Venison Bolognese

Sorry for the long hiatus in posting.  Between taking the bar and starting my job, it's been tough to find the time to write up a recipe.  Not to mention the fact that I've been throwing meals together more than making new and interesting things.  Tonight I finally found the time to both cook something and write this up.  :)

I got a new shipment of venison from my parents last weekend when my sister visited.  It's such a tasty meat.  I love having it to use.  Since I grew up with venison, I use it basically anywhere I would use beef.  And this result was delicious.

While it might not be the most traditional bolognese, it was really tasty.  This sauce came together really quickly too.  The only problem I had with this sauce is that I used too small of a pan.  I ended up spilling some of the sauce when I tried to stir it.  Oops.

I served this with whole wheat spaghetti.  Any pasta would do.  I also grated a little asiago cheese on top to finish it.

Number of seconds Jeremy went back to the kitchen for: 2. (That should say something in itself.)

Recipe:
1 1/3 lbs. ground venison
2 medium carrots, grated
1 spanish onion, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 28 oz. can tomato puree
1/2 tsp. salt (plus more to taste)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (freshly grated)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 dried bay leaf
3/4 c. skim milk
2 tbs. olive oil

1. Heat a large sauce pan or dutch oven over medium high heat.  Add olive oil.  Add venison, carrots, onion, celery, and garlic.  Add the salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.  Cook, stirring frequently until the meat is brown and the onions are translucent (5-7 minutes).
2. Add the tomatoes (diced and puree), milk, nutmeg, thyme, and bay leaf.  Simmer, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes.  (While the sauce is simmering, bring water to a boil and cook your pasta.)
3. Remove the bay leaf from the sauce.  Toss some of the sauce with pasta.  Serve with a little extra sauce spooned on top and some grated cheese.

Eggplant, Spinach, and Roasted Red Pepper Pizza

A big thank you to my mother-in-law for the eggplant.  My in-laws came to visit this past weekend and I got 2 japanese eggplants that she had grown.  Tonight, I decided to use one of them on a pizza -- and it was delicious!

I didn't have any cheese on hand and didn't feel like making pizza sauce so we had a white pizza.  Just plenty of olive oil and garlic to flavor it.  The parmesan cheese (freshly grated... not from a can) added a nice salty flavor to the pizza without making it overly cheesy.  Overall, this was a nice healthy pizza (or veggie flatbread, I suppose).

I sliced this into 8 pieces and -- the same as always -- I had 3 and Jeremy finished off the rest of it.  Delicious. You could change what veggies you use, or add some cheese or meat.  The crushed red pepper flake adds a hint of spice (at least a hint to us...) but you can leave that off if you don't like it.  I love how versatile pizza is.  Once you have a good dough, the possibilities are nearly limitless.

You could certainly make this pizza on a stone as a round pizza if you wanted... I didn't want to bother with making a mess with cornmeal like I often do so I just went with pressing the dough into the pan.  (Plus the dough was a bit looser today than usual... the flour just didn't need quite as much liquid today I guess... so it was easier to handle it this way.)

Recipe:
1 recipe pizza dough (available here, or use your favorite crust)
1 japanese eggplant, sliced into 1/2" slices
1 roasted red bell pepper (from a jar or homemade), sliced
1/2 c. baby spinach leaves, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs. grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flake (optional)
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. black pepper
3 tbs. olive oil, divided

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Drizzle the eggplant slices with 1 tbs. olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.  Bake for 7-8 minutes, flipping the slices halfway through.  (You want the slices tender, but not browned... otherwise they'll overcook on the pizza.)  Set aside until you're ready to make the pizza.
2.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Place 1 tbs. olive oil on a large baking sheet.  Using your fingers, spread the pizza dough over the pan, stretching it to desired thickness (I usually go for 1/4 inch or so... and I used an 11"x17" baking sheet and it covered the whole thing).
3. Top evenly with the rest of the olive oil, garlic, cheese, eggplant, spinach, and roasted red peppers. (I keep the garlic on the bottom to make sure it doesn't burn... the rest of order doesn't matter much.)  Sprinkle the crushed red pepper flake, oregano, and black pepper over the top.  Bake for 15-17 minutes until the crust is crispy.
4. Remove the pizza from the pan, allow to rest for a couple minutes, slice, and enjoy.

