There is a genius local chain here in the DC area called Cava Mezze Grill. It’s probably my very favorite fast restaurant ever because they have taken the idea of Chipotle and placed it firmly in the Mediterranean culinary world, combining two of my favorite things in one spot. A Greek salad with gyro meat, tzatziki, lamb, feta and tomatoes – it was exactly what I wanted in my life without knowing it.
Unfortunately, too soon after opening, Cava took off my favorite option, the gyro meat. Lamb is, after all, expensive. I still go, of course, but I miss the feeling of having a gyro. So when Primal Palate sent us their autoimmune friendly Super Gyro spice blend, I knew what kind of recipe I wanted to make with it. I made a Super Gyro Meatball Bowl.
The Primal Palate new autoimmune blends are flavorful and this one perfectly captures the gyro flavor I had been looking for. Spice blends are almost always filled with nightshades and seeds, so having one option that you know is safe is certainly a life saver.
You know what the best thing about this was? I made it in about 15 minutes and it was a really terrific lunch treat. The secret is the quick-cooking method of the meatballs, which combines the best culinary flavor of frying them in a pan followed by baking them in the oven. This allows you to finish preparing the bowl ingredients while the lamb becomes perfectly tender and juicy!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground lamb
- 1 Tbsp Super Gyro spice blend (or 1 tsp each marjoram, thyme and garlic powder)
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 C almond flour
- 1 C plain coconut milk yogurt, grass-fed greek yogurt or mashed avocado
- 1/4 C cucumber, diced very fine
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped fine
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 zucchini, spiralized
- Super Gyro Meatballs (above)
- Chopped fresh dill
- Cucumber slices
- Super Gyro Spices for garnish
- Crumbled organic feta cheese (optional)
- Other toppings of choice as desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, mix by hand the meat, spices, eggs and almond flour. Form into 1 1/2" meatballs.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown top and bottom of meatballs, about two minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet.
- When every meatball is browned, bake for 9 minutes in the oven until cooked to medium.
- Meanwhile bring a pot of water to boil. Blanch spiralized zucchini for 30 seconds, then strain.
- In a small bowl, stir together tzatziki sauce ingredients until thoroughly mixed.
- To assemble bowl, start with zucchini noodles, then add meatballs, sauce, dill, feta and cucumber.
Notes
Don't be afraid to play with toppings! Other choices here that would be excellent include diced tomatoes, avocado, olives, and pickled onions (recipe here: http://paleoparents.com/featured/rlp-pickled-onions-everything/)!
We hope you enjoy this bowl as much as I do. Frankly it ended up taking less time to put together than it would have been to drive out to Cava to pick one up!
