Another Meat & Eggplant Combo

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 Bolognese. 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.

Ingredients:

• 1 or 2 fat eggplant
• Wondra flour
• eggs
• flavored breadcrumbs
• avocado or vegetable oil
• venison, beef or chicken Bolognese

Preparation:

To see how I make my Bolognese please take a look at this older post for Venison Bolognese and Zucchini Ribbons or stop by my Chicken Bolognese & Cubed Eggplant.

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 Bolognese just before serving to retain most of the crunch.... and enjoy!

Shown here with the Chicken Bolognese.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Chef Jacques Pepin: "Use what's in your refrigerator..."

I first heard Chef Pepin utter the line when I watched a video of him making a cod dish with assorted ingredients I never thought would work. Radishes with cod? What was he thinking!? LOL I recreated that dish and then named it Wondra Codfish as that recipe was also my introduction to Wondra Flour.

Use whatever is in your refrigerator... The line came to mind Monday night after a long weekend that left me with multiple started items in my fridge. I smiled as I thought of Chef Pepin and just started grabbing things.

The dish that ended up on the dinner table was bright, fresh and distinctly flavorful while incorporating minimal seasonings. I was so pleased with how diabetic-friendly the dish was that I decided to add it here. Enjoy!

Every dish needs a name, right? I call this one.... Fridge Whatever :-)

Ingredients:

• 4 oz chickpea pasta (1/2 box) - Banza brand preferred
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic - smash minced
• 1-2 tomatoes - cut up
• 1/4 orange bell pepper - diced
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 6-8 oz leftover meat - this version features loin of pork
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

Cook the pasta and peas and set aside. Pasta should be slightly under so it holds up in the skillet later on. Heat the olive oil and saute the garlic over medium heat. Add pasta and fry until lightly browned. Add peppers, peas & onion powder... toss until heated through. Fold in meat and then tomatoes. Season with salt & pepper... done.

Serves 2 with no leftovers

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Minestrone Chili

My plan to empty the fridge to make room for groceries for a large holiday gathering brought about this wonderful chili that Carolyn decided should be called Minestrone Chili. As you know, a minestrone was originally put together with all of the week's leftovers in Italian families so nothing went to waste. Paired with some coarse ground venison as a special treat, this chili turned out so good that it deserves a spot on the blog. Feel free to use beef, of course, if you're not a hunter. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Except for the base of beef or venison, tomatoes and my seasonings, the composition is largely dependent on what is in your fridge. I will list the things I added, but I really just grabbed what was there without regard for quantity. Rule of thumb: just cut everything to bite size as this will be a spoon dish. 

• 1.5 lbs lean ground venison or beef
• 2  28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes in thick puree
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp Chef Michael's "The Good Stuff" Seasoning - click link or see below 
• 1 red bell pepper
• couple stalks celery
• asparagus
• 1 leek stalk - dismantled and thoroughly washed
• broccoli
• 2-3 scallions
• 1-2 shaved carrots - I just use the veggie peeler

One tablespoon “Good Stuff”:

• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Preparation:

Fry the chop meat in a bit of olive oil. Add the canned tomatoes. Carefully break each one open and then coarsely mash with potato masher. Leave them chunky. :-)

Next add red bell pepper and celery, and then the asparagus. Blend.

Take your time cleaning the leek to remove all dirt. Cut up and add to the pot.

Next up I found some broccoli and a few scallions, so they went in.

I was on a roll so I decided on some shaved carrots just for fun.

Finally one can plus some leftover cannellini beans were blended into the mix along with the "Good Stuff" and the chili powder. I let it all simmer for about an hour before serving.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Beef & Shrimp Stir-Fry

I like the Easy Button at times. I think we all need really quick meals at times, so here you go... This one is quite flavorful and can be on the table in about 20 minutes... perfect for a weeknight  delight.

Let's start with the finished product, because there won't be any prep pics, as this one is way too easy to need pictorial direction ;-)

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs ground lean beef
• 1 lb large raw shrimp, cleaned and peeled (no tails)
• 2 tbsp avocado oil
• 1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 cup ginger teriyaki marinade (more or less)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp hot mustard 
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Heat up a large non-stick Dutch oven, add the oil and fry the chop meat. When cooked, add shredded cabbage, marinade, soy and mustard. Simmer and toss frequently until cabbage is cooked but still crunchy. Finally add shrimp and cook another few minutes until shrimp are just cooked perfectly. Finish with salt & pepper to taste if needed.

