Slow Cooker Venison Stew

I'm finally using up the last of the venison from the freezer.  I'm hoping that we get more this year.  It's nice to have all that meat in the freezer.  The cost of butchering the deer is negligible, really.  I'm not a big meat eater and I don't eat venison but with 3 meat loving males in the house, a freezer full of venison is a good thing (Especially in the this economy.  And you can't get any more organic than wild game).

Venison Stew (serves 8-10)

Ingredients:

1.    5 russet potatoes, peel and cut into 1 inch pieces
2.    12 baby carrots, cut in half
3.    1/2 red onion, quartered
4.    Two shallots, roughly chopped
5.    2 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
6.    1 cup of water
7.    2 garlic cloves, minced
8.    2 tsp. of gluten free Worcestershire sauce
9.    1 Tbs. parsley
10.  1 bay lea
11.  1 tsp. paprika
12.  salt and pepper to taste
13.  2 pounds venison meat (steaks, loin chops, etc) seasoned and cut into 1 inch pieces

Directions:

1.  My guys don't enjoy the gamey taste of the venison so before I cut it into chunks, I seasoned it with an all purpose seasoning (I used one from our local grocery, but something from Emeril or Paul Prudhomme would work nicely.  You could even make your own.)

2.  Add all the ingredients into the crock pot.  Stir to mix everything together.  Cook on low for 10-12 hours.

I used the 2 shallots because I had them on hand.  You could use 2 onions quartered instead.  Also, if you aren't a fan of venison or you don't have any on hand, beef, buffalo, elk, etc. would work just fine also.

Deep Fried Catfish

(The catfish, hushpuppies, and a potato pancake made with left over baked potatoes that I found in the fridge)

With Lent on it's way, I thought I'd try doing a fish fry. It turned out really well (so I'm told. I don't eat fish. But the family raved about it)

Catfish
1. 1 cup gluten free all purpose baking mix (I used Bob Redmill)
2. 1/2 cup cracker crumbs (I crushed Ener-G gf crackers in a food processor and didn't have enough so I added some gf tortilla crumbs - 3 tbs - to top it off)
3. 1/2 tsp garlic powder
4. 1/4 tsp onion powder
5. 1 tsp salt
6. 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
7. 1.5 cups of buttermilk
8. 4-5 large catfish fillets
9. 2 cups of canola oil (if pan frying)

1. I used a fryer. Make sure to get the oil to the desired temperature, about 350 degrees F (or just move the dial to the "fish" symbol and wait for the green light to come on like I did). If you are using a pan, use enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan and have about 1 inch of oil in the skillet (to float). Heat the oil to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine the 1st six ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together. Once combined put your flour mixture in a large, wide pan or baking dish. You will dredge the fish through the flour so if you are using long pieces of fish, you want to make sure your dish is also long. Put the buttermilk in a large, wide, shallow bowl.

3. Dip each fillet in the buttermilk and then dredge the fish through the flour mixture making sure to get both sides evenly coated. Set the fillet on a large platter or baking sheet. Continue with each fillet. Refrigerate until ready to fry or begin to fry fish.

Frying:

If you have large fillets, it's best to fry one fillet at a time. In a fryer, I immersed mine for 6 minutes. The time will vary depending on the size of your fillet. You'll know when it's done when it is golden brown on the outside and the inside of the fish is flaky white.
If pan frying, it will take 4-5 minutes per side. Remember to add more oil if needed between each frying and wait for the extra oil to heat back up.

Place fried fillet on a paper towel lined baking sheet and place in a warm oven to keep the catfish warm.

If you can't find catfish,, any white fish will work with this recipe, just adjust your frying time for the size of your fillets.

I'm giving away a copy of Allergic Girls new book! Just leave a comment on this post to be entered to win. I will draw the winner Friday February 18.

I hope you enjoy the fish and I hope you win the book!!

Quinoa Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Not necessarily kid friendly, but sometimes you just need to make something adult friendly with a little kick.

Ingredients

1. 4 poblano peppers
2. 1 1/3 cup quinoa, prepared
3. 1 15 oz. can organic black beans, rinsed
4. 2 tbs. butter or dairy free margarine
5. 2 garlic cloves, minced
6. 1 onion, finely chopped
7. Cooking spray or olive oil
8. Salsa (to taste. About 1/4 cup per pepper)
9. Organic sour cream (about 2 tbs. per pepper)

Directions

1. Slice the tops and stems off of each pepper and remove the seeds. Rinse the peppers inside and out and pat dry.
2. Cook quinoa according to package directions and set aside. Over medium heat, melt butter and add chopped onion and minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 7 minutes.
3. Add quinoa and black beans to onions and cook an additional 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a glass baking dish with non stick spray or lightly oil with olive oil. Fill each pepper with quinoa/bean mixture until full. Place in glass dish. Cover dish with foil and bake in oven for 20-30 minutes until peppers soften.
5. Place one pepper on each plate. Top with 1/4 salsa and 2 tbs. of sour cream.

Enjoy!

Serves 2 (for dinner) 4 (for appetizer or lunch)

Our new favorite Thanksgiving stuffing

This was a fan favorite this year!

Ingredients

1. One loaf of Gluten Free Pantry French Bread Mix, Prepared (I subbed any eggs in the directions with Ener-G egg replacer)

2. 4 Tbs. of unsalted butter or dairy free margarine

3. 1 large sweet onion thinly sliced

4. 1 celery rib, diced

5. 1 tsp. chopped sage

6. 1 tsp. chopped thyme leaves

7. 1/2 pound of bacon

8. 3 cups of low salt gluten free chicken broth

9. 2.5 tsp. salt

10. .5 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Prepared gluten free bread. When cool, cut loaf into 1/2 inch - 1 inch cubes (depending on your preference). Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Toast bread cubes in 375 degree F oven for 20-30 minutes until bread cubes are fairly crunchy. Remove from oven and put bread into a large bowl.

