As the colder weather settles in, the chill in the air makes me long for comfort food. You know, the “stick to your ribs” kind that satiates the appetite and warms the soul. I’ve experimented with today’s recipe a couple of times before sharing it with you and it has fast become a family favourite. Our son could probably eat his weight in these lamb meatballs if I let him!

Lamb has oft been called the Healthy Red Meat. Something you may not know about lamb is that it has incredibly high protein content – 28g of protein in every 4oz – which is actually 55% of our recommended daily intake! The protein in lamb is nutritionally complete, containing all 8 essential amino acids in perfect balance. It’s also very high in B12, niacin and riboflavin which help with metabolic function and the nervous system.

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Because lamb is raised on pastureland, the sheep graze on grass making it a very clean meat to eat. In fact, I once had a naturopath put me on a cleanse eating nothing but lamb and pears for 3 weeks! {Needless to say, that cleanse was not for the faint of heart.}

Not quite simple enough to be cleanse-worthy, this treatment of lamb is all about Mediterranean flavours in the form of fresh herbs, red onions and feta. Here’s the recipe:
MEDITERRANEAN LAMB MEATBALLS
THE INGREDIENTS
2 lbs lean minced lamb
6 Tbsp ground flax meal mixed with 12 Tbsp boiling water {soak 5 mins or longer}
1 large red onion finely diced
4 cloves of garlic, smashed + finely chopped
3/4 c. parsley, finely chopped
1/4 c. mint, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp oregano
2 tsp whole cumin seeds
2 tsp whole coriander seeds
8 oz light feta cheese
2 tsp flaky sea salt {such as Maldon}
Cracked black pepper to taste
4 Tbsp ghee or coconut oil
THE METHOD
Start by combining the flax meal and boiling water and set them aside so they can become gelatinous {you can 2 eggs instead of the flax + water if you prefer}. Next, dry roast the cumin and coriander seeds in a hot pan until the aromas release and they turn golden. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and crush the cumin and coriander to a fine powder. Finely chop the parsley, mint, onion and garlic and mix together with the cumin, coriander, oregano, salt, pepper and feta in a bowl.

Next, add the minced lamb and mix very thoroughly so the flavours are evenly distributed. I then used a cookie scoop to evenly measure the size of my meatballs {approximately the size of a golf ball each}. Roll them between both hands to make them compact and neatly round.

* At this point you’ll notice my photo-journaling of the process tapers off…my hands were a serious mess! *

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Heat the ghee or coconut oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Quickly sear all sides of the meatballs and then transfer them onto a cookie sheet. You will want to work in batches and carefully loosen them from the pan as you turn them. This part will require your patience-hat. Once they have all been browned in the pan, place them in the oven for 8-10 minutes to finish cooking.

Makes approximately 36 generous sized meatballs. You can either cut this recipe in half or do what I do and freeze some for future meals. I like having them on hand for busy nights when there’s no time {or energy} to cook, and they freeze quite nicely.


OK, so what to serve them with you might ask? Don’t worry. I won’t leave you hanging. I’ve got a couple of simple and delicious sides that compliment the lamb perfectly.

First, thickly slice 2 red onions. Slice 2 zucchini length-wise and drizzle all of these veggie with a bit of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and sear on a grill or in a grill pan.

QUINOA PILAF
Meanwhile, put on 2 cups of quinoa with 4 cups of water to cook. Fluff with a fork when it is done cooking and add the following:
1/2 c. pitted Kalamata olives, finely chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped
4 oz feta cheese, finely chopped
1/2 c. cucumber, finely chopped
2 Tbsp lemon juice
4 Tbsp olive oil
As a very important side note, I read this article this week and will only be buying Canadian or North American quinoa from today forward. Will you join me in this? We can choose health for the communities of South America at the same time as choosing health for ourselves!
And last but not least, a fresh little sauce to pull it all together:

MINT YOGURT SAUCE
2 c. fat free Greek yogurt
4 Tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt and pepper to taste

I love the art of plating food. I try to plate dinner every night to make our meals appealing. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just intentional. For this meal, I started by creating a bed of the Quinoa Pilaf.

Next, I built a nest out of the grilled red onions and added a neat row of grilled zucchini to the side.

I followed that with a generous dollop of the Yogurt Mint Sauce, topped with 3 lamb meatballs and a sprig of fresh mint, and voila! A totally delicious winter meal with the summery fresh flavours of the Mediterranean to bring it to life!

I hope this inspires your winter cooking this weekend! Keep each other cozy with lots of snuggles and warm socks.
xo
s.