Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Lamb Kabobs with Paleo Mint Pesto

Lamb and mint are a natural pairing and they go together perfectly in this dish. This was one of those dinners where you're sad when it's over because you're not still eating it!



LAMB KABOBS WITH PALEO MINT PESTO
serves 2 people for dinner with 1 portion leftover for lunch :)

ingredients:
~1.5 lbs lamb stew meat or boneless leg of lamb cut into chunks
any mix of your favorite kabob vegetables - I used chunks of zucchini and yellow squash, but tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, etc would all be good too

1 bunch of fresh mint (about 1.5 cups)
1 big handful of fresh parsley (about 1 cup)
juice of half a lemon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of red pepper flakes

In a food processor or blender, combine mint, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes and turn into a coarse puree

Combine the pesto with the lamb and vegetables and leave to marinate 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat your broiler. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Drain the lamb and vegetables (reserving the marinade), place on the baking sheet, and broil 7-10 minutes or until desired doneness.

Recipe is heavily adapted from "5 Square Low Carb Meals" by Monica Lynn.

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In the old days I would have eaten this with rice, so instead I made up some cauliflower rice to act as a bed for all the delicious juices.

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CAULIFLOWER RICE
serves 2

ingredients:
1/2 head of cauliflower, grated
reserved pesto marinade
1/4 cup chicken stock
extra virgin olive oil

Heat 1-2 T of olive oil in a large pan and start to saute the grated cauliflower over medium heat. After the pan has gotten nice and hot, add the reserved pesto and the chicken stock. Continue sauteing, stirring, until the cauliflower is al dente. Don't cook it too long or it will turn to mush. I estimate this takes 5-7 minutes, but just taste it as you go and pull it off the heat when it's done.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mint pesto - what a great idea. That will definitely be on my list to try. Funny last time I mashed cauliflower it looked a lot like the rice!

Kat said...

The cauliflower is such a great idea for a mashed potato or rice substitute, I will definitely try that!

check out my blog called "Eat Like a Caveman" I think we have some things in common :)

www.EvolutionCatering.blogspot.com

remy said...

I made this for myself a couple times and love it. Then I made it with the cauliflower rice for a big group of crossfitters about a week ago. I used buffalo as well as lamb. Huge hit! Thanks!!

remy said...

Oh, and I grilled instead since I was wary of my electric oven. Perfection.

Michael said...

Just tried this, not bad but I think I probably overcooked it a little. It was amusing watching me wondering what the heck 'broiling' was. In the UK we call it grilling which did lead to a prep time of about 30 minutes whilst I was trying to figure out exactly how one would cook this :)

Monica Lynn said...

I am honored :)

Monica Lynn

Anonymous said...

This is a GREAT dish! Delicious! I used cilantro in place of the mint and found it wonderful. (Mint with lamb is such a cliche.) No leftovers, darn. Husband ate all of it and he hates cauliflower. Ha

Kit Kellison said...

Nice! Just went paleo a few days ago, can't eat beef (allergic, apparently) so have been trying meats I'm not so used to. Made my first leg of lamb today, delicious!! but, yes, have tons of leftovers. This looks wonderful, and I can put those mint plants to work I just bought. Cauliflower rice, great idea!