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.}

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.

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!