BISON MEAT LOAF

One meal I like to make is a meat loaf. I have tended to use bison meat as it is leaner than ground beef and I also like the taste of bison. I add some vegetables to the meat loaf and what is added is sometimes dependant on what is in the fridge. Carrots, celery and onion are always handy; mushrooms and even spinach will be added if available. I prefer to add cooked chopped spinach versus raw spinach as cooked spinach is easier to mix into raw ground meat. You just need to make sure that you got most of the water out of the cooked spinach. 

In making this loaf I decided to bake it on a rack versus using a loaf pan. Baking it on a rack makes the sides of the cooked meat loaf crispy and really adds to the taste. I think this is my new favourite of cooking meat loaf. I used a rack rather than putting it directly onto parchment paper as I was unsure if there was going to be much juice. With lean ground bison, there wasn't more than a tablespoon of juice. If I used ground beef, there would have been more juice. With the shape of the rack, I ended up making two large halves and a mini size loaf. The rack is place on top of a baking sheet so that juices don't drip down onto the bottom base of your oven.

 

INGREDIENTS: 

500 grams or 1 lb ground raw bison

 

3 large handfuls of spinach  

1 tbsp oil

1 medium carrot, peeled, finely chopped

1/4 onion, finely chopped

1 celery, finely chopped

3 mushrooms, finely chopped

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp herbes de provence

a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup panko bread crumbs 

DIRECTIONS:

 

1. Steam the spinach until it cooks down and drain it in a colander. Squeeze the excess moisture out using the back of a spoon or by using your hands. Chop the cooked spinach and set aside. 

2. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

 

3. Add the oil to a frying pan, heat on the stove top to medium high. Add the carrot, onion, celery, mushroom and garlic powder. Reduce the heat to medium and saute until the vegetables are lightly browned and starting to soften. Turn the heat off and set the pan with the vegetables aside.

4. Place the bison in a medium size mixing bowl and mash down the meat from the cube shape it was in when bought. Add the cooked chopped spinach to the meat and combine well. Add the vegetables, herbs and spices and the panko crumbs. Combine well. You want the vegetables dispersed through the meat. 

5. Put the meat loaf mixture into a loaf pan 

OR 

 

 

using your hands, shape the meat loaf mixture into two or three mini loaves and place on a cooking rack nestled onto a cookie sheet. The other option is to shape one big loaf and place directly onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.

6. Bake for 45 minutes to 50 minutes. 

7. Serves up to four depending on appetites.

CREAMY CUCUMBERS

A friend of mine was raving about these creamy cucumbers she made and shared this recipe with me. She had gotten it from another friend. It is a recipe that some would recognize being made by their mothers or grandmothers and handed down through the generations. The cucumbers will have a tangy and sweet taste and it is a great way to preserve and eat cucumbers especially if you are getting many from the garden. You can store the creamy cucumbers in the fridge for up to six to eight weeks. 

I made half the recipe and used six large size cucumbers and half a large size white onion. I used five jars (500 ml each) which are easier for storage in the fridge and serving.   

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups mayonnaise or miracle whip

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vinegar

2 tbsp pickling salt

1 tsp pepper

12 medium cucumbers, peeled and sliced

2 onions, peeled, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

Using a large bowl, mix together the mayo, sugar, vinegar, pickling salt and pepper.  Add the cucumbers and onions. Combine well. 

To make storage and serving easier, place cucumber mixture into jars with lids and store in the fridge up to six to eight weeks.

ORZO APPLE CELERY SALAD

 

With the hot summer temperatures, I like to have cold salads on hand that incorporate pasta, rice or a grain like farro. I like using orzo in salads since it is small in size and mixes well with other vegetables. Using a bulky size pasta changes the texture and bite size of the salad. With mint growing in the garden, this was an excuse to make and blog another orzo dish. We all enjoyed this salad as part of supper. The mint makes it refreshing.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup uncooked orzo pasta
2 green onions, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/2 apple, cored and chopped
3 radishes, chopped
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled or small pieces
6 - 8 mint fresh mint leaves, cut into ribbons
1/4 cup or less fresh parsley, chopped

DRESSING:

4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice (use fresh lemon juice if you have lemons on hand)
1 tsp maple or agave syrup
lemon zest from 1/2 medium size lemon
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Cook the orzo according to directions on the package. Best to not overcook the pasta. Drain once it is cooked, rinse with cold water, drain and let cool in a colander. You can cook the orzo ahead of time based on your schedule and assemble the salad closer to the time of having it as part of your meal. When I make pasta ahead of time, I add a little bit of olive oil to the pasta in a bowl or serving dish so that it doesn't clump together.

While the orzo is cooling assemble the rest of the salad ingredients and add everything to a large mixing bowl including the orzo. Combine well. Prepare the dressing separately and add the dressing to the salad before serving. Serves 4.