Roasted Garlic and Veggie Pizza

I know I haven't posted in a while... studying for the bar has been taking up way too much time.  I keep finding time to cook... just not to take pictures or write anything up.  But tonight, I decided to share... mostly because this is the first time I've ever made roasted garlic.  And it was AWESOME.

I roasted the garlic earlier this afternoon so that it had a couple of hours to cool before dinner.  I just left it in its foil pouch until I was starting to make the pizza... then I squeezed its guts out. :)

I made this vegetarian because it's what we wanted tonight... this would be delicious with any combo of veggies/meat you wanted though.  The roasted garlic added a nice flavor to the whole pizza which is completely different than adding fresh or granulated garlic.  I will definitely be doing this again.

The whole apartment ended up smelling like roasted garlic today.  I even caught Jeremy opening the pouch to steal some.  I told him not to, he said he wasn't, and then I saw him chewing and licking his fingers... garlic thief!  Then again, it really is hard to resist... I may or may not have licked my fingers after rubbing it on the pizza (don't worry... I washed them before continuing to make the pie...).

2 of the 3 slices I ate.  Jeremy polished off the other 5...

Recipe:
1 batch of pizza dough (the recipe we used is here but any dough you like will work... even store-bought)
2-3 tbs. cornmeal
1/4 c. pizza sauce
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flake
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tbs. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 small onion, sliced thinly
1/4 green bell pepper, cut into small pieces
1 head of garlic
1 tsp. olive oil

1. To make the roast garlic: preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the very top off of the garlic head (just to expose the cloves).  Place the garlic on a piece of foil and drizzle with the olive oil.  Wrap the foil around the garlic.  Bake for 45-50 minutes until the garlic is tender and golden.  Set aside to cool.  When cool, squeeze the cloves out of the garlic head.  (Yum.)
2. When ready to make the pizza: preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Put a large pizza stone in the oven to heat with the oven and don't start the next step until the oven is hot -- you want a nice hot stone to put the pizza on.*
3. Sprinkle cornmeal onto a pizza peel.  Using your hands or a rolling pin, stretch/roll the dough into a 18" circle (doesn't have to be perfect).  (Make sure the dough isn't stuck to the peel by giving it a couple of shakes.  If it doesn't move, pick it up and sprinkle more cornmeal down until the dough will slide easily around the peel.  Nothing worse than a beautifully constructed pizza that won't come off the peel...)
4. Rub the roasted garlic onto the dough, spreading it evenly around the dough.  Top with pizza sauce, crushed red pepper flake, oregano, black pepper, and salt.  Continue topping the pizza with mozzarella and parmesan.  Distribute the veggies evenly over the pizza.
5. Carefully transfer the pizza to the pizza stone.  Bake for 15-18 minutes until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly and browned in spots.
6. Remove the pizza from the oven and allow to cool on the peel for about 5 minutes before slicing and enjoying.

*If you don't have a pizza stone or don't want to use one for this, you can add 1-2 tbs. of olive oil to a large baking sheet (enough to lightly coat the sheet).  Then just press the dough into the baking sheet and top as above.  Cooking time will be approximately the same. Pan pizzas are delicious too -- every so often I make it this way just for fun. :)

Cucumber Blueberry Smoothie

Yes, you read that right -- cucumber.  I had a little over half of a cucumber in the fridge that needed to be used... and since I didn't have enough other veggies to make a salad, I was looking for other things to do with it.  I decided to search and see if anyone had put a cucumber into a smoothie (because I kind of wanted a smoothie for breakfast...) and lo and behold, people had!

This smoothie was really light and refreshing.  It did taste like cucumber... but with a sweeter coolness than just a cucumber in a salad.  The blueberries were definitely in the background of this smoothie but they added a great purple color (and a lot of healthy nutrients!).  Overall, I think this was less of a milkshake-y smoothie and more like a health drink.  But still really delicious.  I will certainly be trying cucumber in my smoothies again -- perhaps with some honeydew or apple or something.  :)

One of the things I love best about smoothies is how easy they are.  Just dump things in a blender, blend, drink.  Perfect!  They're really forgiving too... maybe one smoothie will need a little extra liquid to get the right consistency but there are really endless combinations of flavors that you can create just by altering the ratios of ingredients.  I often put some wheat germ or oatmeal into my smoothies to add some extra bulk... but this one was just fruit/veggies, yogurt, milk, and some sweetener.  Lots of people also put some ice or juice in their smoothies (in place of the dairy) so that's a great way to alter the recipe too.