A more heart healthy version using ground chicken breast can be found by clicking here.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Eggplant Parmesan Cakes

Experimenting with eggplant is always fun. After catching a glimpse of a Tik-Tok video I tried my hand at making something different. I'm calling these Eggplant Parmesan Cakes because the method creates individual servings that look more like a layer cake than a traditional tray of eggplant parmesan. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 medium eggplant - cut into 12 slices total lengthwise
• 3/4 lb lean ground beef
• olive oil as needed
• 1 yellow onion - chopped
• 2 cloves garlic - minced and left alone for 10-15 min before cooking for best flavor
• 2 medium tomatoes - diced
• garlic powder, oregano, salt & pepper, fresh chopped basil to taste for filling
• enough shredded mozzarella to make you smile

Preparation:

After washing/drying the eggplant, remove the top and then make ~3/8" slices lengthwise. Best cutting is done by standing the eggplant on the cut surface where top was removed and slicing downward while watching your knife from the top.

After slicing the eggplant, sprinkle with coarse salt and let the slices sit for 10-15 minutes. This helps release excess moisture from the eggplant. I do this right on my cleaned countertop because 12 slices take up a lot of room. Use paper towels to pat the eggplant dry, wiping off any extra salt as well.

Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly brush slices with olive oil. Arrange the eggplant slices on sheet pans brushed with olive oil. Bake for ~15-20 minutes until lightly browned but still firm. While eggplant is baking, make the filling.

Fry the ground beef in a tbsp of olive oil and set aside. 

In the same skillet add another tbsp olive oil and saute onion & garlic. 

Add tomatoes and simmer until until cooked down and slightly thickened. 

Season to your liking and then add ground beef back. Blend well and keep warm.

Assembly: The size of your original eggplant will determine how many "cakes" you make. Ideally you will need four slices per cake. Place bottom layers in a sheet pan and add filling.

Next slice gets filling and a layer of cheese. Third layer just filling and final fourth layer just cheese. 

Bake at 350F for about 15 min until top cheese is melted and golden brown. If needed, switch to broil for a couple minutes to get the desired color. 

Garnish with fresh Italian parsley and add grated parmesan if you like.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Corned Beef & Cabbage

Pretty much the one thing I like about St. Patrick's Day is the food. I'm not a fan of the man, for reasons that are my own, but which you'll understand if you read my page titled Meet the Chef.

Let's not talk religion, though... let's focus on the food of the day! Corned Beef & Cabbage is quite possibly one of the easiest and most amazing dishes in the history of simple foods. If you can boil water, you can make this fantastic meal. That in itself I think is pretty cool!

Dear fellow diabetics... just a reminder here... go real easy on the potatoes today. Yes, they are definitely a needed component in the dish, but we must remember those darling russets have a GI well above 70 and a rather high GL as well. In a nutshell... behave! :-)

Let's get to it then! Erin Go Bragh!

This recipe will not feature any quantities. Basically, gather what you can fit in your biggest pot or two, because leftovers will be greatly appreciated!

Ingredients:

• corned beef - make sure it comes with a seasoning packet
• russet potatoes - peeled
• carrots - peeled
• cabbage - quartered
• brown mustard

Preparation:

The seasoning packets are perfect, except they come in little plastic bags. You can absolutely just dump the packet in the pot, but I'm not a fan of the various corns/seeds working their way in between my cabbage leaves. A few years ago Carolyn offered to sew seasoning bags on the fly. They are such a game changer and readily available commercially if you don't care to make your own.

Place the corned beef in the bottom of the pot. Then layer carrots, potatoes and cabbage, and be sure to toss in the seasoning packet as well. Cover everything with water, bring to a low boil, and go have a Smithwick's. Check the pot for boil and simmer for about 3 hours.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Cauliflower Mushroom Skillet with Meat

Adapted from a recipe on Kitchenra.com

I was introduced to this tasty dish as a light vegetarian meal or side dish. I took it a step further as you'll see here, turning it into a full protein entree by adding either ground beef or chicken. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground white meat chicken or beef/venison

• 1 medium-sized cauliflower, cut into small florets

• 3 tbsp olive oil - divided

• 1 small onion - finely chopped

• 3 cloves garlic - minced

• 8 oz mushrooms - your choice - sliced

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• 1 tsp dried rosemary

• salt and pepper to taste (Don't be shy on the salt)

• 1/3 cup chicken or beef broth depending on your protein

• fresh parsley - chopped for garnish (optional)

Preparation:

Steam or blanch the cauliflower florets for 3-4 minutes, or until they are slightly tender. Drain and set aside.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet and fry meat until cooked through. Set meat aside for later.

In the same skillet, add the remaining olive oil and heat over medium heat.

Add the chopped onion and minced garlic to the skillet. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until the onions become translucent and fragrant. Add the sliced mushrooms to the skillet and continue to cook for 5-7 minutes, or until they release their moisture and start to brown.

Season the mushrooms with dried thyme, dried rosemary, salt, and pepper. Stir well to distribute the herbs evenly. Pour in your broth of choice to deglaze the skillet, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. 

Finally, add the meat and cauliflower florets to the skillet and gently toss everything together. Cook for an additional 5-7 minutes, allowing the cauliflower to absorb the flavors.  

Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed. Garnish servings with fresh parsley, if desired.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!