 

ARUGULA AND FENNEL SALAD

Ready to eat.

The combinations of greens, fennel, orange and mint make a wonderful refreshing salad for hot summer days. I have posted several variations of fennel salad in previous blog postings and this one adds to the collection. If you don't have arugula greens, any chopped kind of lettuce or greens will be fine and you could even just eat the fennel salad and skip the greens. Peaches or nectarines are also good options to replace oranges. I like to make this salad as an alternative to lettuce and vegetable salads. Most evening meals include a salad and having choices helps. 

Chopped arugula in a dinner bowl.

 

Fennel salad ready to be placed onto a serving of arugula greens.

INGREDIENTS:

1 small fennel bulb, cut into thin strips

1 orange, chopped into small pieces or 1 small drained can of mandarin oranges

2 green onions, chopped

2 to 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2 to 3 tbsp chopped fresh mint

grated orange peel from ½ an orange

Several handfuls of arugula greens, chopped or whole

Dressing:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/2 tbsp maple syrup or liquid honey 

1 clove of garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Trim the fennel bulb of stalks and wash it. Take off the outer layer if it doesn’t look fresh. Slice the bulb into chunks and use a food processor or a sharp knife to make thin slices. Add the fennel slices to a medium size bowl. Add the rest of the vegetables except for the arugula. 

Mix the dressing in a small container or jar. Add the dressing to the mixing bowl with the fennel and combine. Place one to two handfuls of arugula greens into a dinner bowl or plate. Add a portion of the fennel salad on top of the arugula greens. Serves 2 to 4 depending on how salad you want.

SOURDOUGH PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

 

While recently talking to another cookie baker who is a wonderful cook and also my sister-in-law, she mentioned what her favourite cookie is. It is a peanut butter cookie with oats and coconut. I was tempted to make her recipe but decided instead to deviate and make a peanut butter cookie with sourdough discard starter. I added oats and coconut instead of chocolate chips. The chocolate chips were tempting to add but having a kitchen helper who has four legs and likes to sample, chocolate is out of the equation. 

For the ingredients, you can add up to a cup of sourdough starter. I had only 3/4 cup available and just used that. I didn't add the full cup of sugar. I used about 3/4 cup of coconut sugar and 1/4 cup of stevia. The cookies are not too soft but are not crispy. The sourdough starter makes them more softer than a traditional peanut butter cookie. We all enjoyed sampling these cookies.

INGREDIENTS:

 

3/4 cup sourdough starter 

1 cup peanut butter 

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown or coconut sugar 

2 eggs 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

 

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder 

1 tsp. baking soda 

1/2 tsp. kosher salt 

1 tsp. cinnamon 

 

1 to 2 cups chocolate chips  OR

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup unsweetened shred coconut

DIRECTIONS:

 

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

 

In a medium size mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the sourdough starter, peanut butter, butter and sugar.  Add the eggs and the vanilla extract and mix well.  

Add the dry ingredients to the sourdough mixture. Mix well. Add the chocolate chips or the rolled oats and the coconut. If the dough is not stiff enough add a bit more flour or rolled oats. 

Using a small cookie scoop or a heaping tablespoon, place each ball of dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Press gently down on each ball with a fork. The cookies will not spread but will puff up a bit. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.  Makes up to 54 cookies.

SOURDOUGH BAGELS

 

With having sourdough starter I am always willing to try a new recipe. I have been reviewing sourdough bagel recipes over the past few weeks. Some recipes require more prep time including an overnight rise in the fridge. A long rise in the fridge helps with the fermenting process to give the sourdough its classic flavour.

I decided to make this recipe from baked-theblog who call these bagels a New York style bagel (New York style sourdough bagels). I made mine more of a Montreal style bagel which includes a smaller bagel, larger hole and you use honey or sugar in the boiling water to poach the bagels. There are many debates that go on about which bagel is better.

There are a few things that make bagels different from rolls or buns:

• They are poached before baking which gives them the chewiness and a soft crust. You don't want a bagel to have a crusty texture like a typical sourdough bread. 
• They also don't rise as much as other breads. 
• Part of the joy of eating the bagel are the seeds coated on the bagel.  
• Lastly, they are more dense.

Not everyone is a bagel fan. If you want to learn more about the science of making bagels, this link provides the detail.

If you plan to make this recipe, you need to factor in the time for all of the steps. From the time I put the ingredients into the mix master to knead the dough to putting in the first tray of bagels to bake, it took over 25 hours. The recipe advises that it makes eight to ten bagels, I made 15 of them. I used three kinds of seeds to coat the bagels - poppy seed, black sesame seed and everything bagel. If you don't have a large fridge or a second fridge it may be difficult to make these bagels as the trays are kept in the fridge for a minimum of 12 hours. I had these bagels in the fridge for 20 hours. 

They are a delicious bagel and I will be making them again, but not a weekly basis!