This recipe made 3 servings of smoothie.  Jeremy and I each had one and there is one sitting in the fridge (although he'll probably drink that as a second breakfast...).  I'm usually ok on one glass of smoothie to hold me until lunch.  Jeremy, not so much.  But these are a great way to get a healthy start to the day and get going on the fruit and veggie servings.

 

Recipe:
1 c. seeded and peeled cucumber, diced
1 c. frozen blueberries
1/2 c. plain greek yogurt
1 c. skim milk
1-2 tbs. agave syrup (depending on how sweet you want your smoothie)
pinch of salt (optional, just to enhance the flavors)

1. Put all the ingredients in a blender.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Enjoy. :)

Spicy Black Bean and Brown Rice Soup with Tortilla Strips

I haven't had a lot of time to post.  Between getting settled in Rochester, unpacking, and studying for the bar, it's been a bit busy.  I've been cooking... but it was mostly stuff I've already posted on here.  I'm hoping to get to the Public Market soon to restock on veggies.  But for tonight, I was making do with what I had left in the fridge.  (And trying to use up the brown rice I had made a few nights ago for a stir fry.)  This was a great soup.

Luckily it wasn't too hot here today.  This is certainly not a soup that I'd want to eat when it's too warm out. But it was delicious and comforting.  It's a bit spicy as written so if you don't like heat cut back on the chipotles and the cayenne (I'd cut the cayenne first... I love the smokey flavor that chipotles impart.).

I cooked the black beans just before making the soup (starting from dry beans) but you could certainly substitute canned if you prefer.  Two can would be enough... just drain and rinse them before adding them to the soup.

We have plenty of leftovers of soup but I used all of the tortilla strips I made.  They added a wonderful crunch to the soup -- it wouldn't have been as good without them.  If you don't want to make your own, you could use tortilla chips instead.  The lime was also a really great addition -- it needed a little acid to really bring out the flavor.

The red color of this soup was awesome.  (You could certainly adjust any/all of the spices to fit your taste... or to fit what you have on hand.) If you wanted it vegetarian, you could certainly use vegetable stock or water... it would still be delicious.  Definitely a very easy, tasty soup.

Recipe:
Soup:
2 tbs. olive oil
6 c. chicken stock
2 carrots, sliced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 small onions, diced (about 3/4 c.)
2 stalks celery, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15 oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes (I use no salt added)
1 tbs. chipotles in adobo, minced (you can add more if you want it spicier)
3 c. cooked black beans
3 c. cooked brown rice
1 tbs. chili powder
2 tbs. ground cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tbs. parsley flakes
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
lime wedges, for garnish (I used 1/4 lime per person)
tortilla strips, for garnish (recipe below)

1.  Heat a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add olive oil.  Add carrots, bell pepper, celery, onions, and garlic.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper.  Saute the veggies for 5-7 minutes until they begin to soften.  Add the tomatoes and chipotles in adobo.  Stir to combine.  Use your spoon to crush the tomatoes into smaller pieces.
2. Add the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley flakes, oregano, paprika, and cayenne.  Stir to combine.  Add the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat to maintain a simmer.  Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the veggies reach desired tenderness.
3. Add the beans and rice and stir to combine.  Adjust salt and pepper (and other spices...) as desired.  Once the beans and rice are heated through, ladle the soup into bowls.  Squeeze the lime into the soup just before eating.  Top with a handful of tortilla strips.  Enjoy!


Tortilla Strips:
3 corn tortillas (taco size)
1/2 tsp. salt
vegetable cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 425.  If desired, line a baking sheet with foil (easier cleanup/extra protection against sticking).
2. Slice the tortillas in half.  Then slice into thin strips.  Arrange on the baking sheet to avoid overlapping (it doesn't have to be perfect...).
3. Spray the tortillas with cooking spray to lightly coat.  Sprinkle with salt.
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes until slightly browned and crispy.  Give the pan a shake every few minutes to mix the tortillas around.

Spiced Oatmeal Cookies

Sorry for the long break in posts.  Jeremy and I just moved to Rochester!  Since graduating we've been so busy with traveling and moving that I haven't had time to post.  I've cooked (a little) but nothing worth putting up here... just a couple burgers and stir fries.  We've just been too busy trying to get oriented in our new neighborhood and trying to set up our new apartment.

