Lamb Lettuce Boats with Avo-Ziki Sauce [P]

This recipe is directly from Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo
LAMB LETTUCE BOATS
with AVO-ZIKI SAUCE

1lb lamb stew meat
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp dried or fresh oregano
1 Tblsp coconut oil, melted
4-6 large romaine lettuce leaves, cleaned [I used my romaine from my garden!]
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cucumber, finely diced
1 lemon, cut in half

• In a small mixing bowl, season the lamb with the sea salt, black pepper, and oregano. 
• In a skillet over med-high heat, melt the coconut oil, and then place the lamb pieces in the pan. Cook the lamb approximately 2-3 minutes or until it is browned on one side, and flip to brown on the other side for another 2 minutes or so.
• Once the meat is cooked, chop it into 1/2 inch pieces.
• Place the romaine lettuce leaves onto serving plates and top with the chopped lamb, cherry tomatoes, and cucumber. 
• Squeeze lemon over each lettuce boat, then top with the Avo-Ziki Sauce.

AVO-ZIKI SAUCE

1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup grated cucumber
1 small garlic clove, grated
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tblsp EVOO
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1 tsp fresh dill, finely chopped

• Combine all ingredients in a small food processor or with a hand blender.

This recipe is directly from Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo

Lamb & Feta Stuffed Bell Peppers

LAMB & FETA STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

1 tblsp olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
4-5 medium bell peppers, any color
2 tblsp fresh dill, chopped
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup cooked rice
1 lb ground lamb
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup cold water
1 tblsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp white granulated sugar

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat old in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook for 4-5 minutes or until just tender. Add in garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes.
• Slice top off peppers and remove seeds. Stand peppers upright in a square baking dish, or rectangle if using more than 4 peppers.
• In a large bowl, combine onion mixture, dill, salt, allspice and pepper. Mix in rice and lamb then fold in feta cheese. Stuff peppers with mixtures.
• Mix tomato sauce with water, lemon juice and sugar. Pour over peppers allowing enough to pool in dish. Cover in foil.
• Bake peppers for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for additional 15 minutes, basting with sauce every 15 minutes. Make sure internal temperatures reach at least 165 degrees F. Serve hot.

HERB GARDEN

Know what its time for? HERBS! I love this time of year! Of course, there is still time for another freeze, so make sure you have a spot inside to move the herbs at night or on cold days.

What you need...

Herb seeds
Little baggies (ziplocs work great too)
Planting soil (make sure its free of chemicals)
Water sprinkles
String
Clothes pins

In each bag, place a little soil, then a few seeds, sprinkle a little water and zip them close. Hang a line, and overlap the baggies a little and secure them with a clothes pin.

I usually tie the string loosely so I won't wrestle with knots when I need to move them inside.

The clothes pins are fun to decorate or use as labels!

This is simple, fun and the kids love to help!

You'll start to see them sprouting, and when they are big enough, and the freeze isn't a threat anymore, move them to bigger pots and planters! Use the clothes pins (if you labeled them) and clip them on the side of the pots so you know whats growing. And don't throw away the bags--you can use them again.