Recipe: Spiced Ground Lamb with Veggies and Brown Rice Medley

A while back I did a spiced ground beef dish over potatoes, but as I was making it I was thinking, "You know what? This would be good with lamb."  Today I was at Wegman's and saw their ground lamb on sale for around $3.50 for a pound.  Of course I snapped a pack up, came home, and went to cooking.  The rice mix I used was the Brown Rice Medley (with black barley and Daikon Radish seeds) from Trader Joes.  The directions say to use 2.5 cups liquid for one cup of Medley but you should only use 2 cups.  If you use more it won't be absorbed.

You will need:
1 lbs Ground Lamb
One 16oz bag frozen mixed vegetables
One pack baby portobello mushrooms, cleaned and de-stemmed
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Paprika
Chile Powder
Cayenne
Flour (optional)

1 cup Trader Joe's Brown Rice Medley
2 Cups Chicken Stock or Water

For the meat and veggies:

Season the lamb with salt, pepper, plenty of garlic powder, paprika, chile powder, and a pinch of cayenne.  Place the ground lamb in a hot skillet and cook until almost all the pink is gone.  Add the mushrooms and continue cooking.  As soon as all the pink is gone Add the frozen vegetables.  Cook together until the vegetables have thawed and cooked.  Re-season with all spices, salt, and pepper to your taste.  Use the cayenne with care.  If desired stir in a few teaspoons of flour to help thicken the juices and create a gravy.

For the Brown Rice Medley:
Bring two cups of chicken stock or water to a rolling boil.  Add the brown rice mix and a touch of butter as well as a pinch of salt.  Cook, covered, for 35 minutes.  Stir occasionally to avoid sticking.  When finished remove from heat and allow to sit, covered, for ten minutes.