"He Don't Eat No Meat?"

"That's ok. I make lamb." 

Funniest phrase in a movie ever.

"My Big Fat Greek Wedding" still makes me laugh. 

Our wedding was a Covid one.
With lamb.

But that's another story...

If my hubby had a choice, he would only eat meat. Lamb is his favourite food - especially roasted! I made him a roast lamb for one of our first dates with home made mint sauce...he loved the lamb and hated the sauce. He prefers his Fountain Mint Sauce. Sigh. Can't win them all. 

Me? I love my greens. Always have. 

So if I get a chance to throw a little 'healthy' into a dish, you can bet it will be there.

Simple Lamb Burgers

This week the weather has been warming up for summer and without much to do but apply for work and this vlog/blog, I had to make a cheap dish to eat by the pool. 

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total: 25 minutes

Recipe - Lamb Burger

250g Greek Yoghurt

3 Lemons

2 Mint Stems
1/2 Lebanese Cucumber

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

1 Garlic Clove

Salt & Pepper to season
1/2 Spanish Onion

500g Lamb Mince

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Ground Cumin

2-3 Coriander Sprigs

1 Egg

1/4 Cup Breadcrumbs

Olive Oil

1 Avocado

1 tbsp. Sour Cream 

6 Pack Hamburger Buns

100g Baby Spinach Leaves

2 Tomatoes - Sliced

Method - Lamb Burger

Place the yoghurt into a small bowl, squeezing half a lemon over the top - make sure no seeds fall in. Pick the mint leaves off the stems and chop. Add these to the bowl and then slice and dice the cucumber into small cubes. Add the dijon mustard. Peel the garlic cloves - using only one, mince it into the bowl. Season with salt & pepper and stir well.
Dice the spanish onion and add to bowl, mixing once again - set aside.
In a larger bowl, empty the lamb mince and sprinkle the paprika, cumin over the top. Add salt and pepper. Chop the coriander leaves; add to bowl with the egg and breadcrumbs. Mix well so all the ingredients combine. Roll out into 6 similar sized spheres. 

Squash each sphere down to form a patty.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan on a low heat. Once hot, gently add the patties. Wait for them to brown nicely then turn over. Once the second side has browned, remove the patties from the pan onto a plate with a couple of sheets of paper toweling to absorb any extra oil.

Slice the avocado in half and remove the stone. Scoop the flesh into a small bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper then squeeze the juice of half a lemon on top. Scoop the sour cream into the mix and mash together with a fork. 

Using a bread knife, slice the hamburger buns in half and lay aside the tops. Spread the avocado mix evenly over the bread bases and lay the spinach leaves before adding 1 slice of tomato to each bun. 

Take the lamb patties and place onto each tomato slice. 

Using a spoon, ladle 1-2 tablespoons of the yoghurt/Tzatziki mix before replacing the tops on all the buns.
Serve as is or add the below warm salad on the side.

Recipe - Warm Honey Carrot & Bean Salad

200g Green Beans

3 Carrots

6-8 Mushrooms

4 Garlic Gloves

2 tbsp. Honey

20g Butter

2-3 Basil Sprigs

2-3 Parsley Sprigs

50g Danish Fetta

Method - Warm Honey Carrot & Bean Salad

Top and tail the green beans; peel and slice the carrots lengthways, quarter the mushrooms. 
Finely chop the left over garlic from earlier. 

Turn the heat on low under a frying pan and add 1 tbsp. olive oil. Once heated, throw in the carrots. Allow these to heat slightly, then add the green beans. Toss between each addition so nicely coated in oil. Add the mushrooms and the butter along with the garlic. Cook for approximately 2-3 minutes. 
Remove from heat and place into a salad bowl to allow to cool.

Chop the leaves from the basil and parsley - sprinkle over the top of the vegetables. Crumble the fetta over the top and squeeze the juice of one lemon onto the salad prior to tossing. 
Serve as a side to your lamb burger and everyone will love you!

Happy Hunting!