Elk Meatloaf… (insert movie quote here)

Long time no blog!  Sorry about that, but I've had a few hiccups happen over the past few months.  I'm happy to be back though!

This is a recipe for elk meatloaf.  We have a plethora of game meat in our freezer, so this is the meat I chose for the recipe BUT you can use whatever ground meat you'd like.  Just make sure that you cook it to the proper temperature for your chosen meat. (I wonder how many times I can say "meat" in the post)

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground elk
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup spinach, chopped
• 1 TBSP grapeseed oil
• 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (shredded or grated, your choice)
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 whole egg
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
• 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
• 1 TBSP olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Pour grape seed oil in a large skillet and warm over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook for about one minute, then add in the onion.  Cook until the onion is opaque and then add in the spinach.  Cook until the spinach is just wilted, but not soggy!  Remove from heat and let cool
3. In a bowl, whisk together the egg, egg whites, parsley and basil
4. In a separate large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, cheese, kosher salt and black pepper.  Add the Elk meat, egg mixture and spinach mixture, then add the worcestershire, balsamic and olive oil. Combine until just mixed using your hands.  Do not over mix or else it will become too tough!
5. Place the mixture in a loaf pan (if you do not have one, a glass bottom pan will do but just form the meat into a loaf shape).  Cover in the marinara sauce
6. Cook for about 45-55 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 150 degrees.  Remove and let stand for about 5 minutes before cutting and serving

Deer (Meat)balls...

It's a snowy day in Kansas City… normally when it's snowing or too cold (or too hot… for when I lived in Arizona), I make my Nonno Tony's sauce.  Yes, it's my Grandfather's recipe and not my Grandmother's and maybe some day I will share it all with you all but this post is dedicated to the little balls of glory that you place in the sauce to make it perfect… meatballs, made with the deer meat my husband so lovingly shot down in Montana this past fall.

Your best friends for this recipe are a food scale and a mini cupcake tin.  If you do not have these, no worries.  You can just eyeball the quantities.

Ingredients

• 12 oz ground venison (feel free to substitute with a ground pork or beef option, or better yet mix the two together for a more authentic italian ball)
• 1 oz pancetta, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped finely
• 3 TBSP bread crumbs (I used a gluten free variety)
• 2 oz ricotta (skim or non-fat)
• 2 TBSP egg substitute
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp basil
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients and mix well using a fork.  I say fork because it will keep the meat from compressing and thus becoming more tough during the cooking process.
3. Measure the meat out in 1oz portions and place in the mini cupcake tin (if you do not have a scale but have a mini cupcake tin, the meat will fit perfectly in the tin when formed in a ball).
4. Bake for 20 minutes
5. Remove from oven and drain the meatballs from the grease.  Add them to your favorite sauce and simmer for another 10-20 minutes.  Serve over pasta… or spaghetti squash… or in a grinder for a delicious sandwich

Painless Pork Chops

In light of recent gatherings with friends, I have decided to dedicate this blog post to those of you who are "cooking impaired".  Many times I have heard that people do not cook simply because they do not know where to begin, so let us start here.

A basic rule of protein: generally your meat has more flavor if you have the bone still attached to it (same goes for fish... the skin keeps a more genuine flavor to the dish).  Next time you go to the grocery store, pick up some bone in pork chops that are about one inch thick - about the length of the index finger between the top joint and the middle joint of the finger - and try this recipe.

You will need at MINIMUM one hour of marinade time but better yet, make this marinade the evening ahead and let the chops sit overnight to let the flavor really seep in.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 bone in pork chops, one inch thick
• 1/3 Cup balsamic vinegar (I happened to have some of my Maple flavored on hand but you can use regular, or even a red wine vinegar)
• 1/4 cup apple juice (or just use 1/2 cup of vinegar if you do not have apple juice)
• 1 TBSP canola oil or melted ghee
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• salt & pepper to taste (optional)

Directions

One day prior (or at minimum, one hours prior to cooking)

1. Place pork chops into gallon ziplock bag.  
2. In a bowl, combine all remaining ingredients and whisk together.  
3. Pour contents into the gallon bag, remove as much air as possible and seal the bag.  
4. Let rest in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours, max of a day.

