Venison Stew

Cubed venison is coated with seasoned flour and sauteed
in olive oil before the rest of the ingredients are added.

Venison used to strike me as an awful meat.  How could someone eat Bambi?

All that changed when we travelled to New Zealand.  Deer is raised domestically, much like sheep, goats, and cows, and appears often in their restaurant's repertoires.  Domestic venison is less gamey than wild caught, and the taste is pleasant and mild compared to some other big game.  There is another reason to consider including this in your menu box.

Venison is very lean.  8 ounces of venison has about 9 grams of fat.  The next lowest compared protein I used is salmon which has about 13 g of fat for the same 8 ounces.  Chicken has has even more.  Other red meats go up in the fat grams content from there.  Because it isn't fatty, the meat may be tough if not cooked slowly as in stew meat.  This recipe was devised by looking at several different ones on the internet.   Give it a try!

Serves:  4                   
Prep time:  about 15 minutes
Cook time:  1 hour, plus or minus 15 minutes

1 pound venison, cubed
1/4 cup flour seasoned with a sprinkle of paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, thyme, and oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/2  cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup carrot, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup fresh grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered (or half a can of diced tomatoes will work in a pinch)
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
pinch of dried thyme, if you have it
1 bay leaf
1 cup red wine
2 cups broth
Salt and pepper
Crusty Italian bread

Lining up the ingredients

Toss the venison cubes with the seasoned flour. 



Browning the seasoned and floured meat.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a thick skillet with a lid or stew pot.  Sear the venison for a few minutes.  Add the onion, celery, and carrots and saute for about 3 minutes.  Add in the garlic, tomatoes, basil, thyme and bay leaf to the pan.   Season with salt and pepper.  Add the red wine and stir up the bits in the bottom of the pan.

Add the stock and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 45 minutes or until the venison is tender.  Add more stock while cooking if necessary.

Serve the stew in soup bowls with the crusty bread and a side green salad.

Calories per serving comes in about 365.  More than 100% RDA is represented by vitamin B12 and zinc.  Healthy doses of copper, iron, phosphorous, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, selenium, niacin, and vitamin B6 are also included in this stew.  A thick slice of crusty bread adds another 150 calories.  You will want to soak up all the juices with the bread.

The stew is flavorful and filling.  Ask your butcher if he can order some for you.

- Kim Fielding

Refreshing Cold Rice Salad for Summer

Left-over rice creates a delightful cold grain salad when paired
with vegetables and herbs. .

We eat brown rice all the time.  I always cook way too much and then try to pawn it off as left-overs for lunch the next day or two.  But this is the thing... it is like pasta in its ability to morph into salads or other side dishes for future meals.  I am learning with son #3 that we can make Giada's rice balls with cheese filling, fold it into stews and sautees, and just serve it with veggies dumped on top.  Gluten-free friends love rice and I appreciate the opportunity to discover the diversity that this grain has to offer when my pals come over.  This one is a winner.  Another bonus for the chef, this is wonderful if made early in the day so all the flavors have a chance to meld. 

Serves:  8      
Prep and cook time:  10 minutes if using left-over rice or one hour using fresh cooked rice

2 cups brown rice, cooked and cooled
1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1/4 cup yellow pepper, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, coarsely chopped

Dressing:
1/3 - 1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar or other sweet vinegar
dash of salt
several grinds of black pepper

Make sure your bowl is big enough to toss all the fresh herbs
and vegetables together.

Place cold rice in a bowl and add the tomatoes, red onion, yellow pepper, basil, and parsley.  Combine the dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake to emulsify.  Add just enough dressing to moisten the salad and toss well before serving.

Nutrition count:  For a non-meat option, this side dish packs a punch.  Each serving comes in at almost 2 grams each of protein and fiber and with 140 calories.  It is also loaded with mostly monounsaturated fats.  For the micronutrient breakdown, this meets a quarter of your manganese needs for the day. 

Manganese is a trace mineral.  What this means is that it is necessary to our health, and our body uses it in small but vital amounts.  Taking manganese in through healthy eating is the best way to ingest it.  Deficiencies are rare because this element is readily available in nuts, whole grains, leafy vegetables, and tea.  It functions as a cofactor for enzymes involved in bone formation and various metabolic processes.

- Kim Fielding