GFDF Lamb Meatballs with Mint Pesto Zucchini Pasta

GFDF Lamb Meatballs with Mint Pesto Zucchini Pasta

 GFDF = Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free; Paleo-Friendly

This is one of my absolute favorite Paleo-friendly dishes, loaded with protein and 2 full servings of veggies! If you love lamb, you will LOVE this dish! It takes about 30 minutes total to prepare, which is inclusive of cooking time.

 

Adapted from “Make It Paleo” by Bill Staley and Hayley Mason

 Ingredients:

·         1 lb ground lamb

·         1 tsp grey sea salt (the best for you, but can use regular too)

·         1 tsp pepper

·         1 tsp garlic powder

·         1 tsp oregano (fresh is best, but you can use dry)

·         1 egg, whisked

·         4 medium zucchini

·         1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

·         Salt and pepper to taste

·         Mint Pesto (recipe below) 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first 5 ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add in egg and stir well.

Then, form meat into golf-ball-sized pieces and place on greased metal baking sheet

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

While meatballs are cooking, prepare the zucchini pasta by first cutting ends off of zucchini. Then, using a mandolin, or cheese slicer, cut zucchini into “noodles.”

Saute zucchini in a large pot with 1 tbsp olive oil, 3 cloves garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Saute until zucchini is soft and noddle like.

Toss noodles with mint pest, then top with lamb meatballs and serve.

Ingredients for Mint Pesto:

·         2 packed cups mint leaves

·         1/3 cup walnuts

·         ½ cup EVOO

·         Juice of ½ lemon

·         1 tbsp lemon zest

·         ½ tsp grey sea salt

 Directions:

Add mint leaves to a food processor. Pulse mint first to break up the leaves, then add walnuts and continue with a couple of pulses. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth.

Happy 4th of July!

Ahhh...4th of July. That time of year when it is so stinkin' hot outside you're almost willing to walk around naked. That time of year when you see the red, white, and blue flying everywhere it should be at all times. That time of year for pool parties, BBQs, and fireworks! Well, we did none of that this year...

Instead, we took advantage of the vacation days and went up to visit the Mains side of our family...oh, and of course we can't forget to mention that it also entailed Dee finally getting to take his precious car home. I call it the old crappy car. Dee calls it the old love of his life. Whatever you call it, it's old, has no A/C, and my ass has never sweat so much riding around sitting on white leather in the middle of the July heat with no A/C. But it means the world to him since it was his first car, and he and his dad fixed it up, and now it will forever be with us since we finally have a 3 car garage to store it!

My favorite part of the trip this time? Aside from replenishing our Huckleberry supply :)...we visited the Bickleton Carosel Museum where I got to learn so much more about my hubby's home town, his family, and the good ole wheat farmin' ways.

That's right. I married a farm boy...and proud of it. He comes from one of those idyllic towns where everybody knows everybody, almost everyone is a wheat farmer, and families all live on the same farm, yet they can't even see each others houses because there's more than 7000 acres of WHEAT! Oh, and I can't fail to mention that his HS graduating class was all of I think 6 people. :) Here's Dee right outside his parents house...

The museum stores the original carosel horses that are nearly a hundred years ole. Here we are with my personal favorite one...

The museum also portrays much of what makes Bickleton...well, Bickleton. That'd be mostly farmin'! Here's the fam. My father in law is the one in the white T-shirt.

Trucks, combines, and tractors...oh my!

The museum also houses the rules women teachers had to abide to in 1915. Needless to say, no way would that have worked for me...I could agree to everything except #4 forbidding women to loiter in ice cream stores.

We also spent time with the nephews!

My absolute favorite part of the entire trip was getting to read and learn all about Dee's grandma, Ethel Mains, in the town museum. I wish so very much that I could meet the incredible woman who I now know is the reason my husband is so full of childish humor, laughter, and smiles. The one thing everyone said about her was that she was so very kind, friendly, and always laughing...and that's Dee!

Hope everyone had a great fourth!

Love,

Stephanie & Dee