Crock Pot Citrus Cumin Leg of Lamb with Citrus Mint Cauli Rice and Cumin Mint Sauce

Sweet and smokey, the combinations of cumin & citrus take this classic up a notch!

Whenever I eat lamb, it makes me think of the aunt in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" when Toula brings her new boyfriend to a family dinner and she informs her aunt that he is a vegetarian and the aunt says, "What you mean he no eat meat? Oh, it's ok. I make lamb." There are images of this floating around the interwebz, and I laugh every time.

I love lamb. It is probably my favorite meat. It is so rich and flavorful! It is surprisingly versatile, and ground lamb is comparable in price to other high quality grass fed ground meats. There are some people, who have a hard time thinking that they're eating a little lamb-- it's the Disney epidemic. We can't eat Bambi-- never mind that Bambi has some delicious tender meat that is loaded with nutrients. It's the same with lamb. When I was prepping the meat, my youngest son says to me, "Poor wittle wamby," (my son can't quite pronounce his "r' sound properly yet). I always think the same thing for about 1/8 of a second, and then I think about how delicious it's going to be. And, for the record, my son couldn't get enough of the "poor wittle wamby" once he was cooked.

I wanted to do something a little different-- and a little bold. It was a leap of faith, since leg of lamb isn't the cheapest thing you can buy, but I went with my instincts and it turned out incredible! The combinations of sweet citrus and smokey cumin with the rich lamb is outstanding, and the mint sauce pairs so perfectly, cutting through all the richness. You will not be disappointed with this dish. And to top it all off, IT'S FOR THE CROCK POT!!! Talk about a super easy dinner party meal!

I hope you enjoy this meal as much as my family did!

Crock Pot Citrus Cumin Leg Of Lamb

Ingredients:

Fall-off-the-bone tender!

1 5lb bone in leg of lamb
3 small onions peeled and halved
Juice of 3 small oranges
Rinds of squeezed oranges
6 whole cloves garlic peeled
3 tsp ground cumin
Salt & pepper

Directions:

To prep the meat, simply remove any filmy skin like outer layer. Leave any fat in tact. Place onions on the bottom of the crock pot. Put leg of lamb on onions. Squeeze juice over the lamb, then stuff the rinds under the lamb. Rub the cumin onto both sides of the leg. Throw in the garlic cloves. Cook on low for approximately 8 hours, or until meat is tender & falling off of the bone.



Note: If you do not have a slow cooker or crock pot, you can cook this in a covered dish in the oven at 275*F for 6-8 hrs, until meat is tender and falling off the bone.

Cumin Mint Sauce

Ingredients:

4 liquid Tbs water
Zest & juice 1 orange
3 Tbs raw honey
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 liquid cup white wine vinegar
2/3 cup heaping, chopped mint

Directions:

In a small sauce pot over medium-low heat, add everything except cumin, mint and vinegar. Make a simple syrup by cooking the honey & liquid until the liquid has reduced by about half. Then add the remaining ingredients, and continue cooking for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the sauce to cool a bit.

Citrus Mint Cauli Rice

Ingredients:

1 head of fresh cauliflower chopped

Juice & zest of 1 orange

1/3 c chopped mint leaves

2 Tbs ghee (I use OMghee)

Directions:

Put cauliflower, orange zest & juice, and mint leaves into a food processor or blender. Pulse until the cauliflower is the size of rice. In a pan over medium heat, melt ghee. Toss the cauli rice into the pan cooking until just softened (or to your own desired consistency).

To Plate: Place some cauli rice on the plate, top with some of the fall-off-the-bone meat, and drizzle with the sauce. Top with a fresh sprig of mint and ENJOY!