Oooooh baby these little guys turned out good.  There is something to be said about buying grass-fed lamb straight from the butcher or your local farmer’s market. It. Just. Tastes. Better. To help find local farms and butchers in your area check out localharvest.org or eatwild.com. 

If you can’t get to a butcher or your farmer’s market just make sure to ask for 100% grass-fed. Don't get sidetracked by the confusing array of labeling terms like natural" or "pasture-raised." Labeling laws allow products to display these terms even if lambs spend little or no time outdoors in a pasture setting. Unfortunately, even the term "grass-fed" is not sufficient since grass-fed lambs may have spent a relatively small amount of time grass feeding. The standard to look for on the label is "100% grass-fed." Talk to your grocer or butcher/farmer and find out how the animals were actually raised.

The tzatziki sauce is dairy-free but could also be made with a whole milk yogurt.  Seen here are my drizzle skills in some avocado butter lettuce cups.

LAMB MEATBALLS

Ingredients
- 1 pound of 100% grass-fed lamb
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red peppers
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper

Method
Preheat oven to Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix gently together with hands or spatula.  Form into balls (this batch made 14 balls) and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 15 – 18 minutes.  

LEMON TZATZIKI SAUCE

Ingredients
- 7 oz. dairy free yogurt (check out Kite Hill and Forager Project which have no added sugar)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
- zest of one medium lemon
- juice of half of the lemon
-salt and pepper

Method
Mix all the ingredients together and use as much as you like for dipping or drizzling.