NO TEARS HERE!

SHE2016©

I mostly make onion soup in the fall and winter, with plops of brie, and drops of toasted home-made bread.  But with the “She-tox Detox” everywhere I look right now, and Spring moving to Summer, it was time to lighten it up and make it inside-out Cleanse-Friendly.  So I made it with vodka instead of Winter-rich brandy (you can use veggie broth instead, Cleansers!), used a bright seasoning, and made the onions translucent instead of deeply caramelized.  It was unbelievably delicious and ridiculously EASY!!  Paired with a simple salad of Romaine and cucs with home-made lemon-poppy-seed (heavy on the poppy-seed for me, if you please!) dressing, there were no tears involved from THESE onions!

SPRING-TO-SUMMER ONION SOUP       

4 medium purple onion, cut in half and sliced thinly

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

1 tbs sea salt

1 tbs pepper

1 tbs garlic powder

1 tbs herbes de provence

½ cup vodka

1 ½ boxes vegetable broth

Sprinkle enough evoo in a heavy soup pot to cover the bottom.  Heat on medium for about a minute or so and then add onion.  Cook on medium heat for about two minutes and add all seasoning.  Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until onions are translucent, about five more minutes.  Add the vodka a little at a time, letting it evaporate into the onion each time before adding more until vodka is gone and onion has absorbed all of it.  Add vegetable broth and turn heat to low.  Let simmer fifteen minutes and EAT!!

NOTES:  This is Meatless Monday friendly, too!  If you are on Week One or Two of the “She-tox” Detox, omit vodka and simply use a shot of the veggie broth instead.  The flavor profile changes a bit, but worth it while you cleanse.  This recipe is perfect for Week Three!  Interested in this Cleanse & Detox?  Message me!  Want to help the Texas Flood Victims but not sure how?  Message me!  Want to make some variation suggestions for the recipe?  Message me!!  I love all feedback, and love you She-Peeps!!

SHE2016©

MEAL TRAIN MEAT LOAF

SHE2016©

Ohhhhh, MAN!!  This meal was made TWICE in one night at my house!  Well, yes it was that good, but specifically, I was invited to take part in a meal train for a community member.  If you don't know, a meal train is when someone is sick, or has a new baby, or needs help in some way for some reason and the community gathers together to take meals to them for a few weeks.  It's brilliant.  I've been on both ends of a meal train, and let me just tell you, it is nothing short of amazing to watch people team up to help in any way they can.

This one was so good and pretty easy that I decided that's what we were having, too!  Besides, doesn't that make it easier on you?  Just doubling up and feeding the masses?  This particular family's special request was lean meats and veggies and mostly low-carb!  Ah!  A family after my own heart!  So I made low-carb home-style turkey meatloaf with pan gravy, cheesy cauliflower "mac", seasoned wilted spinach, broiled tomatoes, and a simple salad.  Just threw in some organic juice and chocolate crackers for the kiddos, and some vino for mommy and daddy, and created a meal train marveloso!!

Home-style turkey meatloaf recipe below - you know the kind: crumbly, savory goodness that melts in your mouth?  Use for a meal train to bless someone, or for yourself to bless yer belly!!

SHE2016©

HOME-STYLE TURKEY MEATLOAF

1 large carrot, diced fine

1/2 onion, diced fine

2 garlic cloves, diced fine

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

sea salt pepper

1/4 cup red wine

1 family pack ground turkey blend (not just breast meat)

1 egg

1/2 cup oats

1 tbs sea salt

1 tbs pepper

1 tbs paprika

1 tbs cumin

1 tbs your favorite steak seasoning

1 can rotel

Worcestershire sauce

Over medium heat, sprinkle about 2-to-3 tablespoons of evoo and let heat through for about a minute.  Add your diced carrots, onions, and garlic and stir.  Sprinkle with a tiny bit of sea salt and pepper and stir again.  Let cook for about 5 minutes, until just-soft, and then hit the pan with the wine. Using a wooden spoon or one safe for your pan, scrape the bottom and stir the veggies for one more minute. Remove from heat.

In a bowl, combine ground turkey, eggs, oats, seasonings, and rotel.  Add vegetable mixture from the pan.  Mix until just blended.  Pour meat mixture into a prepared baking pan and sprinkle the top with Worcestershire sauce.  Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.  Slice up and plate, and then use those gorgeous juices left in the baking pan for gravy!!

NOTES: I use any regular red wine - it does not have to be labeled for cooking.  Mix the meat well, but do not over-mix.  Turkey can tend to get tough if you over-mix.  Sprinkle enough Worcestershire sauce to just cover the top, not too much!  You are now the hit of the meal train peeps!!

Lucky Charm

SHE2016©

I know what my own little pot of gold holds at the end of the rainbow, and it looks a little like a stuffed bell pepper!  The lucky part of this is how healthy, low-carb, and all-around delicious this meal was!   I actually took the ingredients over to family's house to cook, if that tells you just how easy the prep was.  First day of March needed homage, so I filled the pepper with all-goodness and then cut a little shamrock into the side for the perfect touch!  Slåinte!

