Mediterranean Lamb Meatballs & The Best Cauliflower
on the menu (vol. 2)
Hi everyone!
Our bakery has been non-stop this week shipping out orders for Mother’s Day, so I went in on Monday to check on things. I love being on the floor while the magic happens! Maybe you saw my day-in-the-life reel? It’s shoppable here!
When I got home, I made a quick lunch pita—the perfect, filling meal. Keeping lots of greens and small salads in the fridge is my favorite way to eat a variety of veggies throughout the day, whether I stuff them in a pita or pile them into a bowl with olives and a side of toast. (This salad and this salad would both make great pita fillings.) And if you live near Hoboken, I highly recommend Yuki’s for pita.
I couldn't be more excited to share these new recipes with you—they’re packed with incredible flavor and require minimal effort. Seriously! I timed myself making the cauliflower and was so impressed by the speed that it made it into the name.
This week’s recipes include:
A Very Pretty Cabbage Salad with Seared Ribeye
When I shared this on Instagram last week, the most-asked question was about the steak.
I separated the steak recipe from the salad for you to print, so you can stick it on your fridge and glance back whenever you’re craving the perfect ribeye to put on top of just about anything (or simply serve with a salad and some delicious potatoes). If it looks familiar, that’s because it’s my go-to method for getting the perfect steak every time.
Ingredients
1 head cabbage—I used a mix of red cabbage, Napa cabbage, and green cabbage, but for your sake just use one type. Unless you want to make this or this!
1 red bell pepper
2 medium carrots, peeled
1½ cups microgreens—I used pea shoots and microbroccoli
¼ cup sprouts
3 tablespoons chopped chives
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
For the dressing
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, grated
Juice of 2 lemons
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
For the steak
2” thick ribeye
1 teaspoon salt
A few turns black pepper
1 tablespoon avocado oil
Directions
Note: If you’re making the steak for this salad, too, take it out of the fridge around the time you start chopping so it comes to room temp while you make everything else. For best results, let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Make the salad. Finely chop the cabbage and red pepper and add to a large bowl.
Use a Y peeler to create thin ribbons with the carrot, then chop them into smaller pieces and add to the bowl.
Roughly chop the microgreens and sprouts, then add them to the bowl along with the chives and cilantro.
Make the dressing. To spare the extra dishes, I added all the dressing ingredients directly to the salad, but feel free to whisk it together separately in a smaller bowl. Add all the dressing ingredients to the salad and stir well to get everything coated.
Make the steak. Preheat the oven to 275°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pat dry the steak with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
Place the steak in the oven for 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of the steak and how well you want it cooked. (A meat thermometer is really helpful here! Remove the steak from the oven once it hits 115°F for a medium rare steak.)
While the steak is in the oven, heat a stainless steel pan over medium-high heat. Add the avocado oil to the pan.
Transfer the steak to the pan and sear for 2 minutes on each side, until a nice crust forms.
Let the steak rest for 15 minutes, then slice and top the salad. Enjoy!
Add your favorite herbs to this salad! Mix and match parsley, dill, chives, and cilantro to find your perfect combo. The more herbs, the better.
You can really use whatever microgreens or sprouts you want. I can usually find fun colors and flavors at the farmer’s market, or Whole Foods has a lot of variety, too.
Mediterranean Lamb Meatballs
These tender meatballs are perfectly seasoned and great for adding to a pita with your favorite salads, serving in a grain bowl with easy tzatziki, or serving over a bed of greens. I ate mine with some of the 7-Minute Cauliflower (below) and it was incredible.
Ingredients
1 lb. ground lamb
1 teaspoon fresh parsley
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
1 teaspoon fresh chives
2 garlic cloves, grated
½ small red onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon za’atar
Black pepper
1 egg
Juice of 1 lemon cheek (about 1 teaspoon)
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon turmeric
Directions
Add the lamb to a large bowl. Chop the herbs, and add them, the garlic, onion, salt, garlic powder, za’atar, pepper, egg, lemon juice, baking soda, and turmeric to the bowl. Use your hands to mix everything together.
Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to marinate.
Roll the meatball mixture into 1” balls. If you want to air fry, place them on the air fry tray and cook at 400°F for 15 minutes.
To cook in a traditional oven, preheat the oven to 425°F and place the balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cook for 18 minutes, until golden on top.
Make it a meal: Serve over lightly dressed greens with rice, chopped olives, cauliflower, and any other veg you have in your fridge. A drizzle of quick tzatziki is also great. To make quick pita chips, I cut half a pita into small, 1” triangles, then sprayed with avocado oil and seasoned with salt and za’atar before baking at 400°F until golden.
7-Minute Cauliflower
My new favorite creation. Simply cook cauliflower until just tender, then transfer it to a bowl filled with the most delicious flavors to soak up. You’ll want to drink the juice it creates.
Ingredients
1 head cauliflower
2 garlic cloves, grated
3 tablespoons freshly chopped chives
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
¼ cup olive oil
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons za’atar
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste (my salt is less salty)
Directions
Boil a large pot of water over high heat.
Cut the core out of the cauliflower and chop the head into small florets (1” inch or smaller, so they aren’t very thick). I cut mine into slices, then broke it into smaller pieces with my hands.
Add the cauliflower to the boiling water and cook for 6-7 minutes, until al dente. They shouldn’t be too soft.
While the cauliflower cooks, add the garlic, chives, parsley, oregano, olive oil, pepper, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, za’atar, sesame seeds, and salt to a large bowl. Whisk well to combine.
Drain the cauliflower (or scoop it out of the water with a spider) and transfer it directly to the bowl of aromatics. The heat will help the flavors bloom!
Stir well to get the cauliflower coated in the dressing. Serve as a side, in a bowl, or on top of a salad. The cauliflower gets better the longer it sits in the flavor.
This recipe is already dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan! If you’re not a cauliflower person, try making it with broccoli or romanesco.
I added the nutritional yeast for an added depth of flavor, you could also try a teaspoon of white miso for similar umami.
Feel free to adjust the herbs and spices with what you have. Any dried herb would be great in this.
Don’t forget! Readers of The Perfect Bite can save 15% on Earlywood’s wooden cooking utensils with code BAKED15 until this Friday!
