Lamb Meatballs (gluten-free, grain-free, paleo) with Yogurt Dip and Spiced Vegetables
This new style of eating has been an adjustment. It’s hard to wrap my head around new rules for meal-planning and eating. So much of my day is spent thinking about food, and planning out when and what we’re going to eat and making grocery lists. I know it’s not permanent (I mean, I hope! Ack!) and I know it’s going to help to heal my stomach, but it is mentally draining.
This meal is one of my first attempts at branching out from the plain-meat-and-veg dinner. I am semi-obsessed with meatballs lately, so when I saw ground lamb at Publix I had to grab it. It was exxxxpensive, but it made delicious meatballs.
When I was combining the meatball mixture, I wasn’t sure they would come together without some kind of binder. I swore by panko or soaked bread in my old meatball recipes and that obviously wasn’t happening, so I grabbed some coconut flour- my new BFF. It’s basically magic, that stuff. It soaked up the extra moisture right away.
To go along with the lamb, I made a quick yogurt dip in the food processor with mint and feta cheese. I hadn’t ever had the mint/feta combo, but it is surprisingly delicious. A little goes a long way for me (as usual when it comes to dips and sauces), but I’m a fan.
I also roasted up some cauliflower and carrots in spices that compliment the lamb- oregano, garlic, parsley.. as well as some cinnamon, cloves, allspice and a touch of cumin. You don’t have to add the “sweeter” spices, but I like the way they taste when paired with the lamb.
I had my meatballs and veggies over a salad; hubs made pita sandwiches. The kids gobbled up the veggies in no time. I feel like I finally had a win in the kitchen after weeks of scraping by.. not really knowing what to eat or serve my family. Huge sigh of relief!
Lamb Meatballs (gluten-free, grain-free, paleo) with Yogurt Dip and Spiced Vegetables
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Author: Oven Love
Recipe type: Main Dish, Appetizer
Serves: 8
Ingredients
- ½ onion, peeled
- handful of parsley (maybe ¼-1/3 cup packed?)
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves cloves
- salt and pepper to taste
- Feta Yogurt Dip (below), Spiced Vegetables (below), pita bread, salad greens, etc for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine onion, parsley and garlic. Process until finely diced.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine onion mixture, lamb, egg, coconut flour and spices until well combined. Form into meatballs and line up on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake the meatballs at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve with feta yogurt dip, spiced vegetables, pita bread, or whatever you like. (If you’d like the meatballs to be even more brown, turn on the broiler for 5 minutes and them pull them out).
Feta Yogurt Dip
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Author: Oven Love
Recipe type: Condiment
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
- 4 ounces feta cheese
- ⅓ cup yogurt, plus extra if you like a thinner dip
- 2 sprigs fresh mint
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine feta, yogurt, mint and vinegar/lemon juice. Process until smooth. If the dip isn’t smooth enough for you, add some more yogurt until you reach your desired consistency. Serve with the lamb meatballs.
Spice Roasted Cauliflower and Carrots
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These can bake in the oven at the same time as the lamb meatballs.
Author: Oven Love
Recipe type: Side Dishes
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 5-6 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2-4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley or a few sprigs freshly chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon, optional
- ¼ teaspoon cloves, optional
- ¼ teaspoon allspice, optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the vegetables, olive oil and spices. Spread on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes until beginning to brown. Serve warm.