LUCKY CHARM STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

4 bell peppers (green, of course!)

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

1 pkg ground turkey

sea salt

pepper

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and slightly mashed

1 small onion, diced finely

1 small eggplant, diced finely

1 small yellow squash, diced finely

1 small zucchini, diced finely

2 tbs Italian seasoning

1 tbs garlic powder

1 tbs paprika

1 tbs sea salt

1 tsp pepper

1 8-oz container ricotta cheese

Shredded Parmesan cheese

Prepare bell peppers by slicing off the tops as close to the stem as possible and cleaning out the seeds and membrane.  Place on a prepared baking sheet and set aside, and preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sprinkle a little evoo into a pan over medium heat.  Place ground turkey into pan and sprinkle with a little sea salt and pepper, and brown until just cooked through.  Set aside in a medium-sized bowl.  In the same pan over medium heat, sprinkle a little evoo and add mashed garbanzo beans (or just mash them in the pan!) all vegetables and seasonings and let cook for about two minutes.  While veggies are cooking, add ricotta cheese to ground turkey and stir until just blended.  Remove vegetables from heat and add to meat-and-cheese mixture.  Stuff the mixture into the bell peppers, sprinkle a little grated Parmesan cheese on top and let cook for about 20 minutes or until peppers are to desired consistency.  Once peppers come out of the oven, let rest for about 5 minutes and with a paring knife, carefully cut your shamrock out of the side.  Pop said shamrock into your mouth for luck!

TV DINNER

SHE2016©

It was a cold winter night and we had shows to binge.  I knew we would be spending that particular night in front of the Tube so I wanted to make some comfort food for warmth, and something that would go with the theme of the night.  It made me think back to the old-fashioned TV Dinners.  I remember them having a disk or puck of some sort they called "Salisbury steak", and it was usually accompanied by dry mashed potatoes or bland macaroni and cheese and a side of watery spinach or unseasoned green beans.  Well, I was just not feeling that, go figure.  So I put my own flavorful spin on it, added a healthy twist, and made a pretty simple She Gar-C TV Dinner instead!  Venison Salisbury steak with sour cream sauce, cauliflower "mac"-n-cheese, and apple cider turnip greens.......The Hubster could NOT get enough!  So we had a nice stay-at-home Date Night with reality TV, a cozy fire, and full bellies!

SHE2016©

SALISBURY STEAK

2 pnds ground meat (I used the ground venison my friend gifted me!)

1 can rotel, drained

1 egg

1 tbs winter-type seasoning, like Penzey's North Woods

1 tbs garlic powder

1 tbs paprika

sea salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

safflower or canola oil

Mix all ingredients down to the oil.  Sprinkle enough oil to barely cover the bottom of a heavy pan (I use my cast-iron skillet, of course!), and heat on medium.  While oil is heating, shape the meat into steak-like patties.  No need to worry about uniform shaping!  These are beautiful and rustic when they are all different shapes!  Place two-at-a-time into heated oil, cook for five minutes on each side and place on paper towel when they come out of the pan.  Make a small one for you to taste as you cook the rest for quality control. ;-)

SHE2016©

APPLE CIDER TURNIP GREENS

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

1 onion, sliced

1 pnd turnip greens, ribs removed, chopped coarsely

sea salt

pepper

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Heat about 3 tbs evoo in a pot (I use my cast-iron Dutch oven) on medium for about a minute.  Add your greens, and seasonings and cook down until just-wilted, stirring from time-to-time.  Once just-wilted, add apple cider vinegar to the pot and cook another minute or two.  Serve with ANYTHING as a side dish, and take your leftovers (if there ARE any!) to lunch the next day!!

BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD

SHE2016©

So I made venison back-strap stew that included that precious, tender, and prized deer meat, turnips, carrots, celery, onion, and slivered red cabbage, all braised and stewed together to make one savory and wonderful bowl of warming yumminess on a cold winter's night.  (LOTS of adjectives there)  To go with it, I made a quick bread - no, let me explain it the way it deserves:  This is a fast and easy bread make with seasonal beer (in this case, winter beer), beautiful fresh-and-pickled jalapenos, and mounds of gorgeous shredded cheddar cheese.  It may very well be the best thing EVER, and this I PROMISE YOU.  The Hubster made a simple turkey sandwich with it the very next day and said it was the best sandwich he has ever had in his entire LIFE ...... because of the BREAD, Y'all.  MAKE THIS.  Then slather it in (real) butter while its still warm, and know that it must be a little taste of what Heaven is like.

QUICK BEER JALAPENO CHEDDAR BREAD

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 - 3 pickled jalapenos, chopped

2 - 3 fresh jalapenos, seeded and chopped

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

12 ounces seasonal beer or beer of your choice

4 tbs butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the chopped jalapenos, cheddar cheese, and butter. Pour beer into the mixing bowl and mix until blended. Pour mixture into a prepared loaf pan. Bake for about an hour or until golden brown. Tent with aluminum foil and cool for 5-10 minutes. Slice and serve or just grab a chunk of it with your bare hands like an animal and place a honkin' piece of butter on it and eat straight out of the pan!

