Mustard and Fennel Roasted Vegetables

I threw together this veggie side dish using some random ingredients from the fridge. I needed some veggies for my Lean on Lamb Supper Club, and wanted something low maintenance. So, I threw together the veggies I had in the fridge with some yummy fennel and tossed it all in a mustard vinaigrette. A few minutes in the oven and out came a simple but flavorful side dish that had some kick but did not overpower the main course. I'm keeping this short because it's Friday. HAPPY WEEKEND.
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Italian Chicken Meatball Sliders & Alexia Sweet Potato Fries

Here's a fact that will surprise no one: I LOVE french fries. I love all varieties, flavors, sizes and textures. I love fries made of random ingredients and the traditional ones as well. I am also not ashamed to admit that I regularly indulge in fries of the frozen variety. I have been a longtime fan of Alexia products, mostly the waffle fries (SO GOOD) so I was thrilled when, as a Foodbuzz Tastemaker, I was offered the chance to sample a new product for free.

In order to truly enjoy the french fry experience, I knew I had to whip up some kind of burger as well. I decided on some yummy Italian meatball sliders. I wanted to make healthier chicken meatballs that would hold up well as a slider, so I used one half white meat ground chicken and one half chicken sausage. The result was incredibly flavorful but light. I used whole wheat buns and topped the burgers with a little bit of provolone and a crispy prosciutto slice.

At the store, I let Craig pick which type of fries he wanted with the sliders. Of course, he goes for the Spicy Sweet Potato Fries. They turned out to be super delicious. The sweetness of the potato worked really well with spicy chipotle pepper. They were a great compliment to the sliders. I was also thrilled with the nutrition info. A serving of 30 fries has only 130 calories. This made me VERY happy.

So all and all, this burgers & fries indulgence turned into a really quick and light weeknight meal.

Read more for the full recipe!
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Roasted Garlic Root Vegetable Mash

In putting together my Lamb Supper Club meal, I wanted to make a side dish that was healthy and flavorful but would also compliment the braised lamb shanks. I decided on a tasty root vegetable mash. I decided to use potatoes, sweet potatoes and turnips. But celery root, rutabegas, carrots and parsnips are also tasty possibilities.

For flavor, I roasted some garlic. Combined with the natural flavors of the vegetables, it was a nice compliment to the lamb shanks. I used no butter or cream, instead some skim milk was all it took to get a nice, creamy texture.

Read more for the full recipe
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Lean on Lamb Supper Club

I was recently contacted by the Tri-Lamb Group to host a Lean on Lamb Supper Club. The Tri-Lamb Group is a collective of lamb producers from the US, Australia and New Zealand which is devoted to raising awareness about the wonderful nutritional benefits of lamb and educating consumers about how to incorporate it into a healthy diet. They sent me some gorgeous lamb shanks and the ingredients to make a fabulous and healthy lamb recipe for myself and some friends.

I was really excited because I don't have much experience cooking with lamb. I grew up eating it at Easter and that's about it. Occasionally I will experiment with it, like my Shepherds Pie last week, but for the most part it's not part of my regular cooking routine. The Tri-Lamb Group very generously provided me with the lamb and ingredients to make the braised lamb shanks, but I was not otherwise compensated for this experiment. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Read more to see how the dinner turned out!!!
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Monday Links & Award

What a crazy weekend! I had a lovely dinner party on Saturday night featuring some yummy lamb shanks and other dishes. That post will be up by tomorrow. In the meantime, I have some lovely, healthy links for ya!

• Exercise enhances cognitive function - NYT
• 5 Benefits of Grapefruit. Yummy! - HuffPo
• Are you nails giving you clues to your health? - WebMD

Wow. I am soooo excited. I just received my first blogger award, courtesy of the lovely Jules at Banana Mondaes. If you are not following her blog, you must do so. She creates amazing recipes inspired by literature. Reading her blog is a delight. As silly as it may sound, getting feedback (and comments) from other bloggers you admire is really wonderful. I appreciate every person who takes the time to stop by my site and check out what I've been working on.

 

Apparently the rules dictate that I list seven random things about myself. Here goes:

1. I love the Discovery Channel and National Geographic. I watch everything from Shark Week to Dirty Jobs and every single Alaska show in between.
2. In the summer of 2006 I rented a house on the Jersey Shore. I still haven't quite recovered
3. I strongly dislike most cheeses and cheese-based dishes. 
4. I studied German for nine years but have never been to Germany
5. I swam with both sharks and a pod of wild dolphins in Hawaii
6.  I am terrified of mice but fascinated by bugs
7. Last year I hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, camped overnight on the Colorado River, and hiked back up to the top. It is the most challenging and exhilarating thing I have ever done.

Now, here are 15 Bloggers that I am awarding the Versatile Blogger Award to. Some of these folks have already received this award but I love them so much I've giving it again!

 An Italian Cooking in the Midwest
Cooking Healthy for Me
RavieNomNoms
Healthy Foodie Travels
Apple Crumbles
Cosmopolitan Curry Mama
Home Skillet
Kate from Scratch
Griffin's Grub
Three Little Piglets
Sweet and Salty SF
Flour Trader
Yummy Chunklet
Krissy's Creations

Add the award to you blog.
Thank the blogger who gave it to you.
Mention 7 random things about yourself.
List the rules.
Award to 15 bloggers.
Inform each of those 15 by leaving a comment on their blog.