2 (fabulous) uses of leftover yogurt dip

I have tucked the rest of the meatballs from last week into the freezer, along with the rest of the stash I am leaving for my parents as a thank you for a superb month in the mountains of Idaho. But, I still had a bunch of the yogurt dip on hand, and that won't freeze. Lucky for us, we enjoyed the last of it two ways today, both of which I highly recommend:

For brunch, I placed a dollop of the yogurt sauce on each person plate, then topped it with a poached egg (or two). It was creamy deliciousness spread on the accompanying rosemary bread.

Later in the day, I marinated chicken breasts in the rest of the yogurt dip + lemon juice + olive oil (everything into a big zip-loc for about 30 minutes), and grilled it for a quick and easy summer dinner. As you can see with the kids' plate above, I also made good use of the rest of the grilled veggies we'd had with the meatballs (adding them to a boxed Seeds of Change blend I found in the pantry out here)... tomorrow it'll be back to cooking, as I think I successfully used everything up on Sunday!

aiming for a month of dinners outside

I think this is a family record: as of August 1, we have yet to have enjoyed a meal indoors. So fun eating breakfast outside in the light chill of mountain air, the sun beating on our backs at lunch somewhere out on a trail, and the mellow fresh air and tales of the day at dinner.

Children's dinner above: lamb, grass-fed beef & pistachio meatballs + Greek yogurt dip + roasted sweet potato + cucumber salad + organic strawberries

Not your grandma’s meatballs: Lamb-Pistachio Meatballs

Not that I have anything against grandmas. In fact, our “Meme and Papa” are visiting now and we’re having a ball. (Hence the reason I haven’t spent much time updating this blog.) But, since the times when our moms taught us to cook, so many interesting ingredients and ethnic cuisines have become mainstream. With that in mind, I am sharing my recipe for Lamb & Pistachio Meatballs. Remember: meatballs are hard to mess up! These ones are amazing, and so easy. As an added bonus, they reheat well and can be frozen. A perfect make ahead meal…and these meatballs are special enough that you could serve them at a dinner party. (We ate them before I remember to take a photo, so I had to poach an image off the Food & Wine site...)

Kofte with Pistachios
1 cup bag raw (or roasted, unsalted) pistachios (Trader Joe's sells them shelled...)
1 lb ground lamb (which can be difficult to find, so call ahead and order this from your market’s butcher)
1 lb all natural ground beef
2 or 3 yellow onions (depending upon the size of the onion), diced small
1 bunch fresh mint, leaves rough chopped
1 bunch fresh parsley, leaves rough chopped
hearty dash of cumin
hearty dash on cinnamon
hearty dash of kosher salt
olive oil in which to sauté the meatballs

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients and mix with your hands. (Remove your wedding ring, or it will get nasty.) Drizzle olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Roll meatballs in oil to lightly cover. Bake about 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through, turning halfway so they evenly brown. Done! How easy was that? Serve with Yogurt Sauce.

These meatballs free beautifully, so make a big batch and freeze some for later!

Herbed Yogurt Sauce
This sauce pairs wonderfully with the meatballs, but can also be a nice accompaniment to grilled chicken or shrimp, or stirred into orzo for a side dish, used as a dip for pita chips, etc. Lots of options for this simple recipe….

16 oz. Greek yogurt
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bunch mint, roughly chopped (or 2-3 T dried)
1 bunch dill, feathery part roughly chopped (or 2-3 T dried)
1 bunch parsley, roughly chopped (or 2-3 T dried)
optional: 1 bunch scallions, white and light green parts thinly sliced
Freshly ground pepper + salt to taste

Combine all of the above and let flavors meld in the fridge for at least one hour. Dip will keep for several days.