I returned home with new inspiration for my cooking after an amazing week in the city that never sleeps.

New York City is a melting pot of cultures and cuisines. I couldn’t help but be blown away by the variety of flavors.

I had the pleasure of trying a little bit of everything, from Indian to Mexican, Italian to British, and lots of good old American food.

One cuisine that made my taste buds sing was Middle Eastern food, and I couldn’t wait to experiment with all the delicious flavors and ingredients they use.

I’ve checked off two boxes on my culinary to-do list with this recipe: grain-free Turkish flatbreads and sweetly spiced meatballs.

The flatbreads are made with ingredients I always have on hand. They are super easy to make.

Perfect for soft tacos or tortillas, they can be pan-fried like pancakes.

Meatballs can be seasoned and flavored to your liking and are a budget-friendly option.

I added various spices and lots of fresh herbs for a delicious twist.

To balance the heat of the meatballs, I made creamy bean hummus with white beans and yogurt.

It’s the perfect dip for flatbread. I serve the whole dish with freshly chopped lettuce and sliced tomatoes.

It’s a great and easy meal. And it makes for delicious lunchbox leftovers.

Have fun with it!

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Table of Contents

Middel Eastern Meatballs

Middel Eastern Meatballs with Creamy Bean Hummus & Grain free Turkish Flatbreads

Course Main Course

Servings

Calories 224kcal

Ingredients

Middel eastern meatballs

400 g ground organic beef
1 organic egg
1 red onion
4 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp coconut sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp hot chill flakes/powder
1 handful fresh mint
1 handful fresh basil
1 handful fresh parsley
½ tsp salt + fresh ground pepper
Butter for frying

Creamy bean hummus

1 can white beans or 240 g cooked white beans
2 tbsp plain yoghurt, creme fraiche or greek yoghurt
1 tbp tahnini
1 lemon Juice
1 clove of garlic
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp salt + fresh ground pepper

Grain free turkish flatbreads

2 eggs
½ cup cold water
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp almond meal very finely ground almonds
2 tbsp defatted sesame flour you can replace with defatted coconut or defatted almond flour
1 tbsp ground flaxseeds
½ tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
1 tbsp nigella seeds
Butter to fry

Extra

50 g pine nuts
Additional herbs
Olive oil

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Start by making the meatball mix. Easiest way is to add everything to a food processor, except ground beef and egg. Chop it using the large blade. Then add beef and eggs and pulse until well combine. Or chop everything by hand and mix well together in a large bowl. Let the mix sit in the fridge
Use a food processor or blender for making the hummus. Add everything and blend until creamy. Season to taste.
Make the batter for the flatbreads by whisking together eggs, oil and water. Mix all the dry ingredients, except nigella seeds, in another bowl and add them to the wet mix while whisking thoroughly to avoid any clumps.Heat a pan with a tsp of butter. Add 1/4 of the batter and flip around the pan to spread it into a nice thin ‘pancake’. Fry for a couple of minutes. Add a sprinkle of nigella seeds before flipping in onto the other side. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
Now continue to use the frying pan for cooking the meatballs. Add another tbsp of butter. Use your hands to roll up small meatballs and fry them in the pan on medium too high heat until crispy and golden brown. Remove from the pan.
Add a the pine nuts in the already heated and greasy pan and roast for 1-2 min. Toss them with a bit of extra chopped herbs and a little olive oil as garnish.
Arrange the hummus on a big deep plate. Top it with the meatballs and the roasted pine nuts and herb garnish. Serve it while hot with a plate of flatbread on the side. I also like to serve sliced tomatoes, avocado and fresh lettuce on the side too.

Nutrition