Lunch Box Chronicles: Day Forty-Seven (VEGAN GLUTEN FREE KIBBEE, AN OXYMORON)

This recipe is undoing everything that is.  It is one mass substitution and I'm not sure it worked.  It is making Kibbee (which is a Middle Eastern Raw Lamb Dish) vegetarian, substituting red lentils for lamb.  And it is making Kibbee, which is traditionally made with bulgar wheat, gluten free by making it with quinoa.

The RED LENTILS work, the QUINOA really doesn't in this recipe.  I recommend if you can eat wheat to stick with the bulgar wheat, but if you can't, go for the quinoa.  The last time I made this recipe was about 6 years ago before I knew that Spencer had wheat sensitivities.  I haven't made it since, and I decided to make it today wheat free only to get the response from Spencer that the texture was really weird and he just couldn't eat it.

I'm not even sure what to call this, but the bulgar version has been called PARVE KEBBE NEYE by a group of woman in Brooklyn.  The quinoa version needs its own name.   IF YOU ARE VEGAN, you may really enjoy this recipe.

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups red lentils
3 cups bulgar wheat or quinoa (prepared according to directions on product)
3 onions, chopped finely (can use food processor)
1/2 bunch curly parsley
4 scallions
1 large red pepper
1 large green pepper
3 fresh tomatoes
Crushed dry red pepper
1 can tomato paste
1/2-3/4 cup olive oil
salt to taste

Directions: Rinse lentils, place in pan covered by water.  Add in chopped onions.  Steam until soft.  Squeeze out any remaining water.   Prepare quinoa according to instructions (boil until they spring open).  Drain off and squeeze out excess water.   If using bulgar, soak until soft and then squeeze out excess water.  Chop all of the vegetables.   In a large bowl mix all of the ingredients, the lentils should still be hot.  Shape into torpedos and cool in fridge.  Serve with tahini sauce or cucumber yogurt dressing.lRecipe for Tahini Dressing and Yogurt Cucumber Dressing