Lamb Meatballs with Yogurt and Pomegranate-Mint Relish

January 19, 2016 by 4 Comments

The holidays are now finally winding down for a few months unless you have a significant other, Valentine’s day is around the corner, men, do not forget.  Speaking of significant others, below is a recipe by Chef Jula Jaksis from Employees Only- her restaurant in NY on Christopher St.  It is for Lamb Meatballs with Yogurt and Pomegranate-Mint Relish, using the POM Wonderful pomegranates.

lamb_meatballs_914x414_ALT1

Ingredients

Meatballs

  • 1 lb. ground lamb
  • ¼ cup shallots, finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons mint, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
  • ½ cup bread crumbs
  • ½ cup chicken stock

Yogurt

  • 1 4-oz. container Greek yogurt
  • juice from ½ lemon
  • Pomegranate-Mint Relish
  • 1 cup arils from POM Wonderful Pomegranates
  • (or 1 cup POM POMS Fresh Arils)
  • 2 tablespoons mint, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Meatballs:

  1. In a large bowl, mix together the lamb, shallots, garlic, spices and herbs.
  2. Pour the chicken stock over the bread crumbs and add to the lamb mix; combine well.
  3. Portion meatballs into desired size.
  4. In a hot pan with olive oil, sear the meatballs on medium-high heat. (Depending on the size of the meatballs and if you prefer the center to be slightly rare, searing in the pan just until browned will be fine. If you prefer a well-done center, place the meatballs in a 400°F oven for an additional 5–8 minutes.)

Yogurt:

  1. Mix the yogurt with the lemon juice until smooth.
  2. Refrigerate until serving.

Pomegranate-Mint Relish:

  1. Prepare fresh pomegranate arils, if necessary.*
  2. Add the arils, mint, parsley, lemon zest, olive oil and red wine vinegar together; salt and pepper to taste.

To Serve:

  1. Line the meatballs on a plate and put a dollop of the yogurt on each.
  2. Liberally sprinkle with the Pomegranate-Mint Relish.

*To prepare fresh arils, score 1–2 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates and place in a bowl of water. Break open the pomegranates under water to free the arils (seed sacs). The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top. Sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl. Reserve 1 cup of the arils from fruit and set aside. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining arils for another use.)

In addition to Pomegranates in whole form there are also new POM POM Fresh Arils which are 4.3 ounces and 100 calories each.  Each one contains quite a few of those delicious little fruit bits pomegranates are known for.

These quick open packs are perfect for lunch boxes for kids and adults as a healthy alternative to fruit snacks or candies as a lunch time treat.

Filed Under: food, recipes Tagged With: , , , ,

Take Your Dinner Beyond Meat

August 28, 2015 by 7 Comments

When is meat both better for you and easier to use? When it’s Beyond Meat, 100% plant based protein.

This new meat substitute has the same consistency and similar flavor as ground beef or chicken, but with less fat and perfect for vegetarians and vegans who just want a delicious taco with ground meat- or omnivores who want to eat less meat or a change of pace.

pic3

Beyond Meat is perfect for nachos- check out the recipe at http://www.beyondmeat.com/recipes/view/beyond-beef-nachos

We have personally found meat substitutes fall into two categories.
1- The “meh”-  this means this is not meat, has never been meat, does not taste like meat- it tastes fine but I would not go out of my way for it.  This “meh” meat-less meat is ok, but not anything special. Usually, my husband hates those products.

2- Then there is the ’wow’ this is almost meat! The flavor is good, the texture is right, and I enjoy it (even as a meat-eater). This category is harder to reach and there are a few winners- Beyond Beef is one of them. It can easily be passed off as ground beef for Mexican dishes, Italian meatballs, and any other ground meat based dish. The tacos came out very good and to the point there my husbad went for a second helping- and he hates what he calls “fake meat”.  On the other hand, I’m less picky, but this so far has been my very favorite.

pic4

Another one of my favorite things in life- chili! Make it meatless with thi recipe http://www.beyondmeat.com/recipes/view/beyond-beef-chili

When cooking Beyond Meat, realize it is already cooked and ready to go, you just need to heat it up so it is the same temperature as the rest of your food. Easy Breezy. When making Italian meatballs, I started with one egg to about a half pound of Beyond Meat, then added bread crumbs to firm it up and hold it together. I then baked the meat-less balls along with the rest of the meatballs and they came out perfect. Beyond beef is non-GMO based pea protein product so you will not find any odd unprocessed bits of veges in your burger, just meat-less food.  There are also chicken-less strips made from soy protein and pea protein, which look just like grilled chicken strips.

Beyond Beef and Beyond Meat is available now in your grocer’s freezer section at local Fairways, Kings, and Target stores.

