Grilled Lamb Loin Chops with Portabella Mushroom Caps- Easy and Quick Grilled Lamb Recipe

Contrary to the traditional believe that red meat is bad for you, many health experts recommend consuming red meat at least once a week. Lamb is the best choice because lamb's meat is so rich in nutrients.

Many people say that lamb is very fattening and is bad for cholesterol in your body. This is not entirely true because half of the fat in lamb's meat is an unsaturated fat. Just like in olive oil, the unsaturated fat is good because it has antimicrobial properties.

Lamb is a great source of protein because it contains about 23-25 grams of protein per 3 oz. serving and it has only about 175 calories. That is not bad at all! Lamb also contains zinc which is important for maintaining healthy immune system. Iron and copper are also found in abundance in lamb's meat and these two minerals are essential for production of red cells in our bodies. Eating red meat is highly recommended for people with anemia.

The meat of lamb also has a very high content of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Lamb is fully packed with other important vitamins and minerals - thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and selenium. Lamb is very rich in vitamin B complex which is important for energy production and maintaining healthy vision.

Ingredients:

• Lamb loin chops
• Portabella mushroom caps, medium size
• Your favorite seasoning
• About 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Depending on how many people you will be serving, use about 2 lamb loin chops per person. You may also use one or two medium size portabella mushroom caps per person. You will also need to have your favorite meat seasoning handy to season your lamb. Any seasoning is fine. For portabella mushroom caps I prefer to use garlic salt.

Preparation:

Preheat your grill. The recommended temperature for cooking lamb chops is 145°F for medium-rare, 160°F for medium and 170°F for well done.

Wash your lamb, pet dry with the paper towel and set aside. Wash portabella mushroom caps, set aside on a separate plate. Season lamb with dry seasoning on both sides. Season mushrooms. Using 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil, brush the oil over both sides of the meat and both sides of portabella mushrooms. Try not to brush off the spices or add extra spices if needed.

There is a debate going on about which grill is the best for grilling red meat. With so many grills available on the market to choose from, it is easy to get confused. In my opinion, investing into good outdoor grill will always pay off with great tasting, low in fat, healthy meals. Of course, choosing the right grill for you will always depend on the location where you live, climate, your grilling skills and many other factors. If you grill at least 2 times a week, you might be better off buying good quality gas grill. Don't forget to purchase a cover to protect your grill from bad weather.

Place your meat on the grill together with the portabella mushroom caps, cover the grill and set your timer to 3 minutes. When your time is up, turn the meat and the mushrooms on the other side and set the timer for another 3 minutes.

Keep the grill covered all the time during cooking to insure proper temperature inside your grill.

Your mushrooms should be ready after about 6 minutes. You can remove them from the grill. If the mushrooms are big or they are not quite ready, keep them on the grill for about 2 more minutes.

Cook each side for additional 1-2 minutes depending how you like your meat. It is better to serve medium-rare for the lamb chops to retail the maximum moisture and taste in the meat. Additional 2 minutes of cooking may be required if you like your meat well done.

I have heard once that grilling is not just a weekend hobby. It's more of a cooking art where the cook should always go with the intuition. This intuition will develop with experience and your will always know when your meat is ready without looking at the clock.

Let your meat stand for a minute before serving.

Tip:

Always clean your grill after cooking according the manufacturer's suggestion. Never leave burned fat or spices on the grill. Not only this is unhealthy, it will ruin your next weekend grilling adventure. Tasting burned leftovers from last week is not fun!

An unexpected guest showed up on our deck. But we love everything nature and we would never hurt it.

The best way of serving red meat is with your favorite vegetable salad. Here is the recipe of my All Season Vegetable Salad:

• 1 large ripe tomato
• 1 large cucumber
• 1 bunch of fresh radish - about 8
• lettuce of your choice
• 10 small grape tomatoes
• 10 Kalamata olives
• 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• about 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
• black pepper to taste

Cut all of your vegetables as you would cut normally for your salad. Add salt, extra virgin olive oil and squeeze one lemon over your vegetables. Add black pepper if desired.

This salad serves 4.

Enjoy!