Dear Me, Deer Meat...the other, other, non-white meat!

Dear Me, Deer Meat!

Deer meat, the other, other non-white meat... 

by True Foodie Sound Bites

Seriously good eats. Deer meat is by far one of the most healthy meats available today. Low in fat, calories, cholesterol, high in protein. The way the meat will taste depends on the preparation you put into it prior to cooking.




INGREDIENTS

Deer Meat
Sugar
Water
Sriracha (Asian chili paste)

Flour (enough to coat all pieces of deer meat)
Salt
Garlic Salt
Paprika
Red Pepper Flakes
Onion Powder
Fresh ground Pepper
Rosemary

Bacon Fat- 1 1/2 Tablespoons
Olive Oil-    2 Tablespoons
Chicken or Beef Broth 1/2 Cup
Red Wine 1/2 Cup (use a good one such as cabernet or malbec, not grocery store wine vinegar)

DIRECTIONS

First, place rinsed deer meat in gallon sized plastic bag with equal parts sugar & water and one part Sriracha. Slowly push as much of the air out of the bag as the bag is being sealed (this helps the marinade to fully cover the meat). Marinate 24 hours to at least eight hours or overnight.    
Now, you're ready to cook, so remove the deer meat from the plastic bag marinade, rinse well, and pat dry. Mix the flour and all the dry ingredients together, add the deer meat and toss till fully coated. 
Heat a fry pan on high, melt the bacon fat and olive oil together. As soon as the oil is hot, slowly lay all the pieces of deer meat into the pan and brown (about 3 minutes), then turn once and brown on the other side (about 2 minutes). Add 1/4 cup of chicken broth and 1/4 cup of wine, making sure the deer meat is NOT completely immersed. It should only cover the meat a quarter to almost half way from the bottom, this is called braising. Bring the liquid to boil then VERY quickly, turn down heat to low. 
When the sauce reduces significantly, add the remainder 1/4 cup of chicken broth and let the liquid reduce and thicken a bit, then add the remainder of the 1/4 cup of wine. 
The meat should not braise in the sauce more than 10 minutes. Remove the meat from the pan and let the sauce thicken and reduce to your liking (add more red wine if needed or to your liking as sauce thickens). 
Let the deer meat rest at least 5 to 7 minutes before slicing...trust me, that makes all the difference on how juicy it remains.  Once the meat has rested and the sauce has thickened, you're ready to plate. Slice meat over risotto, fried or mashed potatoes or pureed cauliflower, whatever you like then drizzle sauce over it. Some roasted brussel sprouts with a starch of your choice would do this deer meat recipe justice. A nice pinot noir, cabernet or malbec would pair nicely.
Enoy! Bon Appetit! Buon Appetito! Buen provecho!

 

Ah, La Madeleine....Bon Appetit Mon Ami

by True Foodie Sound Bites

It's a chain...but man is it good. Must be a small chain because you can taste the love that goes into this food.  I highly recommend this to anyone that appreciates not only exquisite food, but heavily influenced Country French.

Fast food type of quick service but sit down upscale French goodness in every bite.

My daughter treated me after church last Sunday. We split two plates.

What we have here is two different plates/dishes.

Croque Monsieur , French twist on the ham and cheese sandwich made with tender ham, warm Swiss and savoury garlic cream sauce (that's the one with the melted cheese on top) Chicken Friand, Puff pastry filled with chicken, mushrooms and béchamel sauce, topped with mushroom sauce, Bowtie pasta with basil, Parmesan, spinach, pesto, green onions and sun-dried tomatoes in a garlic dressing and Fresh spinach with mushrooms, roasted pecans, bacon, red bell peppers and strawberries, tossed with balsamic vinaigrette (chicken available)

Healthy, Spicy, Savory "Risotto" Style Oats w/Venison

I never knew oats could be eaten in such a way that I won't miss actual risotto. I made this recipe first with smoked deer meat my boss had brought to work. Looking for something hearty and healthy, I decided to cook some oats and add the smoked deer meat to it. Voila, instant savory goodness, you will not believe how delicious this is.

Photo: Chicken recipe

Recipe for one serving:

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 to one cup of chicken broth
1.5 to 2 oz. Protein such as chicken, pork, or deer/venison meat.
1 teaspoon of Sriracha (any Asian style chili sauce)
Salt & Pepper

In a saucpan, place the oats and chicken broth, bring to boil and cook on high for about two minutes. Turn down the heat to a medium and stir the oats, cook until a "risotto" consistancy. Take off heat, add cooled or cold chopped up meat, Sriracha, salt & pepper.  You won't believe how delicious and nutritious this is. See nutritional info below...BUEN APETITO!

With Venison
Calories:  240
Carbs:        27 g/Sugars 1g/Fiber 4g
Fat:              5 g
Protein:      20 g
Cholest:     64 mg
Sodium:     31 mg

With Chicken Breast
Calories: 293
Carbs:       31 g/Sugars 1g/ Fiber 4g
Fat:             9 g
Protein:     22 g
Cholest:   113 mg
Sodium:  1024mg  

Grilled Tilapia & Poached Egg Over Warmed Spinach

 by True Foodie

This was one of those meals you just make on a whim. I wanted something healthy but delicious.






 

Ingredients:
Tilapia
Cooking Spray
Spinach
Egg(s)
Salt & Pepper

Directions:
In a skillet sprayed with cooking spray, toss in some baby spinach, however much you like...just remember it reduces in size, but since we're just "warming"it and not sauteing it, don't over do it.  Toss the spinach around until it's soft and warm then plate it.  In the same pan, add tilapia that has been seasoned to your liking. I only used a pinch of sea salt and pepper. Don't over cook it. I found that using high heat made it crispy on the outside and cooked to perfection on the inside...about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. While the tilapia is cooking, poach an egg or two, however many you like. I use about a table spoon of cider vinegar in my poaching water to help it shape nicely as I turned it over and over with a wooden spoon. Take the poached egg out and place on a paper towel, then over the warmed spinach. Next, place the cooked tilapia over the poached egg and warmed spinach. I break the egg before eating...the thickened, warmed yolk becomes a rich, dressing or sauce of sorts.  Enjoy!

