basil mint lamb meatballs, ground lamb baked with fresh herbs, garlic, and coconut aminos

Some weeks cooking twice a day starts to feel like the whole job. These meatballs push back against that: one bowl, one pan, and 18 to 22 minutes in the oven, then they hold up in the fridge for days without turning rubbery. Mix the lamb with your hands just until the herbs are worked through, and stop there. Overworking it is the only way to ruin it.

Lamb runs high in heme iron and B12, both tied to steady red blood cells and the energy a long healing stretch keeps asking of you. Zinc measures high here too, tied to gut-lining repair. Fresh basil and mint do more than flavor: their antioxidant compounds are part of why a rich meat like this still tastes light.

Take a second before you eat to register that an animal fed you this meal. One quiet breath before the fork is enough, then plate it next to something bright and sit down.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground lamb
• 1 tbsp basil leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp mint leaves, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp coconut aminos
• 1 tsp sea salt

Method

Heat the oven to 400 F and line a sheet pan with parchment.

In a mixing bowl, combine the ground lamb, chopped basil and mint, minced garlic, coconut aminos, and salt. Mix with your hands just until everything is evenly distributed. Stop there. Overworking the meat makes the meatballs dense.

Roll the mixture into small meatballs, roughly 1.5 inches across, and space them out on the prepared pan so air can move around each one.

Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until browned and cooked through. Cut one open to check that the center is no longer pink. Let them rest a minute, then serve warm.

*Adapted from lichenpaleolovingaip.com*