Red Sauce & Venison with Zucchini Ribbons

As you know, I'm working hard to eliminate all the simple carbs with a high glycemic index in order to best control my diabetes on a culinary level. I make a really good venison/beef meat sauce (and now a chicken version, too) and found myself at a loss as to what to do so I could still enjoy my delicious sauce with pasta taken out of the equation. What I came up with is a dish that blew our minds the first time I made it. Carolyn and I sat here staring wide-eyed at each other wondering why we'd never thought of doing this before! LOL Set aside the notion that it's a very healthy dish... It's amazing in both flavor and presentation and is actually titled:

Red Sauce & Venison with Zucchini Ribbons

Ingredients:

• 1 - 1.25 lbs ground venison - lean beef or white meat chicken are good, too
• 1 28 oz can plum shaped tomatoes in puree
• olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, cut up
• 1/2 tsp salt
• fresh ground black pepper to taste (I like about 6 twists on the grinder)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• dash of oregano
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 4 squash/zucchini, 2 yellow and 2 green, thin enough to fit the width of a peeler blade

Preparation:

This nearly from-scratch sauce is so simple that I'm always baffled by the plethora of jar sauces at the grocery store... (shudders at the thought).

Ok serious now.....

Start by frying up the chop meat in a large skillet with a bit of olive oil until fully cooked and a nice shade of brown. Set aside. 

Add a bit of olive oil to your sauce pot and saute the chopped garlic. As the garlic JUST gets brown add in the cut up onion and saute until slightly translucent and shiny.

Place canned tomatoes in a bowl and cut into quarters or bite-size pieces... Not too small as they will cook down some in the pot.

Add tomatoes and puree to sauce pot and stir. Add in salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano and dried parsley. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Finally stir in the fried chop meat. The mixture will seem very meaty and not at all liquid.... that's intentional as our base for the sauce is very different from pasta.

Ok... time to make our pasta substitute... Wash the zucchini and yellow squash and get out a peeler. A regular one will work, but I find you get better control with one that has the blade perpendicular to the handle. This is mostly for presentation as the full width ribbons will have yellow and green edges, respectively. Peel off ribbons until halfway through the vegetable, turn over and peel rest from other side. I'm not much into waste, so I typically save the leftover centers to fry up with some eggs for breakfast next day.

Heat some olive in a very large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the ribbons. Sautee with pretty much a continuous toss because they cook very quickly and you want all to be cooked evenly. Sautee just enough so there's still a little crunch and the veggies kind of stand when piled. Overcook them and you end up with a pile of mush... not good. Salt the squash to taste as you saute... go easy, though, as the sauce will bring plenty of life to the veggies. 

Plate the squash with tongs, transferring as little liquid as possible. Top with sauce and enjoy! :-)

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Savory Cabbage Beef Cake

 Full credit for this lovely dish goes to Elima Linda.

Beef, cabbage, tomatoes, onions... 

A truly delightful combination all baked into savory goodness. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 small onion - chopped
• 1 small cabbage - shredded
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 cup cooked rice - for more diabetic friendly use pearl barley
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef and chopped onion until the beef is browned and onion is soft, about 6–8 minutes.

Stir in the shredded cabbage, diced tomatoes with their juice, cooked rice or barley, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix well and let simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour the mixture into a baking dish and cover it with aluminum foil.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30–35 minutes, or until the cabbage is tender.

Let the dish rest for a few minutes before serving to allow flavors to settle.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Venison with Brussels Sprouts & Beans

I enjoy creating Earthy dishes with my venison. I process my venison the entire way from field to table so I know it is as fresh and pure as can be, allowing for Next Level flavors right from the start.

In this dish I experimented combining venison with a green vegetable, a legume and yellow onions. Brussels sprouts and black beans ended up being the winning combination, along with onions and some Montreal Steak seasoning. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb ground venison 
• 10 Brussels sprouts - halved after cooking
• 1 yellow onion - cut up 
• 15 oz can black beans - drained & liquid reserved
• 1/2 - 1 tsp Montreal Steak seasoning to your taste
• olive oil

Preparation:

Boil the Brussels sprouts  and cut in half. If you want, sear the cut side briefly for extra flavor.

Fry the chop meat and onion until done. 

Add the drained black beans. Blend and season with Montreal Steak to your liking.

Finally add the cooked Brussels Sprouts and carefully fold into the mix. 

Add some reserved bean juice if needed for moisture. Enjoy!

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Red Sauce & Venison over Fried Eggplant

When venison was still the main protein in our family's diet, I was always experimenting with new combinations because it pairs beautifully with eggplant. One day I was thinking of grilling eggplant slices and then topping them with a very meaty red sauce. Unfortunately, the propane tank was empty... UGGH! Sooo..... what to do?

