Zucchini Fetta, Labneh & Dukkah Recipe

Photo by Susan Bell

“Fetta” means slice and refers to the grilled zuchinni in this dish, though it can be made with any vegetable that can be grilled. You can buy labneh (strained yogurt) or use very thick Greek yogurt. Just make sure it contains live bacteria as that is what is so nourishing. Dukkah is an Egyptian coarsely ground mixture of nuts, seeds and spices served with bread dunked in oil. You can buy it ready-made, but below is our friend Amal’s recipe.

Serves 6 as a side or 2 as a main course.

Per serving of zuchinni fetta: 4.9g carbs, 4.6g protein, 6.2g fat, 3.4g fibre, 102kcal.

Per serving of dukkah: 2.1g carbs, 4.2g protein, 14g fat, 1.7g fibre, 151kcal.

Ingredients:

4 zucchini, cut into 3 long slices 0.5cm (1/4 in) thick
2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes, cut in half around their middle
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
100g (3-1/2 oz) labneh or thick Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon sumac or paprika
3 tablespoons dukkah
a handful of mint leaves, roughly torn
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C/fan 200 degrees C/gas mark 7.
Lay the zucchini and tomatoes on a baking tray and wipe over 1 tablespoon of the oil with your fingers. Sprinkle with the cumin and turmeric, and some salt and pepper, and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and arrange on a plate. Dress with the labneh, sumac, dukkah, remaining oil and mint leaves and serve.

To make your own dukkah

Makes approx. 300g (10-1/2 oz) / Serves 12.

Ingredients:

250g (9 oz) mixed nuts, such as hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts, flaked almonds, pistachios, walnuts
35g (1-1/4 oz) seeds, such as white or black sesame, sunflower, pumpkin
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C/fan 170 degrees C/gas mark 5. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.
Stir all the ingredients together in a bowl and then spread them onto the lined tray. Bake for 15–20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Pound the mixture in a pestle and mortar, chop by hand with a sharp knife on a board or whizz briefly in a food-processor until the nuts are broken down and you have the textures of both gravel and sand. Leave to cool completely and then store in a jar until needed. The dukkah will keep for a few weeks at room temperature.
The salad will keep like this in the fridge for a few hours before serving. Serve the tahini dressing in a jug on the side.

More from The Diabetes Weight-LossCookbook:

Cover courtesy of Kyle Books

Excerpted with permission from The Diabetes Weight-Loss Cookbook by Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi. Published by Kyle Books, 2019.