Lamb Kebabs

Adam and I decided last week that we needed to be a bit more adventurous in our cooking. The time has come to expand our limits a bit further and tread waters that have been previously unexplored in our little kitchen. In order to do so, we made the decision to purchase one item each week, be it a meat, spice, grain, vegetable, really anything will do, that we have not previously used, or at least not used very often or in a long time. So, last week while we were at the store we had a whole new task at hand: find an adventurous ingredient and we did just that when Adam threw ground lamb into the cart.

A few days went by and I kept thinking about the ground lamb that was sitting in our freezer. I had no idea what to make with it. I thought about lamb meatballs, but that seemed too easy considering we already make meatballs. I considered some type of pasta for awhile, but again, that didn't seem different enough from our regular routine. I thought about flatbreads, burgers, and basically anything that I had made with ground beef in the past, but nothing seemed right for our new experiment.

My memory then took me back to the several months that Adam and I both spent studying abroad in Fremantle, Australia (also the place where we "officially" first meet and started dating). There was this wonderful, little, hole in the wall place, where the owner barley spoke any english, but made one heck of a kebab. He had every kind of kebab you could imagine and each one was better than the last. He of course always had lamb kebabs. The perfect first recipe to start off our new adventure.

I was actually shocked at just how easy these kebabs were to make. It only took a few ingredients and a little bit of time. They are a great option for a weeknight meal when you need something in 30 minutes or less. Here is how I made ours:

I started off by combining the package of ground lamb, about 1/2 of an onion finely chopped, roughly 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, approximately 1/2 teaspoon of 9 spice curry powder (a great christmas present from my in-laws!), a little salt and pepper, 1/2 cup of Panko crumbs and 1 egg all in a large bowl.

With my hands, I mixed all the ingredients together until fully incorporated. You do not want the mixture to be too wet, otherwise it will be difficult to shape. If need be, you can always add a bit more Panko until reaching the right consistency. You also do not want it to be too dry. If it seems a bit dry, you may need a second egg. Once the mixture is complete, I simply formed long patties with my hands and placed the lamb on a baking sheet.

Now I would have preferred to grill the kebabs (and would have put them on skewers in that case), but we unfortunately have yet to purchase a grill for our new place - something I need to fix as soon as possible. I was stuck with the next best option which was the oven. I baked the kebabs at 425 degrees for about 17- 20 minutes. Halfway through the baking time, I drained off the excess oil that had accumulated and then flipped the kebabs to ensure that they would brown on both sides. Once fully cooked, I let the kebabs rest on paper towels to help extract any left over oil.

To assemble the kebabs I took whole wheat naan which I had toasted a bit in the warm oven, spread them with baba ghanoush hummus and then layered with the lamb, fresh tomato and spring lettuce.

This was a great start to our new adventure in cooking. The cinnamon and curry added just the right amount of spice, while still allowing the flavor of the lamb to come through and the kebabs themselves were almost too easy to make. A perfect week night meal and a perfect reminder of those great days in Australia. Now we just need to get back to Fremantle so that we can compare our kebabs to our favorite little vendor. Perhaps a trip to the land of Oz for our second wedding anniversary, Adam....?

Meatballs!

This day and age, woman are taught or pressured into believing there are certain meals they cannot or should not eat. My husband often reminds me of this when I say no to a particular food or dish, claiming that I do not like it. He will often call my bluff and force me to admit that I don't really even know if I like it, I just tell myself that so I won't want it. It is an interesting little trick that I have been unknowingly using for many years. For me, the following are some of the foods that I "don't like:"

1. Meatloaf - Although I did not try this gross-looking, bacon-encrusted, drown-the-flavor-out-with-ketchup, meat for many years, it is my husband's favorite meal and I have had to eat it once or twice since we have been married. I still do not like it. Perhaps part of the reason I still don't like it is because I believe it is bad for me, but I have given it a try and have been unable to come around. It stays on the list.

