liquid honey and set aside. Use remaining chimichurri in other recipes or freeze it for future use.

  7. Slice the halloumi in 7-8 slices.

  8. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the halloumi sliced approximately 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Watch them closely so they don't burn.

  9. Arrange roasted peppers and halloumi in a serving dish.

  10. Drizzle with the chimichurri dressing and sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds.

Recipe Notes

If you’re prepping the components of this dish ahead of time, arrange the peppers and halloumi in an oven-safe dish and reheat them in the oven at 350 for about 5 minutes before adding the dressing and pumpkin seeds. 

Pantry Sandwich

~ SL

One of my goals in the summer when we head out for the weekend, is to try to pack as minimally as possible. This means, strategically planning and prepping every meal and trying to use the ingredients to the fullest, so that we come home with an empty cooler. This pantry sandwich does just that. Pantry ingredients that work well together in the sandwich, and are great in other meals too if there are leftovers.

Jarred pantry ingredients don’t take up cooler or fridge space. Refrigerate only the leftovers (if you have any!)

Pantry Sandwich Components

When I was developing this sandwich recipe, my criteria was:

  • Limited refrigeration required
  • Low squish factor
  • Easy on-site assembly and prep

I like using ciabatta buns for this sandwich because they are sturdy and don’t squish and flatten as much as hamburger buns do. You could also substitute with naan or tortillas for another low-squish option.

As a spread, I like olive tapenade. It’s briny, salty and full of flavor. Other options could be pesto, sundried tomato pesto or jarred antipasto.

I absolutely love sundried tomatoes. They are bursts of concentrated flavor and you can use them in so many other meals if you have some leftover. You can use sliced or whole sundried tomatoes for this. Oil-packed is best, so you don’t have to rehydrate the dried ones.

Roasted red peppers are an underrated pantry item. They are so sweet and perfectly roasted. Drain the liquid and pat them dry before adding them to your sandwich. I also love them in this Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup for a quick and easy slow-cooker meal.

Feta cheese is the last ingredient and the only ingredient you will need to pack in your cooler for your road trip. If you’re from Winnipeg, local Chaeban feta has a unique, creamy texture that you’re going to want to try! You can definitely substitute with a different cheese, like fresh mozzarella.

This pantry sandwich is quick to assemble, but you can also set out the ingredients so everyone can make their own sandwich.

Making your pantry sandwich

The first step is to toast your buns. You can do this in a toaster, in the oven, on the BBQ, on a campfire or by drizzling with a bit of olive oil and grilling face-down in a skillet. Since all cottages and campsites have different amenities, you have a lot of options here. As I mentioned previously, you can also use naan or tortillas if you’d like a flatter option that would pack well in a backpack.

Next, spread some tapenade on the bottom half. You can definitely spread it on both halves if you want!

Follow up with a layer or sundried tomatoes, then roasted red peppers and finally crumbled feta.

Top it off with the other half of the bun and you’re done. Serve with a side salad or some crispy potato chips!

Using Up Leftovers

If you happen to have any leftover ingredients after making this sandwich, here’s how you can use them up.

  • Toss them into some hot pasta with some garlic-infused olive oil. Check out page 82 of the Ultimate Guide for some other pasta toss ideas.
  • Use them as pizza toppings
  • Make a snack board and serve them with crackers
  • Add them to prepared hummus
Print

Pantry Sandwich

This pantry sandwich uses mostly non-perishable pantry ingredients so you can easily pack it up for your weekend getaways, or throw it together when you have nothing left in the fridge.

Course Main Course, sandwich, Snack
Cuisine Mediterranean
Keyword ciabatta, feta, pantry, roasted red pepper, sandwich, sundried tomato, tapenade
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 sandwiches
Author SL

Ingredients

  • 4 ciabatta buns
  • 1 jar olive tapenade
  • 1 jar oil-packed sundried tomatoes (sliced or whole)
  • 1 jar roasted red peppers, drained and patted dry
  • 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

  1. Toast ciabatta buns.

  2. Spread one half of each toasted bun with 2 Tbsp olive tapenade.

  3. Top each half with approximately 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes.

  4. Then, top with one roasted red pepper, patted dry and opened up.

  5. Top with approximately 1/4 cup crumbled feta.

  6. Close up the sandwich and enjoy with a side salad or potato chips.

Recipe Notes

To roast your own peppers: 

Cut two red peppers in half and remove the seeds. 

Drizzle the skin with olive oil and roast for 20-25 minutes at 425.  

As soon as they come out of the oven, place peppers in a bowl and cover with a lid or plastic wrap to hold in the steam. 

Let sit for 10 minutes, then peel off the skin.