Recipes One

There are lettuce wraps for Beverly Hills housewives and there are lettuce wraps for meat-eating,  huntin good ol boys and girls. This is for the latter. Trust us. Lettuce wraps arent just for girls.

Using Chatelliers Rare Game Sauce, we marinated venison roast for 4 hours and basted them with the same sauce on the grill. What resulted was a unique and smoky piece of meat, kind of like barbeque sauce but different. The sauce paired perfectly with the corn salsa we made, which also had a smokey punch with ingredients such as grilled corn, tomatoes, red onion and fresh sage. To tie everything together, thinly sliced, flavorful pieces of grilled venison and corn salsa topped romaine lettuce leaves for extra crunch. We bet you cant eat just one. But its so healthy that you dont have to feel bad about eating more than one! These are great for a meal or an appetizer for parties. Enjoy with a White Zinfandel wine and tortillas chips to dip in extra salsa.

We want to thank Chatelliers Rare Game Sauce for sending us a jar of their amazing elixir. To buy, please visit their website for store locations or to order online.

- salt and pepper, to taste

Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides.
2. In a small bowl, combine marinade ingredients: orange juice, lime juice, 2 garlic cloves minced, 1/8 cup olive oil and 1/8 cup Chatelliers Rare Game Sauce. Mix well.
Since it was cold yesterday, we left the meat to marinate at room temperature.
Brush olive oil over corn. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  
Score an "X" into one side of the tomatoes. Brush olive oil over tomatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 
5. Grill corn until lightly golden all over. Grill tomatoes until slightly softened, covered. About 15 minutes. 

Allow tomatoes and corn to cool.
6. Remove venison roasts from marinade. Discard marinade. Grill until medium done-ness, about 5 minutes each side. Baste each side with Chatelliers Rare Game Sauce.

Let meat rest for 5 minutes.


7. To make the salsa, slice kernals off corn. Chop flesh of tomatoes. Since we used roma tomatoes, seeds were not a big problem so we didnt bother removing. 

In a medium-size bowl, combine corn, chopped tomatoes, red onion, red wine vinegar, olive oil, chopped sage and Serrano chili pepper (optional). Add salt and pepper, to taste.

8. With a serrated knife, slice venison thinly against the grain.
Fill lettuce leaves with sliced venison and corn salsa. Enjoy like tacos!

There will be lots of yummy salsa left, so you should buy tortilla chips to finish it all up. :-) 





 
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One of the things I love about fish is how quickly it cooks.  You need do very little to your fish fillets and have meal on the table in a very short time.

As part of the Fish is the Dish, Healthy Happy Hearts  I am eating two portions of fish a week to raise my levels of omega 3.  I was looking for a quickie recipe for Hake, I searched on the Fish is the Dish recipes  and found this super easy Hake in a Hurry recipe provided by my friend Karen from Lavender and Lovage.

This recipe is very adaptable as, if you have enough time, you can add whatever you have to hand to the breadcrumbs.  I added chopped parsley, black garlic and spring onions.  I just blitzed them with the bread when making the breadcrumbs and it added a lovely herby flavour to the topping.


Karen covers both sides of her Hake but, as there was skin on the bottom of the Hake fillets, I simply placed the fish skin side down in an oiled roasting tin and topped with the breadcrumb mixture.

 Then all that is required is to pop it in the oven for 15- 20 minutes while you prep the vegetables or salad, sipping from a chilled glass of white wine or the aperitif of your choice!

I made this last Friday when I came home from work and tweeted to Karen that I had made Hake in a Hurry and what I had added, it was she who decided that this was Posh Hake in a Hurry! );

My first brush with cooking Italian was all thanks to Giada Laurentis and her lovely show - Everyday Italian on Food network. Her simple techniques, few ingredients and ample use of vegetables made me realise how simple Italian cooking can really be.

I remember one of her recipes which had all ingredients from the pantry. Using just pasta, basil, pine nuts and olive oil, she made a most simple yet flavourful dish. When I recreated this in my kitchen, my guests loved the simple no fuss flavours. A whole variety of pastas are used in my kitchen, usually going with the whole wheat variety. Soups, salads or saucy pastas are a hit with both of us. Bread or no bread, a glass of wine and pasta is a delightful dinner for the two of us.

This one uses peppers, basil and spinach for great textures and a ready made pizza sauce for a burst of flavour. This dish that is superb in its colours and super fast to cook (under 30 minutes).

I love the crunchy peppers in every colour and I dedicate them to this weeks WHB started by the herb lover, Kalyn.

According to my favourite food for health resource site, bell peppers due to their bright colours are choc-a-block with anti oxidants. Eaten on a regular basis, they are good for heart and lung health. The beta-carotene is good for your eye sight while their vitamin C content prevents osteoarthritis. This peppered pasta is a great way to gather all these health benefits.



Fussili with 3 peppers and spinach
Category - Italian main course, salad
Cooking time - Under 30 minutes
Serves - 2

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Ingredients

1 cup Fussili pasta
1 large red, yellow and green pepper each
1 cup spinach leaves, washed and patted dry
Handful of frozen green peas
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
5 flakes garlic, peeled and finely chopped
3 tbsp pizza / pasta sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste

Method

1.Boil the pasta according to instructions on pack. Drain and keep aside. You may want to reserve some of the pasta water if you want to add some moisture to the pasta.

2. Wash and cut the peppers into strips. Discard seeds.

3. In a wok, heat the olive oil. Throw in the crushed / chopped garlic and chilli flakes. Stir them around for 30 seconds.

4. Add the peppers, sprinkle some salt and saute for 5-7 minutes till somewhat tender. Top with spinach and basil leaves with the peas. Stir them for 2-3 minutes, till greens have wilted and peas are thawed.

5. Add the cooked pasta to this, sprinkle required amount of salt and the pizza sauce. Serve in a warmed plate for a light anti-oxidant rich supper.


Tags: WHB, bell peppers, antioxidants, Italian recipe, pasta, fusilli

A perfect silky soup when married  with a nice hot grilled cheese sandwich... [Featured on 9-13-11 at  http://www.laurieconstantino.com/ resources/alaska-food-blogs/  And, on 3-19-12 at http://cook.sevnav.com/we-cook-soup/ sandras-fresh-tomato-basil-soup ]

Servings: (4 to 6)
Prep: 10 mins.
Cook: 50 mins.

Posted: by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 red onions, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 large tomatoes, chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
3 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
sea salt and pepper to taste
--Garnish options:
Croutons
Chopped basil

METHOD
Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven or large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and carrots and saute for 10 minutes, until very tender. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, red pepper flakes, and sea salt and pepper to taste, stirring well. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender.

Carefully puree the hot soup with an immersion blender, regular blender, or a food processor. Reheat the soup over low heat just until hot, and serve with julienned basil leaves and/or croutons.

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Tip: Some like to use cream, and if so, you can add about a cup of half-and-half just before pureeing.

Ingredients
Serves 4

25g butter
1tsp salt
300g flour
1 litre boiling water

Served with:
Honey or date syrup
Melted butter or ghee