By Di Bauer, CarbSmart Editor
In keeping with the other simple, quick recipes in this series, this week we will again be making a satisfying meal that can be put together with very little effort.
I chose lamb for this week's entree because so many people are unfamiliar with it. I think lamb is wonderful and find it very satisfying, and I like it prepared very simply, seasoned only with salt. When I serve plain lamb, I like to add a little seasoning sparkle to the vegetables, so tonight's dinner will feature Italian Seasoned Green Beans and a Colorful Garden Salad.
Here's this evening's menu:
- 'Nekkid' Baked Lamb Patties
- Italian Seasoned Green Beans
- Colorful Garden Salad
Here's the shopping list for the meal.
You may very well already have some of these things on hand:
- 2 pounds ground lamb
- 1 bag frozen green beans (Either regular cut or French cut green beans will do.)
- 1 red bell pepper
- garlic flavored olive oil (If you don't have or can't find garlic flavored olive oil, then add garlic powder to the shopping list.)
- Italian salad dressing (I like Kraft Zesty Italian.)
- 1 bag Italian Blend prewashed salad greens (Or any salad greens you prefer.)
- 1 medium tomato
- 1 cucumber
- 4-6 mushrooms
- shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)
- salad dressing of your choice
- salt
Here's the game plan:
The night before, take the lamb and 3 cups of the green beans out of the freezer and put them in the refrigerator to thaw.
In the evening, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the lamb patties and put them in the oven to bake.
While the lamb is baking, cut the pepper in half, remove the membranes and the seeds, and wash thoroughly. Julienne half the bell pepper and set aside. (Julienne means to cut into thin strips.) Dice the other half. Reserve half the diced red bell pepper for tonight's salad and put the rest in a Zip Lock bag and refrigerate it for another salad later in the week.
Set the table. Prepare the Colorful Garden Salad and put the salad plates on the table. Prepare the Italian Seasoned Green Beans last.
Remove the lamb from the oven, put it on the dinner plates with the Italian Seasoned Green Beans alongside it, and sit down for a well-deserved, relaxing meal.
And, finally, here's the recipes:
'Nekkid' Lamb Patties
(I'm embarrassed to call this a recipe)
- 2 pounds ground lamb, thawed
Form the ground lamb into 4 large patties and place the patties directly into a glass baking dish. Do not put the lamb on a baking rack. Letting it bake in it's own drippings keeps it moist and vastly improves the flavor. Put the lamb in the oven, and bake, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the lamb is no longer pink in the center.
Serves 4.
***Note: If you are serving children or light eaters, 1/4 to 1/3-pound patties may be large enough, and 2 pounds of lamb will serve more people.
If you are serving one or two people, the lamb patties reheat beautifully.
Pop them into individual a Zip Lock bags when they've cooled and spoon a tablespoon of the drippings into each bag. To reheat, just microwave the lamb pattie on high for 2 to 3 minutes and slide it out of the Zip Lock bag onto your plate. (The amount of time needed to reheat the patties will depend upon the power of your microwave.)
If you pour a tablespoon or two of the leftover drippings over your dog's or cat's dry food, they will love you even more than they already do. And their coats will be nice and shiny. too! (My vet is always marveling over my chow's coat, and says he's never seen one so beautiful. I give Bear unseasoned pan dripping 3 times a week.)
Colorful Garden Salad
- 8 cups Italian blend prewashed salad greens (or salad greens of your choice)
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- 1/4 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cucumber, sliced and peel in stripes (explanation below)
- 4-6 mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese (optional)
- salad dressing of your choice
Slice the tomatoes into quarters and remove all the seeds and icky "innards." Dice what's left. Set aside.
Slice the ends off the washed cucumbers, and peel alternating strips of the peel off with a vegetable peeler so that they are striped. Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise. then slice the cucumber halves into 1/4-inch slices. Set aside.
Clean and slice the mushrooms. Set aside.
Divide the salad greens evenly between 4 salad plates or bowls. Distribute the tomatoes, red bell pepper, cucumber, and mushrooms over the salad greens. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese over the top of each salad, if desired.
Top with your favorite salad dressing only after the rest of the food is cooked and on the table.
Serves 4.
***Note: If you are serving children, there's probably no way you're going to get them to eat 2 cups of salad greens. Adjust the serving size to what you think you can get them to eat. (I started my daughter out with 1 bitsy piece of greens. It was months before she would eat two.)
Italian Seasoned Green Beans
- 2 tablespoons garlic flavored olive or 2 tablespoons unflavored olive oil + 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
- 3 cups frozen green beans, thawed
- 2 tablespoons Italian salad dressing
Pour the garlic flavored olive oil into a large frying pan or skillet. (If you are using unflavored olive oil, pour it in the frying pan or skillet and sprinkle the garlic powder into it.) Heat over medium high.
Add the julienned red bell pepper and the thawed green beans to the olive oil and stir fry until crisp tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Drizzle the Italian salad dressing over the vegetables and continue cooking for 1 minute, or until the salad dressing is heated through.
Serve immediately.
Serves 4
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