Juniper, Tulsa, 1st visit:

 I've been to Juniper a few times and haven't had the opportunity to blog on it, but it's just too good not to.

The following blog post has to be prefaced with a statement that isn't meant to offend anyone, it's just so you know what to expect.  The food is Top Chef worthy at minimal and if it's large portions you want, you'll need to stick to chain restaurants. There I said it. Moving on.

  

 We started with a couple of unique and delicious cocktails...

bloody martini

Serrano pepper, lemon and lime infused vodka 

bloody mary mix, fresh lime juice

 

rosemary lemon drop

Tanqueray gin, rosemary simple syrup

Then for our starters, we tried the pork belly...mmm, pork belly. It was flavorful, juicy and beyond delicious!

natural farms maple glazed pork belly

brioche crouton

Next, we sampled the saffron grilled shrimp served atop rosemary pesto "flan"...nothing short of melt in your mouth savory goodness. The food is rich and packed with flavor.

saffron grilled shrimp

rosemary pesto “flan”, grilled pearl onions

 For the main course, we had the brown butter trout and Colorado lamb chops...oh the flavor in these meals can not be expressed in writing. You'll just have to go sample this on your own. It's one of life's regrets if you don't! I ordered my lamb chops medium rate...words can't describe I say!

Colorado lamb chops

truffled white bean puree, roasted tomato, fennel panzanella

 This trout literally melted in your mouth with buttery goodness.

brown butter trout

brussels sprouts, cauliflower mash, lardons 

We finished our evening off with a mocha creme brulee, which I believe is not on their spring menu but hopefully will be back on the menu this fall. I ordered a black coffee with this and it just hit the spot...velvety, smooth, creamy and exquisite.

crème brulée

mocha creamy goodness

I can't wait to go back...there are so many cool, locally owned restaurants in Tulsa, with places like Juniper, it's hard to give them all a try and share equal rotation :-)

Find Juniper:

Online:         http://www.junipertulsa.com/

In Person:     324 East 3rd Street, Tulsa, OK 74120

For Reservations Please Call: 918.794.1090

Whole Wheat Ditali w/Fresh Mushrooms, Spinach, Roma Tomatos and Shrimp...mmm!

Healthy eating can be so much more than just egg whites and lettuce...

Whole Wheat Ditali w/Fresh Spinach,Mushrooms, Roma Tomato & Shrimp

...case in point, this delicious yet simple recipe.

INGREDIENTS

Whole Wheat Ditali pasta  -1c

Fresh Spinach                   - 1/2 c

Fresh Mushrooms             - 1/2 c

Roma tomato                    - 1 

Deveined medium shrimp - 14

Garlic oil                            - 3 tbsp
Red Pepper Flakes           - dash 
Salt & Pepper                   - to taste

Parmesan cheese

 
DIRECTIONS:
Cook pasta according to directions, drain. In saute pan, heat garlic oil, toss in shrimp & mushrooms. When they're close to being sauteed to your liking, add spinach, then toss in cooked, drained pasta. Saute and toss around then take off heat and add diced roma tomatoes. Top with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and buon appetito!

Angel Hair Pasta & Cabbage w/ Light Fried Chicken...OH YEAH!

Angel Hair Pasta & Cabbage w/Light Fried Chicken
By TrueFoodie

Start with all natural chicken breast, vinegar, sugar, water, 1 cup of angel pasta (about a the size of a round inch gripped in your hand, dry not cooked, hee.) 1/4 cup of vegetable oil, salt, pepper, paprika, red chili pepper flakes, garlic powder, 1/4 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese, fresh garlic, cabbage, 3 table spoons of corn starch.  

In a gallon sized plastic bag... that zips up, put a chicken breast that's been cut into three pieces. Into that same bag, put about 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup of sugar and 1cup of water. Seal it well then place it in a bowl, then into the fridge. Let it brine for more than five hours. 

MAKING THE MEAL! 

Pour the liquid out of the bag... and rinse the chicken thoroughly, pat dry with paper towels and set into a bowl. In a large mixing cup, place the corn starch, salt, pepper, paprika, chili pepper flakes, and garlic salt, all in the amounts to your liking. (If you're a newbie to cooking, shoot me an email and I'll give you more specific instructions and measurements.) 

Mix the corn starch and seasonings really well then toss in the bowl with the rinsed, dried chicken breast. Toss around until the chicken is completely coated. You can do this  in another gallon sized bag as well...just make sure you seal it right.  
Heat the vegetable oil in a fry pan as your tossing/coating the chicken, then place all three pieces into the pan and fry about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. As the chicken is cooking, in a separate saucepan, bring two cups of water to a boil and cook the pasta about 10 minutes, drain and set 1/2 cup of the pasta water aside. When the chicken is cooked, place it on a plate lined with paper towels and set aside. 
In the same fry pan you used to fry up the chicken, toss in the sliced/chopped cabbage and saute for about three minutes in medium high, then turn down to medium and add the cooked angle hair pasta and chopped or crushed fresh garlic. Keep swirling the pasta/cabbage mixture in the pan and slowly add the pasta water so it makes a clear but thick gravy-like sauce. Take off the heat and toss in the parmigiano-reggiano cheese and a drizzle of olive oil. 
Place the pasta onto a plate and add the chicken. Bon appetit! Bonapeti! or as I like to say Buen provecho!!

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