Beef, Lamb + Rice Meatballs with Mint Tzatziki

Soooo... I was on the fence about posting this recipe because the photos came out poopy soupy. We had friends over, I was rushing, and it was getting dark out, and all that resulted in some seriously lackluster food photography. But since the meal itself turned out so extra scrumptious, I figured I'd tell you guys all about it anyway.

We're hoping to buy a second income property by the end of the year (woohoo!), which means that we've been trying our best to watch our spending. Some weeks have been better than others, but overall, it's been a nice challenge to try and cook more budget-friendly meals. I probably only prepare meat about 2-3 times a week because it is so costly, and because even as a committed carnivore, I really don't feel that meat is necessary every single day. 

I had been in the mood to whip up some lamb meatballs, but since lamb isn't exactly easy on the wallet, I held back. And then it hit me that mixing beef in would not only make the meatballs cheaper, but it would also provide a milder flavor for those who tend to find lamb to be too gamey. Additionally, I tossed some rice into the mix to really make the recipe stretch. With just half a pound each of ground lamb and ground beef, I was able to feed 4 adults and 2 small kids. Genius, if I do say so myself. 

Although these meatballs were inspired by mediterranean cuisine, in no way would I consider them to be traditional or classic. Like most of my dishes, they're basically a result of a whole bunch of random ingredients thrown together. If you'd prefer to go all lamb or all beef, then go for it; these are virtually impossible to mess up.

Beef, Lamb + Rice Meatballs

olive oil

1 small or 1/2 of a large yellow onion, chopped

2 large cloves of garlic, chopped

1/3 c. of dried cranberries

1 1/2 c. of white wine

1/2 lb. ground lamb

1/2 lb. ground beef (chuck or sirloin, whichever you prefer)

1 1/2 c. cooked long grain white rice

2 tbsp. of pine nuts

2 tbsp. of chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 egg

salt + pepper

Sauté your chopped onion in some olive oil until it starts to become translucent. Add your garlic and cranberries, and sauté for 1-2 minutes more. Pour in your wine, and simmer on low heat until all of the liquid has evaporated. Put this mixture aside, and let cool.

Set oven at 375º. In a large mixing bowl, combine both meats, onion and cranberry mixture, rice, pine nuts, parsley, and egg. Season liberally*. Using your hands, bring all the ingredients together. Once everything is thoroughly combined, form the mixture into meatballs (I got 17 meatballs that were about 1 1/2 in. in diameter), and line them on a foil-lined and greased baking sheet. Bake until they're golden and sizzling. Timing will depend on the size of your meatballs; mine took roughly 20 minutes. 

Serve with Mint Tzatziki (recipe below) and some grilled or roasted summer vegetables. 

*If you're unsure about your seasoning, you can always fry up a mini patty to use as a taste test. Remember, you can always add more, but over seasoning is a tough mistake to fix.

Mint Tzatziki

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/2 c. of greek yogurt

1/2 c. of sour cream or creme fraîche

1 tbsp. of chopped dill

1 tbsp. of chopped mint

juice of 1/2 lemon

splash of olive oil

dash of salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times until combined. Pulse for longer periods if you prefer a smoother tzatziki. Refrigerate for a few hours/overnight before serving. 

Lemony Cilantro White Bean Hummus

Holy Smokes! I didn't mean to start a blog and then slowly begin to abandon it. Long story short, we bought a duplex. We had some money saved + equity in our place and wanted to make a sound investment that would provide us with some extra cash flow (preschool ain't exactly cheap, guys). So Joe and I have basically spent the last month renovating a little cottage that was built in 1910. We'd drop Cheech off at school then head into a day of cleaning, painting, replacing floors, installing light fixtures and closets, mulching, you name it. The unit we've been working on should be ready to go and rented out by the end of the week. Thank God.

