Quick and Easy Greek-inspired Lamb

I often find meal-planning quite stressful. I like cooking and I like shopping so you'd think it'd be easy. But by the time you've added in everyone's likes and dislikes, attempted to cater for a healthy and balanced diet and planned something that can be cooked easily whilst also overseeing homework, play and housework it can become a tough job.

I'm lucky that the children aren't too fussy when it comes to food (I'm the fussiest person in our home, oops). I made the decision early on not to stress to much about it and to regularly introduce the kids to new things. It was great when they were at nursery as they were always trying different things and Matt and I like food from different cuisines and cultures so they don't get too stuck into a menu of chicken nuggets and chips.
In order to make it easier on myself, I find it useful to have a few fail-safe options every week and then I try and mix it up with different flavours every now and then. We'll have a range of beef or lamb dishes, some chicken, fish, vegetarian meals and a small amount of pork or processed meats like sausages or bacon.


I was challenged by BritMums and Simply Beef and Lamb to prepare a delicious and tasty beef or lamb meal in under 30 minutes. Perfect for when you need a balanced and nutritious meal during a busy week. I was given a £10 Tesco voucher to buy ingredients and decided to share a tried and tested recipe with you - Greek inspired Lamb with salad and pitta.

When it comes to meat, beef is usually my favourite. It's naturally rich in protein and is a good source of iron which helps with tiredness and fatigue. I was surprised to discover from Simply Beef and Lamb that beef provides eight essential vitamins and minerals for supporting good health and well being. Lamb is more of a special treat in our house. I love cooking a delicious lamb roast dinner or a fragrant lamb tagine, especially when British lamb is in season.


Like beef, lamb is naturally rich in protein and it also:
- provides four essential vitamins that help reduce tiredness and fatigue
- provides seven vitamins and minerals that support good health and well-being

You can find plenty of recipes and inspiration on the Simply Beef and Lamb website which is easy to use, I've saved lots of ideas for future meals!

This recipe is quick and easy, full of fresh flavours and easy to adapt to your own tastes. The lamb is simply flavoured and only takes a few minutes to cook on each side (we eat ours well done but you can reduce the cooking time to suit your tastes).

For the Greek-inspired Lamb
Four lamb leg steaks
Olive Oil
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Handful of finely chopped mint
Minced garlic or paste

For the salad
Red and Orange Pepper
Red onion
Cucumber
Cherry tomatoes
Olive Oil
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Small teaspoon of oregano
Small teaspoon of finely chopped mint
Feta cheese

Optional sides
Pitta bread
New potatoes
Coleslaw
Crisp green salad


Method
Prepare the marinade by mixing 1 tablespoon of olive oil with one tablespoon of lemon juice, a handful of finely chopped fresh mint and one teaspoon of minced garlic.
Place the steaks in a shallow dish and pour over the marinade. Set to one side.
Prepare the salad by finely slicing the peppers, onion, cucumber and tomatoes and mixing with a splash of olive oil, some fresh lemon juice and the herbs. Set to one side.
Make sure your pan of grill are hot and smoking. You can also use a prepared BBQ in the summer months.
Cook your lamb steaks for 3-4 minutes on each side.
Rest your meat for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle chopped feta cheese on your salad.
Serve.


I served our lamb with some pitta bread. For this I used the 'Jamie Oliver method' from his thirty minute meals series. I soak some greaseproof paper with water and then use it to wrap the pitta breads before placing in the oven for about 10 minutes. I find this makes them really tasty and fluffy on the inside. I also find that new potatoes are great with lamb when in season and you can also roast them in the oven if you have more time.

This is a meal that goes down really well with all the family. I love how simple and quick it is too cook and the family love having a tasty meal. It's a win win dinner in this house! Let me know if you give it a go in yours!

*This post is an entry for the #MeatMatters Challenge, sponsored by Simply Beef and Lamb. Learn more about the benefits of cooking and eating beef and lamb along with recipe ideas and inspiration here: https://www.simplybeefandlamb.co.uk *

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Looks so tasty and you have made me feel hungry! Commenting for myself and on behalf of BritMums and thanking you for taking part

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