Cooking

1. Prior to cooking, take the meat out and let it rest for about 20 minutes. 
2. While the meat is hanging out, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. (see below for TIPS on making this a complete meal)
3. Place about a teaspoon of grape seed oil (or canola... just DO NOT use olive oil, it is delicate and burns very easily) in a cast iron or heavy skillet and heat pan over a medium flame for about 5 minutes.  
4. Gently add the pork chops to the pan and sear each side for 2 minute per side.  
5. Place the skillet in the preheated oven.  
6. Continue to cook the pork chops another 5 minutes or until a meat thermometer reaches 135 degrees.  
7. Remove the pan from the oven and place pork chops on another plate. Let the meat rest for about 7-10 minutes.  The meat will continue to cook (safe consumption is between 145 degrees and 160).
8. Serve!  I recommend a dry white to pair :)

Tips for making a complete meal: When you take the meat out of the oven to rest, thinly cut a sweet potato into 1/8 inch slices (your iphone is 1/4 inch  in height when you have it laying flat so half of that) and a zucchini into 1/4 inch slices.  Place vegetables in a bag, add a tablespoon of olive oil, a clove of garlic and a pinch of salt then shake the bag until the ingredients are well dispersed.  Pour the vegetables onto a cookie sheet and place in the oven just before you START the pork on the stovetop (so when your 20 minute timer to start cooking hits 10 minutes, get your veggies in the oven).  They will be ready when the meat is done.  Easy peasy

Blueberry Balsamic Short Ribs

It's blazing hot here in scenic Middle America, so I decided that Saturday Dinner should involve some meat, some beer and plenty of patio time.  Hubs and I were in Lawrence a few weeks back and did some balsamic vinegar & olive oil tasting at Extra Virgin... I was instantly addicted to their Blueberry Balsamic.  Problem was, up until now I had no idea what to use it with other than drizzling it over some toscano cheese every now and again.  Cue an "aha" moment when I was contemplating what ingredients to use with some delicious short rib and jalapeño mashed potatoes... sweet blueberries just sounded fantastic.  Anyways, here's the recipe:

Ingredients
3 pounds boneless short rib, cut into 3 inch sections
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, sliced
1 fennel bulb, sliced
1/3 cup blueberry balsamic vinegar (or another high quality BV)
1 TBSP light agave syrup
2 C veal broth (or veggie... just DON'T use beef broth... it just tastes terrible.  You can find veal broth at boutique butcher shops - if you're in KC, McGonigle's has it)
2 C red wine (cab or dry red but ALWAYS cook with a wine that you will drink!)
1 TBSP minced garlic
1 TBSP dried rosemary
1 bay leaf

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Heat 1 TBSP of olive oil over in a dutch oven on the stove
3. Brown meat on all sides, set aside and remove any remaining oil from the pan
4. Add fennel and shallot, cook until opaque.  Add garlic and cook for another minute
5. Add broth, balsamic vinegar, wine, remaining spices and agave syrup to the dutch oven and bring to a simmer
6. Place the browned meat into the dutch oven, cover and place in the oven for about 3 hours.  Check the meat often to make sure the liquids do not burn off  -  this is very important so that the meat stays moist and fork tender
7. Serve with your choice of sides (and the remaining red wine)

Pumpkin Gnocchi and Mini Cheesecakes (gluten free)

I have been researching gluten free flour options because I have found that most of my baked goods have tasted too potato-ey.  I finally found the answer... Better Batter.  The basic gist is that this woman found a great flour combination that can be used as a straight substitute in cooking, rather than having to add special ingredients with the options I had found previously.  At $7.50 a box, it is SO much cheaper than other flours and it makes a huge difference in baking.  Another great thing about this company is that they have all sorts of grants and funding that help make it possible for people in need to obtain the nutrition options they require.  I love that this company gives back and is not just another food conglomerate looking to make money off of people who have gluten tolerance issues.