Filed Under: food, review Tagged With:

Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament – Lyndhurst, NJ

June 4, 2014 by 5 Comments

08 24 12 Nikon 234

A feast for the eyes as well as the stomach, Medieval Times is a great show that the whole family can enjoy.  No worries, the little ones won’t be afraid- the show is very tame (rated G!) while still offering tons of fun and action. Make sure you arrive early to give yourself time to check out the torture exhibit should you so desire- not recommended for kids, obviously.  You can also (for an extra fee) have your child knighted for their birthday or other special occasion by the king in a special ceremony.  Launched in Spain in 1973, and in the USA  just 10 years later, it is widely regarded as the longest running and most popular dinner attraction in North America- and I have to concur.  During this 2 hour live performance, you and your family will experience a glace back in time- when knights defended the realm, and chivalry was not dead.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: evergreen, review Tagged With: , , , , ,

Joe’s Crab Shack

March 27, 2014 by 11 Comments

Eat At Joe’s!

3 5 14 051

It’s a timeless phrase, and for those of who have eaten at Joe’ s, it will make your mouth water and a smile creep across your face.  Joe’ s Crab Shack has over 120 locations across the country and more springing up everyday.  We recently had the opportunity to Eat At Joe’ s and had a wonderful evening of seafood and fun.

3 5 14 060Joe’ s serves seafood, surprise surprise!  They are best known for their steam pots of crab, seafood, corn and potatoes.  Each pot is themed to a specific taste.  Some examples are The Orleans, which include one pound of craw fish, shrimp and andouille sausage with a  touch of spice.  The Ragin’ Cajun takes the spice up a notch with Pacific Dungeness crab Queen crab, shrimp, and andouille sausage.  The Sam Adams Steam pot takes a pound of clams, lobster claws, and smoked sausage all boiled in a (not spicy at all) Sam Adams lager.  Steam pots are not the only items on the menu, there is a plethora of other options seafood and land loving as well.  From burgers to shrimp platters, there is something for everyone.  There is even a kids menu with seafood and non-aquatic as well.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: food, review Tagged With: , , ,

Pulled Brisket Recipe

March 6, 2014 by 1 Comment

pic8

Meat · Yields 6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1              (3-4 pound) second cut brisket

1 Tbsp  prepared horseradish

1 Tbsp  imitation mustard

½-1cup ketchup, to taste

1 cup     water

2 tsp      garlic, chopped

¼ cup    brown sugar

¼ cup   vinegar

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.       Preheat oven to 425°F.

2.       Combine remaining ingredients in a 4-quart saucepan and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: food, recipes Tagged With: , ,

Shepherd’s/Cottage Pie Meatballs

February 16, 2014 by 1 Comment

pic 1

If you call something shepherd’s pie on the Internet but you use beef instead of lamb, people freak out. I personally like this recipe better with beef, but it works both ways, so I wanted to leave it open for you to decide. The fun part of this recipe is biting into a meatball to find the soft mashed potato on the inside.

Makes: 30 to 35 meatballs

Heat: 0

Pig-Out Scale: 6.4

 

Potatoes

2 large russet potatoes

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

4 tablespoons (56 g) butter

2 carrots, diced

1 small onion, diced

2 cups (230 g) corn

½ cup (120 ml) cream

 

Meatballs

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons (30 ml) Worcestershire sauce

2 slices bread

2 tablespoons (30 ml) milk

¼ cup (16 g) chopped parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ pounds (680 g) ground beef or lamb

 

Make the Potatoes: Preheat the oven to 375˚F (190˚C, or gas mark 5). Rub the potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 1 ½ ours, until tender.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: cooking, food, recipes Tagged With: , ,

Eggplant Parmesan

June 19, 2013 by 2 Comments

 

meal1

This is a great family dinner that really doesn’t take much time to prepare. The most work comes from slicing, breading and baking the eggplant pieces but that only takes about fifteen minutes of your time before you assemble then heat the dish in the oven. My kids love this so much I rarely have left overs, and the best thing about this whole dish? It’s meatless!

 

Ingredients

3 beaten eggs

About 3 cups seasoned bread crumbs

3 eggplants cut into 1 / 4 slices. I do it length wise.

1 -1 / 2 cups fresh cut mushrooms

1 teaspoons Italian seasonings

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 cups spaghetti sauce

Directions

For the eggplant- Place beaten eggs in a shallow bowl, bread crumbs [Read more…]

Filed Under: cooking, food, recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe

September 21, 2012 by 6 Comments

I love making this dish for several reasons, one of course it feeds a large hungry family, second it’s super easy and third you can freeze it and re-heat or cook it at a later date. It’s been super busy with school and activities which most of you can relate too. This dish is hearty, and believe it or not easy to set up.

My favorite way to make this is with garden vegetables, but you can use meat, I used peppers, zucchini and eggplant for a vegetarian dish. I have never used no boil lasagna noddles before but have been told by many they use my easy recipe with it and it comes out even quicker, you choose what you’d like!

I make it extra cheesy. 🙂

Ingredients

1lb of your choice vegetables washed, skinned and sliced (eggplant, zucchini and red bell peppers fit nicely together. Make sure they are not sliced thickly, or it will take longer to cook.

2-3 cups of your favorite tomato sauce or 3 pint jars homemade tomato sauce.

Lasagna noddles either oven ready (no boil) or cook regular lasagna noddles as directed on package.

2 teaspoons Italian seasonings

couple [Read more…]

Filed Under: food, recipes Tagged With: , ,