Oh yes.... let's splurge with some thick slices of eggplant breaded and fried in a bit of avocado oil!!! Over time it turned out that the dish works very well with beef or chicken, too.

• 1.5 lbs ground venison - beef is an option if you don't have venison
• 1 28 oz can plum shaped tomatoes in puree
• olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, cut up
• 1/2 tsp salt
• fresh ground black pepper to taste (I like about 6 twists on the grinder)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• dash of oregano
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 lge eggplant
• Wondra flour
• 2 eggs
• avocado or vegetable oil
• flavored breadcrumbs

Preparation:

Start by frying up the chop meat in a large skillet with a bit of olive oil until fully cooked and a nice shade of brown. Set aside.

Add a bit of olive oil to your sauce pot and sautee the chopped garlic. As the garlic JUST gets brown add in the cut up onion and sautee til slightly translucent and shiny.  

Place canned tomatoes in a bowl and cut into quarters or bite-size pieces... Not too small as they will cook down some in the pot. Add tomatoes and puree to sauce pot and stir. Add in salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano and dried parsley. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Finally stir in the fried chop meat. The mixture will seem very meaty and not at all liquid.... that's intentional as our base for the sauce is very different from pasta. 

As for the eggplant, peel and cut into thick slices, about 3/8 - 1/2".  Coat in Wondra flour, then dip in egg and your favorite flavored breadcrumbs and fry until golden brown. Set on paper towel to soak up excess oil - you want them nice and crispy to add an extra level to the party in your mouth ;-) Top with meat sauce just before serving to retain most of the crunch.... and enjoy!

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers by Chef Michael R

Deer season left me with a freezer full of venison once again, so here I am playing with flavor combos and techniques. There is quite a bit of prep work to get this slow cooker going so start early enough to leave 4-5 hours of cooking time. The end result is absolutely worth the effort! 

I use venison in my stuffed peppers but you can absolutely use lean beef as well. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb ground venison or beef
• 1 yellow onion - chopped
• 5 cloves garlic - smashed & minced
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 28 oz can whole peeled plum tomatoes in puree
• 1/4 tsp crushed Aleppo pepper
• 4-5 orange and red bell peppers depending on size
• 1 cup long cook pearl barley - yields 2+ cups
• 3 cups beef stock
• 1 handful broccoli rabe - blanched and then chopped
• 1 cup baby portobello mushrooms - chopped
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried basil
• shredded Parmesan for final garnish 

Preparation:

Bring the beef stock to a boil. Thoroughly rinse the pearl barley, add to boiling stock and simmer for 25 minutes, covered. Drain and reserve remaining stock for later.

Take one tomato from the 28 oz can and chop it up. Combine onion, garlic, tomato, Aleppo pepper and olive oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Mix, microwave 2 min on high, mix and repeat once.

Start your slow cooker on low. Cut the tops from the peppers and remove insides as best you can.

Once your peppers are prepped, get a large bowl and combine everything for the filling, including ~1/2 cup of the reserved beef stock. Mix well using hands.

At this time cut up the remaining canned tomatoes and start a gentle saute in a separate skillet. Season with salt, pepper and some garlic powder. Cook for a few minutes and transfer to the warmed up slow cooker.

Fill the peppers with meat mixture, gently pressing mix to make sure the pepper is fully filled. Place upright into pot on top of tomato base.

Cook for 4-5 hours on low.

Give each person a whole pepper for plating beauty. Cut the pepper in half and then top each half with some of the tomato base. Serve with a green vegetable of your choosing.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Venison Fried "Meatballs"

This is an adapted version of my Grandma Caroline’s Fried “Meatballs”. If you enjoy venison, this is a great way to use the chop meat. The mushrooms provide a nice amount of moisture given the meat has zero fat. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs ground venison
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup plus yellow onion - minced
• 1/2 cup plus baby portobello mushrooms - minced
• 3 tbsp fresh parsley - minced very fine
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 tsp sweet paprika or half sharp for a little kick
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 3/4 cup flavored breadcrumbs
• 4-5 tbsp good quality olive oil

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients but the oil in a large bowl... Don't be shy... use your hands and have fun! LOL Once thoroughly mixed, make free-form patties about 1/2" thick. I decided on patties so I could cut way back on the amount of oil grandma used to use.

Heat up a large skillet or Dutch oven if you like a clean stove over medium high and then add the oil. Carefully place the patties in the skillet and fry until you see a color on the bottom that you're happy with. 

Flip them over and finish with same color. Serve with a nice vegetable and/or a green salad.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!