Anyways, over to the great Pumpkin.

I have had a large can of pumpkin puree glaring at me from the cabinet so I decided to have a little fun in the kitchen.  Armed with vino, my Kitchenaid mixer and my new favorite flour, Better Batter, I got to work on a pumpkin feast.

Pumpkin Gnocchi (Gluten Free) with Browned Ghee (butter) Sage Sauce and Spinach

Ingredients (serves 4)
gnocchi
1 and 1/2 cups Better Batter Gluten Free Flour
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 egg whites, frothed
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp sea salt
ground pepper

Sauce
3 TBSP ghee (or butter)
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried sage
1 cup fresh spinach
1/4 cup fresh ground parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Start your large pot of water and salt when it comes to a boil (if you place the salt in first, it will take longer for the pot to boil... seems elementary but I thought I would toss that tip in here).  
2. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, nutmeg, salt and a pinch of ground pepper.  
3. Fold in the egg whites with a rubber spatula.  Slowly fold in the flour until the pumpkin mix becomes doughy.  The dough will be sticky, so do not add more flour as the gnocchi will be chewy if you do.  
4. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and carefully roll the dough out into a few long snakes, about one (1) inch in diameter. Cut the dough into one (1) inch intervals.  
5. Add the ghee (butter), garlic and sage into a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer.  Once warm, add the balsamic vinegar
6. Add spinach to the sage sauce, and stir constantly to ensure the mixture does not burn.
7. Gently add the gnocchi to the boiling water and allow to cook for 4-6 minutes, or until the gnocchi rises to the top.  
8. Drain the water from the gnocchi and plate it up
9. If desired, add the parmesan cheese to the sauce and stir. 
10. Remove from heat and pour over the gnocchi
11. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Gnocchi!

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes (gluten free)

Ingredients - makes about 24 mini cheesecakes

Crust

1 cup almond meal

2 TBSP ghee (or butter)

Cheesecake

8 oz low or non-fat cream cheese

1 TBSP non-fat plain greek yogurt

1/2 cup packed brown sugar (or 1/3 cup agave nectar)

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Melt the ghee/butter in the microwave
3. Combine the ghee/butter with the almond meal
4. (I recommend either lining the mini muffin tin with paper or placing a small circle of wax paper on the bottom to prevent sticking) Spoon the mixture into the mini tins and press down so that it is compacted down. 
5. Bake in the oven for about 7-9 minutes, being careful not to burn the crust.  It should just brown on the edges
6. In a mixing bowl, cream the cream cheese, yogurt and brown sugar, but be careful not to over mix as cheesecake should be creamy, not fluffy!
7. Slowly add the pumpkin puree, sea salt, egg, vanilla and spices
8. Spoon the pumpkin mix evenly into the muffin tins
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the outer edges are brown and the center is no longer jiggly.
10. Let cool in the pan for about 30 minutes, remove from the pan and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours prior to serving.

Carnitas for the Homesick Texan

Blame it on the rain... but I was homesick for Texas this morning as I was pondering what I should do with this massive pork loin I had in the fridge.  I was feeling a bit lazy so the crock pot instantly came out of the cupboard.  Add a little spice, some beer and the proper accoutrements and we had ourself a nice little tex-mex meal this evening.

Ingredients

• 3 pound pork loin
• 1 can green chiles
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp Adobo spice
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cilantro
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp grape seed oil
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1/2 bottle of mexican beer (I say that since it's appropriate for the genre but I used Miller Lite since it's what was in our fridge)

Directions

1. Place bay leaf in the bottom of the crock pot.  
2. Cut a few slices into the pork loin and stuff them with garlic
3. Place the loin into the crock pot, add vegetable stock and the remaining spices.  Pour beer over the top of the loin and place the pot on medium
4. Cook for 6-8 hours and if possible, flip the meat halfway through.
5. Serve with tortillas, guac, salsa and sour cream (and maybe a margarita... if it's Sunday Funday)