NOTES:  You are so welcome.

OH, DEER!

SHE2016©

I have a friend who has a very generous heart.  She is one of the few people I know that would literally give you every possession she had if you let her if she thought it would make you happy.  I often feel reluctant to take gifts from her for that very reason.  HOWEVER comma - when she offers up fresh venison to me, I have NO QUALMS receiving that gift!  Her hubby fills their freezers and fridge with all kinds of beautiful meats from hunting trips, so it's my pleasure to take some off of her (giving) hands!  This night I took some venison sausage and turned it into a beautiful and hearty stew perfect for the cold weather outside!

VENISON & BLACK BEAN STEW

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

2 pkgs venison sausage links, sliced

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 turnips, peeled and chopped

2 carrots, diced

sea salt

pepper

1 tbs cumin

1 tbs paprika

1 tbs garlic powder

i small can diced tomatoes

4 cans black beans

3 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup sour cream

chopped cilantro, for garnish

In a heavy pot (I use my cast-iron Dutch oven, of course!) sprinkle enough evoo on the bottom to cover and heat on medium for about a minute.  Add sausage and brown for about two minutes.  Add onion, garlic, turnips and carrots and continue to cook on medium for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally.  Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste and add cumin, paprika, and garlic powder, and stir to combine.  Cook for another minute, and then add diced tomatoes.  Drain 2-of-your-4 cans of black beans and add to the pot.  Add the remaining 2 (un-drained) cans of beans and stir.  Add the vegetable broth, stir, cover, lower heat to low and let simmer for another ten minutes.  Sprinkle a little more sea salt and pepper to taste, stir in the sour cream and remove from heat.  Garnish with cilantro.

NOTES:  I use organic black beans, and really do think it makes a difference for a cleaner taste (and fiber!) - especially if we are eating venison, which is the best meat you can put in your body for digestion!  I also use my own home-made vegetable broth, but you can just buy a box of organic and use that!  Turnips are my go-to in place of potatoes right now for low-carb options and they are so freaking good in this recipe!  If you want some spice, add a little cayenne during the cooking process or simply add your favorite hot sauce before eating!

SCALLOPED PLATE

SHE2016©

Fast, easy, healthy, DELICIOUS!  The night I made this I was cooking all week for a catering gig and needed to be able to put dinner on the table without fuss.  I heated some fettuccine foodles (my name for organic tofu shirtaki noodles) and seasoned them with sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder and made them the resting place for these gorgeous scallops, so it was not only low-carb, it was super-fast!  I had some baby bok choy in the fridge that I got from the Asian market (have I mentioned I LOVE the Asian market??) so I threw them in a pan with some extra virgin olive oil for about five minutes and seasoned them with sea salt, pepper, Chinese five spice, and a dash of soy sauce at the end.  Boomshakalaka.  Literally done in about five minutes.  So below is the recipe for the perfect scallop.  The PERFECT scallop.   

THE PERFECT SCALLOP

sea scallops, patted dry with a paper towel (in this case, there were 10)

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

1 tbs butter

sea salt 

pepper

In a heavy pan (I use my cast-iron, of course!) on medium-high heat, sprinkle enough evoo to cover the bottom and add the butter.  While the oil is heating, sprinkle your scallops with sea salt and pepper on both sides.  When your butter is melted and your oil gives a little smoke, carefully add the scallops, making certain they do not touch.  Cook for about a minute-and-a-half to two minutes on each side, depending on the size.  Each scallop should have about 1/4-inch crust before turning and removing.  Remove from heat and serve immediately.

NOTES: Fresh cracked black pepper is best for this recipe, but if you don't have that, regular ground pepper will work.  Get that pan screaming hot before placing your scallops in the pan or else they will steam cook and you won't get that beautiful golden brown crust.  

On the Third Day of Christmas - I Got Goosed!

SHE©

Our tradition after Christmas Eve Service is Chinese Food takeout because we have usually worked the service somehow, whether I'm leading worship or we are managing the Guest Services Team; this year, I catered with 600 cake ball truffles.  Soooooo, no cooking on Christmas Eve!  Of course, that changes come the next morning when we make the traditional Christmas goose.  So by day-after-Christmas, it's time to figure something out for leftovers!  I took the leftover goose and stir-fried it with veggies in the fridge needing to be cooked, and put it over the leftover fried rice.  It was pretty dang good!!

canola oil

1 pnd leftover Christmas goose (or any comparable meat like chicken or turkey)

1 crown broccoli, chopped

1/2 bok choy, choppped

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 cup red cabbage, chopped

1 cup cilantro

1/4 cup peanut butter

3 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs brown sugar

2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced

sesame oil

leftover fried rice (or your own home-made!)

In a wok or heavy pan, coat the sides and bottom of pan up to about 1/2 inch and heat on medium high for about a minute or so.  Add all ingredients up to peanut butter and cook through, about three minutes, stirring occasionally.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, and garlic cloves.   Add to the wok, stir through and let cook for one more minute.  Remove from heat.  Serve over reheated (or fresh) fried rice!

NOTES:  Want low-carb?  Simply omit the rice!