After tonight's burgers, I was feeling a little peckish and in need of some dessert.  And since my cupboards aren't fully stocked yet, I made do with what I had on hand.  These were delicious!  The mixture of spices I used was really yummy.  I would've added some ginger if I had it but I didn't.  Good anyway.  :)

I made these by hand because my parents still have my electric mixer.  (They took a bunch of stuff that I don't use frequently so that the movers didn't have to take it...)  I'll get my stuff from them eventually... By making sure that the margarine was fully softened, I was able to bring these cookies together with a whisk and a spatula.

You could add nuts, raisins, or chocolate chips to these and make them even more awesome.  I didn't have any of those... so they were just spiced cookies.  So easy and so versatile.  I <3 oatmeal cookies. :)

Recipe:
3 tbs. margarine, softened
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 c. white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c. rolled oats
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (or the non-freshly grated if that's what you have)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Combine the margarine, light brown sugar, and egg in a bowl.  Whisk until fully combined and creamy.
2. Add the flour, oats, and spices.  Use a spatula to combine fully.
3. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet.  Portion out the dough into tablespoons and space evenly on the baking sheet (about 2" apart).
4. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden brown.  Allow to cool slightly before eating.

Roasted Chicken with Fried Chickpeas

Tomorrow is my last law school final.  After that, it's just graduation.  So tonight, since I needed a break from studying anyway, I made a chicken.  I think there are few things more satisfying and so easy to make as a roast chicken.  Season it, throw it in the oven, take it out when it's done.  Yum.

Continuing our quest to use things up, I was trying to come up with side dishes to serve with the chicken.  I'm out of rice, pasta, and don't have any potatoes.  So a starch was hard to come up with.  I didn't want to put the time into making my own noodles tonight so I made chickpeas instead.  These were AWESOME.  Slightly sweet and spicy.  They were really quite easy to make.  Since I used dried chickpeas I had them working most of the day between soaking them and then simmering them.  But the actual time cooking them wasn't bad.  If you don't want to do all that, you can substitute canned chickpeas instead.  I always use dried beans now because they're so cheap.

I served this with some frozen green beans that I just microwaved and topped with a little margarine.  (All that's left in our freezer now is a small amount of peas and ice cubes... it looks so sad!  But all will be fixed after we move in a week and a half...)

The herbs you put on/in the chicken can be adjusted to your taste.  I often like to put some garlic or lemon in the chicken but since I didn't have any, I just left it with the herbs.  The water in the bottom of the pan helped to keep the chicken moist and it prevented the fat from burning when it rendered from the chicken.  I didn't use it to make a sauce but you could strain and separate the juices to make a gravy.

I have a lot of leftover chicken from this meal (and some of the chickpeas).  Jeremy ate a whole breast and I had half of one.  That leaves most of the dark meat and some of the white meat for another meal.  I'm already planning on making a pizza tomorrow with some of the chicken. Yum!

Overall a great meal.  Wish me luck on my last final tomorrow!

The whole chicken -- so crispy and delicious!

Recipe:
Chicken:
1 5-6 lb. whole chicken, rinsed and patted dry
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary (crush the leaves in your fingers before sprinkling on the chicken)
2 tbs. canola oil
approx. 2 c. water

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Rub the oil onto the chicken.  Sprinkle the seasonings over/in the chicken.
3. Place the chicken on a rack over a roasting pan.  Add water to the bottom of the pan.  (You want enough water to cover the bottom of the pan without touching the chicken.
4. Roast for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until a thermometer inserted in the thigh (but not touching bone) registers at least 165 degrees (A lot of cookbooks (and my digital thermometer) recommend 180 degrees... but the USDA says 165 is sufficient...).  (I usually go a few degrees extra -- to 170 or 175... just to be safe.)
5. Allow the bird to rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.  Enjoy!

Chickpeas:
8 oz. dried chickpeas (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 tbs. minced cilantro
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flake
salt and pepper to taste
3 tbs. vegetable oil

1. If using the dried chickpeas, soak the chickpeas for 6 hours or overnight.  Drain and rinse.  Place in a medium sauce pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 45-60 minutes until tender.  Drain and set aside to dry a bit.
2. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add oil and crushed red pepper flake.  Cook for 1 minute until the oil takes on a reddish hue.  Add onions and garlic.  Saute for 2-3 minutes until slightly tender.  Add chickpeas, season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chickpeas are golden brown, 15-20 minutes.  (Adjust heat as necessary to avoid burning it.)  The onions will caramelize slightly.
3. Add the chopped cilantro and stir to combine.  Cook for 1 more minute.
4. Serve and enjoy.