2. In skillet, melt butter/dairy free margarine. Add the celery and onion and cook over medium heat until tender. Add sage and thyme and cook another minute. Scrape mixture into bowl with bread.

3. Cut bacon into half inch pieces and cook until crisp. When finished, use a slotted spoon and add to bowl with bread.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together chicken broth and 3 Tbs. of bacon drippings. Add to bowl with bread. Add the salt and pepper and toss everything until the bread soaks up the liquid. Scrape into 9x13 buttered/margarined baking dish.

This can be refrigerated overnight at this point.

Cooking:

Bake stuffing for 30 minutes covered in 375 degree F oven until it is heated through. Removed foil and continue to bake another 30 minutes until the top is crunchy. Serve warm.

Serves 12
Total cook time: 3 hrs.

Oliver's Labels

This is not food related, I've been really behind on posting any new recipes over the summer. We've been cooking, but we've pretty much been cooking our tried and true recipes.

Last week I received an e-mail from Oliver's Labels and they asked me if I'd do a review on their allergy related labels. Click here to see the different designs that they offer. Because my son has multiple allergies, they sent us the "No Nuts, No Gluten, No Eggs" label. It wasn't clear to me from the website but you can get multiple allergens listed on one label.

The labels are really nice and seem like they would hold up well. The graphics are full color and are guaranteed not to rub off. They also said that the machines that they use to print the labels are eco-friendly. That's a nice bonus.

They also offer a lost and found system called found it codes. If your child loses an item the nice person who finds it can go to a special place on the Oliver Label website to virtually turn it in and Oliver's Labels will help you get it back. They said they included these in the samples, but I didn't see them in my envelope.

The labels look really nice and I'll be looking into the shoe labels that they offer. My issue with the allergy label is that it says "No Nuts". Some kids are allergic to peanuts and some kids are allergic to tree nuts (or both) and I think it would be nice to differentiate. Some people don't even know what a tree nut is. The other is the "No Gluten". Technically it works for my son because he is allergic to wheat, rye, barley and oat, but that can be a little confusing. He's not allergic to gluten, he's allergic to the proteins in wheat, rye, barley, and oat. Am I nit picking on that? Yes, probably. Do I have an answer on how to correct that issue. No, I really don't. I'm just bringing it up.

Over all I really like the labels and the company itself. I recommend them and like I said, they more than likely have found a future customer in me.

Thank you Oliver's Labels.

Steak and potato kebabs with creamy cilantro dressing

Steak and Potato Kabobs (kind of a meal on a stick)

This recipe is from Eating Well magazine. I modified it a little bit for personal taste, but it got RAVE reviews.

Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, minced (I used a 1/4 cup because I'm not a big fan of cilantro)
2. 2 tbs. red-wine vinegar or cider vinegar
3. 2 tbs. reduced fat sour cream
4. 1 small garlic clove, minced
5. 1 tsp. chile powder
6. 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
7. 1/2 tsp. salt, divided
8. new or baby red potatoes
9. 1.25 pounds strip steak, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
10. 2 poblano peppers or 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces (we used sweet green pepper)
11. 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
12. 1 large sweet onion, cut into 1 inch pieces

Directions

1. Combine cilantro, vinegar, sour cream, garlic, chile powder, cumin and 1/4 tsp. salt and set aside.
2. Preheat grill to high.
3. Place potatoes in microwave safe container. Cover and microwave on High until just tender when pierced with a fork, 3-3.5 minutes.
4. Toss the potatoes, steak and pepper pieces with oil and the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Thread the potatoes, steak, peppers and onion chunks onto 8 skewers*. Grill, turning once or twice, until the steak reaches the desired doneness, about 6 minutes for medium. Serve the kebabs with the reserved sauce.

* if using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 20 minutes before grilling. This will help keep them from burning. The potatoes are heavy so use metal skewers if you have them.

I made the sauce and it was perfect for the meal. But it did not seem like it would be enough for 4 people so I doubled it. And in doing so it seems VERY vinegar-y (is that a word?). So I just kept adding sour cream and spices until it tasted like I thought it should.
To make it dairy free, sub Tofutti Better than Sour Cream or other preferred safe dairy free sour cream.
Since I'm not a red meat eater, I made a few for myself with chicken. Keep in mind if you do that, the chicken takes longer to cook. Put the chicken kebabs on first or you'll be like me and still standing around the grill while everyone is else is eating steak.

Chili-Lime Drumsticks

Chili-Lime Drumsticks (from All*You magazine)

Ingredients
1. 16 chicken drumsticks
2. Salt and pepper
3. 4 Tbs of butter or dairy free margarine, melted and cooled
4. 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
5. 1 Tbs. chili powder
6. 1 garlic clove, chopped
7. 1 tsp. sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Rinse drumsticks, pat dry and season with salt and pepper. Place in a flat layer in 2 large baking pans.
2. Mix remaining ingredients. pour over drumsticks; turn them to coat. Cover with foil; bake 15 minutes. Remove foil, turn drumsticks; bake until cooked through, 35 minutes, basting often with pan juices. Let rest for 10 minutes, then serve hot; or let cool, cover and refrigerate to serve cold.