Needless to say, there's been very little time for cooking around here. We've enjoyed plenty of quesadillas and simple scrambles, but nothing that's actually worth photographing or writing about. I finally feel like I'll have the energy to catch up on my life though. I made this hummus with the intention of posting it over three weeks ago, but you'd be surprised how exhausting it is to renovate a place when you're on a serious time crunch. Most days, I'd pick Cheech up from school and stare into space while she played at a park for a couple hours before 8pm bath and bed for the both of us. 

Back to the hummus. This recipe was a bit of a happy accident. I had a pot of white beans on the stove that needed about another half hour of cooking when I put Cheech down for her nap one day. I accidentally passed out with her, and ended up sleeping for over two hours (see… I really have been tired). By the time I woke up, the beans had turned to total mush. They were unquestionably inedible in that state, but I hate, hate, HATE to waste food. I think my aversion stems back to my catering days of calculating food costs and learning to always utilize every ingredient to the last bit. Food thrown in the trash = money lost + socially irresponsible practices. In other words, no bueno. So I did what any professional cook would do, which is to turn a disaster into a success. Obviously, this hummus could easily be made with white beans that are cooked just right, but now you'll know how to save the day if you ever find yourself in a similar predicament.

Lemony Cilantro White Bean Hummus

1-1 1/2 c. of cooked (or overcooked) cannellini or navy beans

1 garlic clove

zest and juice of 1 lemon

1/2 bunch of cilantro, coarsely chopped

olive oil

salt + pepper

Mix the beans, garlic, lemon juice and zest, and cilantro in a food processor. Slowly drizzle in oil as the machine is going until you reach desired consistency (I added roughly a cup). Season to taste. Great as a dip for crackers, veggies, meat, etc. Or, slather it on a piece of toast topped with a 7-minute egg, like I did for breakfast 3 days in a row. 

P.S. This would also be fantastic with limes, but we were still suffering through the limepocalypse when I made it. 

Buttermilk Lamb Chops

We're not what I would consider to be big on Easter in this house. Cheech and I usually celebrate with my family in LA the day before. And by celebrate, I mean we have an egg hunt and a piñata for the kids, and we BBQ. More than anything, it's a time for my mom's side of the family to get together to share food and to drink. It's typically an exhausting day filled with lots of catching up, so by the time we get home to Oakland the next morning, I'm really not up for doing much. And in true Easter fashion, that's exactly how yesterday went down. Joe finished up some work on our bathroom renovation while I cleaned up around our place a little. 

This year, I decided to at the very least start making some sort of traditional and festive dinner so that we could sit and have just a small celebration at home as a family. More than anything, Easter has always felt like the true arrival of Spring to me. Extra sun and longer days are things that are nice to recognize, especially considering the warmer weather always inspires us to grill. 

Knowing that I'd want to take it easy, roasting a ham was out of the question. I'm not a stickler when it comes to long-established customs (note: Christmas Burgers), so I was more than happy to stray from the norm.  Lamb felt like the next best option, and there are few things that are more effortless and quicker than lamb chops.  The recipe below is a slight alteration on traditional yogurt-marinated lamb. I had almost a quart of buttermilk in my fridge, and I figured it would be a perfectly fine replacement for yogurt. The result was quite enjoyable, and I'm tempted to marinate everything in buttermilk now. 

Buttermilk Lamb Chops

5-6 single cut lamb rib chops

3/4 c. of buttermilk

1 tbsp. of chopped rosemary

1 tbsp. of chopped oregano

1 tbsp. of chopped thyme

1 tsp. of ground cumin

1 tsp. of lemon zest

1 large, or 2 medium garlic cloves, minced

salt +pepper

Line a baking dish with your lamb chops and add all of your remaining ingredients on top. Don't be afraid to season your marinade liberally. Use your hands to toss the chops in the marinade, making sure that each inch gets covered. Chill the lamb in the marinade for a minimum of two hours (overnight is best). Once your grill is ready, remove the excess marinade from the chops with your fingers and pat them dry. This will ensure that your lamb actually chars. For medium chops, which is how I like them, grill on each side for three minutes. 

Five chops were plenty for a family of three, but this recipe can very easily be doubled if you are cooking for a larger group.