Star Recipes: lettuce

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Lebanese Pita Pockets

Hubby's mom submitted this recipe for his high school's cookbook. It was a favorite of his family growing up, and now it's a favorite of ours.

3 lbs ground beef
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 lg onion, chopped
1 Tbsp dried mint leaves
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
pita breads, cut into halves
chopped lettuce
chopped tomato
plain yogurt or bleu cheese dressing

Brown beef and onion; drain well. Add garlic, cinnamon, mint, lemon juice, cumin, and salt. Simmer, covered for 45 min to develop flavors. A couple Tbsp of water may be added if mixture gets dry. Serve meat in pita breads. Top with lettuce, tomato, and yogurt or bleu cheese dressing.

Cooking Notes

*Whenever a recipe calls for a cream based soup (ie. cream of mushroom), I always use the 98% fat free kind. This does not affect the outcome of the recipe unless I specifically note it on the individual recipe.

*I only use brown rice. The recipes here are for white rice unless otherwise noted. Instant brown rice can be substituted in place of instant white rice without changing the rest of the recipe. To substitute uncooked regular brown rice for uncooked regular white rice in casseroles, follow these directions.