2. Hamburgers - growing up my parents did not take my siblings or me to McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's or any of those other fast food hamburger joints (as an adult, this is something I am actually happy about and a habit I have kept). The only time we frequented these chains were on road trips and the majority of time we ended up at an Arby's where they serve "Market Fresh" sandwiches and salads. Although, I do recall that, after my tonsils and wisdom teeth were taken out, my mom brought me a Wendy's frosty. Those I like - and have no problem eating! (Sometimes, I even dip Adam's french fries in my frosty. Don't judge me; it's awesome). However, you will rarely find me ordering a hamburger and if I do it is usually of the turkey, quinoa or veggie variety. And I really do prefer those. Sorry Adam, it's true. (Although, your grilled burgers - the ones you learned from your Dad - with the worcestershire, soy sauce & garlic powder ... I'd happilly order them anytime).
3. Chipotle Burritos - Yes, I have tried them. And although most people stare in disbelief when I say I don't like them, it is true! And, I really do not like how I feel after eating them. Yes, I will admit, the fact that there is a whole day's worth of calories in just one burrito has probably influenced my taste buds. This is my husband's favorite item to argue with me on the whole "taste vs. health reason" for not eating something.
4. Real potato chips - I am more than happy to stick to the baked variety. They even taste better.
5. Bologna, Salami, Pepperoni and any other deli meat speckled with fat - overly processed, overly gross.
6. Mayonnaise - You will never find this condiment spread on a sandwich of mine. The only time I use it is as a part of a larger dish and even then, I use the light stuff. (See also: ranch dressing. Never bought it. Never will.)
7. Regular Soda - I do think it has a weird flavor, but again, I probably convinced myself of this because I know it is unhealthy. Pregnancy has, however, cured me from even diet soda. I haven't had a sip in the last 28 weeks.
8. Creamy Soups - I avoid them like the plague. I am perfectly happy sticking with broth based soups.
9. Prime Rib - I honestly really don't know if I like this or not, and since I cannot recall the last time I even had it, it makes the list.
10. Meatballs - This one I use to avoid just because I did think it was bad for me. Whenever I had meatballs, they were so rich and decedent that I knew they just had to be bad for me. Although they tasted great, my mind kept winning the argument. But....

Over the years, the more meals I have made, the more I have come to realize and appreciate that you do not have to avoid certain dishes or foods, you just have to prepare them in your own healthy way. More often than not, I even find that the healthier version tastes better. My husband has been really pushing some of the above items lately, convinced (and supported by scientific fact) that if I eat them while pregnant, our baby girl will be more likely to enjoy them when she is born and thus, as a result, he will have a partner in crime. He has requested and been denied meatloaf multiple times this year (a disappointment he took into his own hands last weekend; making and eating a whole meatloaf while I was away for the weekend). Worse yet (at least for him), I have not had any bizarre pregnancy cravings that make me want to eat any of the above items. He was really hoping that the pregnancy gods would grant him that one wish...

Last weekend though, I flew to Kansas City for a wonderful baby shower put on by my sisters. My oldest sister, Erica, created a collage of pictures of both Adam and me when we were babies. And this was one of pictures she used:

When I saw this picture of Adam eating spaghetti and meatballs as a little kid, my heart melted. He had been denied meatballs for far too long. His unborn baby girl deserved the chance to determine for herself if she liked them too. So, on Wednesday night as he and his very own "League of Dorks" (if you are a Sports Guy fan, you know what I mean by this), began their fantasy baseball draft, I happily whipped him up some meatballs and quietly served them to him, so as to not interrupt the ridiculousness that is him, his friends and their weird song about Julio Lugo.

This meatball recipe was actually discovered by Adam while watching Throwdown with Bobby Flay. He made them for me during several attempts to persuade me to take them off my list of banned food. And being the understanding husband that he is, he even agreed to my adaptations of the recipe so that it met my "healthy" standards.

So here are our very delicious version of a healthier meatball!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease two baking sheets.

In a large bowl combine 1 pound of lean ground beef (you can use a mixture of other lean ground meats if you would like, however, we have discovered that using just beef - as opposed to, say, beef and ground pork - provides the best flavor), 1/2 cup of italian flavored bread crumbs, 4 large eggs, 1/2 cup of skim milk, 4 oz of parmesan cheese, 1/2 of an onion coarsely chopped, about 2 oz of chopped fresh parsley and 3 oz of chopped fresh basil.

With your hands, mix all of the ingredients together until fully combined. You are looking for a certain consistency with these meatballs. You want enough breadcrumbs so that they will stay together, but also enough liquid so that the meatballs are moist and delicious once baked.

Once fully mixed, shape your meatballs to the size of a golf ball or a bit larger. Place on the greased baking sheets.

Bake for about 35 minutes or until cooked all the way through. Do not over bake though!

While the meatballs are baking, make your pasta sauce in a large skillet. If you are short on time, feel free to use a jarred pasta sauce of your liking. To add a little something extra to the jarred sauce, use this simple trick that I learned from Ina Garten: chop up and saute an onion, and then add the jar of (preferably good) pasta sauce. The sauted onion brings out an extra element of flavor in the sauce. Once the meatballs are cooked, transfer them into the skillet along with your pasta sauce and continue cooking for another minute or so.

Serve with chopped basil and a touch of parmesan cheese.

This healthy meatball recipe has won me over and removed meatballs from my list of "bad" foods. Now, I cannot wait to make them for my daughter, and capture a picture of her enjoying them just as her Daddy did when he was young.