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These beef kebabs are an easy and quick weeknight dinner that is quite tasty! Just a few minutes of prep and kid-friendly as well. Paleo, Whole30, and AIP friendly!
Every so often you find a recipe that really strikes you as something you'll want to eat over and over again – especially when it's easy to prepare and cook. These Chelo Beef Kebabs are definitely one of those recipes for us.
Recipe from the book And Here We Are At the Table
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I have already established that I am a bit of a cookbook addict. I own far too many of them, but I don't want to stop getting them because I love discovering new dishes and ways of preparing food.
I also know a good cookbook when I open it up and instead of just flipping through the pictures, I want to sit down and read it page by page, like a book should be read. When I received And Here We Are At the Table by Ariana Mullins, that is exactly what I did. This book is nothing short of delightful!
What I loved about it was that it wasn't the same old American recipes that you see in most of the other cookbooks these days (not that there's anything wrong with them, but they can get monotonous sometimes). Instead there are a ton of recipes from other ethnic backgrounds – the use of spices and flavors we don't typically see.
This book I'd categorize as mostly grain-free Paleo, with a few Whole30 and AIP recipes inside, but if you're looking for an AIP cookbook, this isn't it due to the use of non-AIP spices and ingredients. But once you're reintroduced them, it is a good option to explore.
If you're interested in getting this book for yourself, check it out on Amazon.
Chelo Beef Kebabs
As I mentioned above, one of the recipes that we tried as a family and really loved from this book though was the Chelo Kebabs.
They're made from ground beef (though you can substitute ground lamb) and flavored with some herbs and spices to make a wonderful, easy dinner.
Ingredients for these beef kebabs
See the recipe card below for the exact measurements and ingredients.
• Ground Beef or Lamb – I know some kebabs are made with chunks of meat, but this one uses ground meat to incorporate the flavors and to form a meatball-like structure around the kebab sticks
• Onion – One of the main flavoring elements of this dish, it helps bring a spiciness to it
• Turmeric, Mint, and Salt – these give the kebabs their distinct flavor
• Baking Soda – helps to keep the beef moist by enhancing its PH levels and stopping the proteins from binding too quickly (which dries out the meat)
How to make the Chelo beef kebabs
These kebabs are easy to make, but they will require the use of a food processor to really get the full effect. However, if you don't have one, you can simply mix these together like a meatball and then put them around the sticks.
• Using a food processor, chop up the onion, then add the rest of the ingredients for the kebabs and process until everything is a smooth paste
• Form the meat into kebabs around the skewers
• Cook the kebabs under the broiler for about 5 min a side and then serve!
Making ahead and freezing
You can make the kebabs and then cook them and store in the fridge up to 5 days.
Or if you'd prefer to freeze them, it's best to flash-freeze them before cooking and store in the freezer up to 3 months. See the instructions on cooking from frozen.
You can freeze them after they've been cooked as well, but they won't be as juicy as flash-freezing before cooking.
More Helpful AIP & Paleo Resources in the Freebie Library
If you find this recipe helpful, you may really enjoy the resources in my Paleo & AIP Freebie Library! There's a “dump” freezer meal plan, a list of AIP-compliant breakfast toppings, and so much more. Plus, you'll get even more ideas sent to your inbox! Get the password here.
Chelo Beef Kebabs Recipe (Paleo, Whole30, AIP)
If you make these kebabs, I'd love to hear how it turned out! Either comment below or share a pic on Instagram and tag me @thrivingautoimmune!
Chelo Beef Kebabs (Paleo, Whole30, AIP)
Ingredients
- 1 medium Onion (skinned and cut into quarters)
- 1 lb Ground Beef or Lamb
- 1/4 tsp ground Tumeric
- 1 pinch Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Salt
- a few grinds of Fresh Black Pepper (omit for AIP)
- 1 tsp Dried Mint (or 1 tbsp fresh Mint)
- chopped fresh herbs like cilantro or parsley to garnish (optional)
- Chili Flakes and Ground Sumac to garnish (optional, omit for AIP)
- Lemon Wedges to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Put the onion into the food processor and process until finely chopped. Gather the onions to one side of the work bowl and use a paper towel or a clean kitchen towel to press as much liquid out as you can.
- Add the meat, salt, spices, and baking powder (baking soda for AIP), and process for about 30 seconds to one minute. You want the meat to be smooth and well-blended. This might seem weird, but it works!
- Form the meat into kebabs. It will be sticky, and if you want you can dip your fingers into a bowl of cold water between kebabs to make them less sticky. You can either put them on kebab skewers, or just form them into a long sausage shape and place them on a baking sheet. If you have more than you need, or are cooking ahead, you can put them on an extra baking sheet to flash freeze.
- Cook them under the broiler under full heat. This will be very quick, about 5 minutes on each side. You'll know they're done when they start to brown a bit and smell ridiculously good. For the ones you have frozen, bake straight from the freezer at 450 F (230 C) for 8-10 minutes on each side.
- Garnish the Chelo Beef Kebabs with fresh herbs and lemon wedges. This is delicious served with a cucumber yogurt mixture (you can use coconut yogurt) and cauliflower rice.
