Braised Lamb

A few times a year I make lamb, one of those times being Easter Sunday. I have done it for so many years now, it's almost obligatory. In fact, last year when I tried to change it up and make salmon for Easter, my husband and my friend Rich, who always joins us for Easter with his girls, all gave me a shocked "you're kidding, right Shel” stare? This year I offered salmon for Easter just to irritate them and they didn't even respond, just kept right on talking like I wasn't even there. Alright boys, lamb it is! I am convinced that no matter how much lamb I prepare, it would almost all be gone by the end of our dinner. It's that good and that easy and it's made in the crock pot! This year I put it in the slowest slow cooker I have, letting it simmer away all night and the next morning while we were at church. The result was lamb that literally fell apart as I took it out of the crock pot. I put it on a big platter, shredded that bad boy up and poured some of the drippings on top. I served it with roasted asparagus and quinoa tabbouleh (a fresh counterpoint). Lamb also pairs well with a wider variety of wines than most proteins, as if you could really go wrong in the wine department anyway. So give lamb a try; I promise it's not scary and satisfies your red meat craving with a little game-y twinge thrown in.

Braised Lamb

1 (3-4 lb.) boneless leg of lamb
Salt and Pepper
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves removed from stem and minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 large lemon, zested and juiced

Place the lamb in a 6 qt. crock pot and season liberally with salt and pepper. Combine the minced rosemary, garlic and lemon zest in a small bowl then rub all over the lamb. Pour the lemon juice over the lamb, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 2-4 hours. Shred with two forks and serve.

14 servings (381 calories each serving) according to my calculator on loseit.com

Moroccan Chili

If you are looking for an interesting twist on chili I have one for you today!  I made this with ground beef but ground lamb would be a great addition too.  The cinnamon and ginger give this the "warm" feeling you are looking for in chili and replace the chili powder and cumin in a traditional chili.  The chickpeas take the place of kidney beans!  Enjoy!

Moroccan Chili (adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray, October 2013)

1 lb. ground beef (or lamb)
2 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1/2 lb. carrots, peeled and finely diced
1 t. ground ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. cinnamon
1 (15 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
2 c. water
1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
1/3 c. plain Greek yogurt


In a large heavy pot over medium high heat cook the ground beef (or lamb), salt, pepper and carrots for about 10 minutes until the meat is cooked through and the carrots are starting to soften.  Add the ginger, garlic and cinnamon and cook for about 1 minute.  Stir in the tomatoes and water and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes or until the chili is reduced to your desired thickness.  Stir in the chickpeas and cook to heat through, about 5 minutes.  Serve topped with the cilantro and yogurt.

4 servings (318 calories each serving) according to my calculator on loseit.com

Moroccan Style Lamb and Chickpeas

Ah, lamb!  How I love it.  I could just bleat in ecstasy!  This dish is great to try if you've never had lamb or are leery about trying it, because it uses ground lamb.  You can just pretend it's beef!  Tell that to my friend Kara who won't eat lamb.  I bleat at her every chance I get.  Ahem.  The spices make this dish so don't leave them out.  It may seem like a lot of cinnamon, but I promise, IT WORKS!

Moroccan Style Lamb and Chickpeas (adapted from myrecipes.com)

1 lb. lean ground lamb
2 t. extra virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced in 1/2" pieces
3/4 t. cumin
3/4 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. coriander
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
2 c. low sodium chicken broth
1/2 c. golden raisins
3 T. tomato paste
1 1/2 T. lemon zest
1 t. salt
1 (15 1/2 oz.) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped
1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice 

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add lamb to pan; cook 6 minutes, stirring to crumble. Remove lamb from pan with a slotted spoon. Discard drippings. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and carrot to pan; sauté 4 minutes. Add cumin, cinnamon, coriander, and red pepper flakes; sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add reserved lamb, broth, and next 5 ingredients (through chickpeas); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro and lemon juice.

Serve with Brown Rice and Arugula Salad.  You can find the recipe here.

This can easily be made ahead and reheated if desired.

4 servings (510 calories each serving) according to my calculator on loseit.com