News flash: I’m not vegan anymore.  After seven years of devout veganism, several more years of vegetarianism, and even a brief foray into raw foodism, I am cured. Er, maybe not the right word…but suffice to say that I have happily rejoined the world of the (extremely conscious) omnivores.  And what a glorious world it is.  I can walk into a restaurant and order just about anything on the menu, no questions asked, and there are whole entire food groups previously ignored in my culinary self-education for me to play with.

Vegetables will always be my first love, and I’m not eating any less of them now that I’m also eating meat…and eggs….and cheese.  I’m still very concerned with where my food comes from, perhaps more so than ever.  If I’m eating out at a restaurant who is less than transparent with their sourcing, I’ll still elect a vegetarian option.  I choose clean proteins in the form of grass fed beef, pasture raised chicken and eggs, raw milk cheeses and recently, grass fed bison and lamb.  My reasons for making the switch were many and it wasn’t an easy decision, but so far I’m pretty pleased with the results. This lamb burger pairs really nicely with my Grain Free Tabouli recipe.  I went bun-less here with butter lettuce to keep carbs low, but you could opt for toasted pita bread or a whole grain or sourdough roll as a vessel.

Serves four

 For the lamb burgers: 
1 pound grass fed ground lamb 
1 small onion, minced
 1 clove garlic, minced 
3 Tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped 
3 Tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
 pinch sea salt 
pinch black pepper 
olive oil 

In a stainless steel bowl, combine the ground lamb with the onion, garlic, mint, parsley, salt and pepper. Shape into four patties about 1/2 inch thick. Lightly coat both sides with olive oil. Grill the burgers over medium high heat on a grill or in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop.  Cook 10-12 minutes, turnings once or twice, until cooked through and browned on both sides.

For the Greek Yogurt + Cucumber Sauce : 
1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt, preferably Nancy's or Wallaby Brand 
1/2 seedless cucumber, peeled and halved lengthwise
1 Tablespoon olive oil 
1 Tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped
 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
 1 clove garlic, minced 
1/2 teaspoon sea salt 
black pepper to taste 

Scoop out the seeds from the cucumber half and dice the remaining flesh finely. Combine the garlic with the salt, then add in the chopped herbs and olive oil. Stir in the yogurt, then fold in the cucumber. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For assembly:
8 leaves butter lettuce or similar, washed and patted dry
4 slices red onion
4 slices ripe tomato

Place two leaves butter lettuce on a plate, overlapping. Place the lamb burger on top of the lettuce, then top with red onion, tomato and a generous dollop of Greek Yogurt + Cucumber Sauce. Serve alongside Grain Free Tabouli.