Mediterannian Style Stuff

Hey there!
So I made the most amazing meatballs ever last night! The sides I prepared weren’t too bad either so I give you a whole meal here. I hope it's not too much...

First I put together a Huge thing of summer veggies.

Roasted Summer Vegetables
Serves 6-8
Ingredients,
2 Large Squash
2 Large Zucchini
1 Lb. Carrots (washed peeled)
2 Large Onions (Vidalia if you can find em)
2 Sweet Potatoes (or Small Red if you prefer)
2 Bell Peppers (or any kind of peppers really I used Anaheim chilies)
1 Whole Bulb Garlic
2 Tbsp fresh finely chopped tarragon
2 Tbsp Thyme Leaves
2 Tbsp Cracked Black pepper
2 Tbsp Sea Salt
½ cup olive oil


See? I told you I had a bunch of veggies. And that’s not the half of them. Dang.

OK so I like to do a large chop on all these veggies so make everything at least an inch thick if not thicker to give it a nice rustic feel. Don’t worry that you won’t be able to get the veggies in your mouth all at once. By the time they come out they will be fork tender.

Start by prepping the pile of veggies. Wash, peel if they need it, cut into pieces except for the garlic, peel it but leave the cloves whole.

You can preheat the oven somewhere in here to 400 degrees.

Next, with all that out of the way I had to toss my veggies with the oil and spices in batches b/c there were so many. After I tossed them all and coated everything evenly with oil and spices I put them in a 11X9 Glass baking dish and covered with foil.

Cook in the oven for about an hour and check. If the veggies are not tender let them go for another 20 minutes and check again. If after an hour and twenty they still aren’t tender check and see if your oven is on. ☺

These are some pretty awesome veggies so be prepared to over eat. Some other tips… you can take some of these cooked veggies and when you’re making hummus just throw em in along all the chickpeas, tahini, garlic and lemon juice for roasted vegetable hummus. Yum

Mediterranean Lamb Meatballs
Modified from http://bbq.about.com/od/lambrecipes/r/bl70503c.htm
Ingredients
1 pound lamb (or beef)
2 green chilis, finely chopped (I used Jalapenos and Tabascos but whatever is fresh is ok, You can pick your heat level.)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garam masala (I Love this stuff. I got it at the farmers market a whole container was 43 cents or something ridiculous like that and added to anything it makes it taste perfectly curried.)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons ground almonds (these really make the recipe)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 egg
Olive oil for the pan

Combine everything above in order (or out it doesn’t really matter) and mix well. I put my hands right in and squish it around. Of course I keep a handy supply of latex gloves around for just these sorts of occasions.

Make into balls. Whatever size you feel comfortable with. About 1.5 inch balls will cook in 10 minutes at 400 degrees. You can also thread them on skewers too if you want and cook them on the grill. These might even make killer burger patties if you want to do that.

Anyway check the balls after 10 minutes and make sure they are cooked through. Then pop one in your mouth and enjoy the experience.

They are supposed to go with a yogurt sauce but they were so damn good I didn’t want to add anything else.

Organic red quinoa with spinach lemon and garlic

Ingredients
1 Cup Quinoa (red or white is fine)
2 Handfuls Spinach
1 Tsp Lemon Zest
2 Cloves Garlic Finely Chopped

Rinse Quinoa

Add to pan with 2 cups water or veggie stock is even better and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes with out a top until almost all the moisture has evaporated.

Add the garlic and lemon Zest and Stir for 1 more minute. Then add spinach one handful at a time and stir until it is wilted.
Yum.

I promise... Awsome pictures to make you hungry coming tonight. Also pay attention because I might just have to write about the concert part of this evening! The Apostles (my band) are playing a four hour set at the Tin Roof.
You can find more information at www.sonicbids.com/theapostlesatl