Here are some photos to show some of the steps.

Bagel dough is divided up into 15 and resting. 

 

Bagels ready for the first rise

 

 After rising for 20 hours in the fridge.

 

Poaching the bagels in boiling water with baking soda and sugar.

 

 

Ready to bake.

 

Out of the oven and cooling.

Bagels made using this recipe.  New York style sourdough bagels

QUICK AND EASY WAR WON TON SOUP

For an easy supper, I like to make my version of chicken war won ton soup. It does require a little bit of planning if you want to first make some chicken stock using a boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs. You can make this soup meatless by skipping the chicken and chicken bouillon and using vegetable mini won tons. The vegetables used in the soup can vary based on what you have in the fridge. I use frozen chicken cilantro mini won tons that I buy from Costco. They are a perfect size. I added about 16 mini won tons but you can add more to the soup. If you have leftover soup, you may need to add some water the following day when you heat it up as the noodles and won tons will have absorbed some of the liquid. 

INGREDIENTS:

Broth

One pound of boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken thighs

Medium onion, chopped

8 cups of water

1 tsp salt

Vegetables

One large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced or chopped

One celery stick, chopped

3 mushrooms, chopped

One small zucchini, finely chopped or sliced into noodles using a vegetable peeler

Large handful of fresh green beans, chopped into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces

One cup to 1 1/2 cups of chopped cauliflower or broccoli 

1/2 coloured pepper, chopped

Seasonings

One garlic clove, minced

2 tsp tamari sauce

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp fish sauce (can use salt instead)

1 tsp chicken bouillon powder (optional) 

16 mini won tons ( I add them frozen)

100 gram or 3.5 ounces of angel hair pasta broken in smaller pieces or vermicelli noodles

Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Using a large soup pot, add the water, chicken, onion and salt. Heat the contents to a boil and then simmer for an hour. Remove the cooked chicken and place in a bowl to cool for a little bit.

 

Taste the broth and add the seasonings. I add some chicken bouillon powder to increase the chicken flavour. 

Add the chopped vegetables to the broth. Cut the cooked chicken into small pieces and add back to the soup. Stir the contents of the soup and taste the broth to see if it needs anymore seasoning. Adjust if required. Heat to a boil and then lower the temperature to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft. 

When you are close to serving the soup, add the mini won tons and noodles. Heat the soup to medium high and once it starts to boil reduce the heat to low. Cook for six to seven minutes. Add the chopped cilantro. Makes four large servings. I like to add some additional soy sauce to my own bowl of soup. 

PASTA WITH GROUND BISON AND VEGETABLES

 

An individual serving.

I decided to make a healthy version of a cheesy vegetable and ground meat pasta dish for supper tonight. I used chickpea rotini pasta, lean ground bison and a small amount of cheese.  I added some oat milk to create some creaminess along with the cooked pasta water.

As I usually buy and freeze ground meat in one pound or 454 gram packages, I didn't want to make a larger recipe that serves four to six. I cooked the full pound of thawed ground bison, used half of it for this recipe and will use the remaining half in another recipe over the next few days. With storing it in a container in the fridge, it will keep for a few days.    

The pasta dish turned out to be cheesy enough with the amount of cheese added. The DH and I both liked the meal.

INGREDIENTS: 

125 grams (4.5 ounces) of dry pasta 

 

250 grams (around 1/2 pound) ground bison (or other ground meat) 

1 tbsp olive or other oil

1/2 large onion, chopped

4 large mushrooms, chopped

1/2 coloured pepper, chopped

2 large handfuls of spinach

1/2 tsp of oregano

salt and pepper to taste

 

cooking water from pasta

1/3 cup milk or nut/plant milk

 

1/4 cup shredded cheese - mozzarella, cheddar or other favourites

2 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese   

DIRECTIONS:

 

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions to al dente. Drain and set aside.

2. Using a large saute or frying pan, on medium heat, cook the bison or other ground meat, breaking it up in the pan. Add the oregano and salt and pepper based on taste. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes until it is no longer pink. Transfer the meat to a bowl or container. 

3. Add the oil to the frying pan, heat on medium high heat and add the chopped onions, mushrooms and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium or medium low and saute the vegetables until soft. Add a few tablespoons of the pasta cooking water if the vegetables are sticking to the pan. Add the cooked ground bison to the pan, combine with the vegetables and cook for a few more minutes. Add the milk and combine.

4. Add the spinach to the frying pan and combine. If the mixture is looking dry, add a little bit of the pasta cooking water. Cook the spinach down and stir after a few minutes. You may need to add some more salt and pepper to the mixture based on taste.  

5. Transfer the pasta, bison and vegetables to a serving bowl. Add the cheeses and mix well. Ready to serve. Makes up to 3 servings based on appetite. 

 

VEGETABLE COTTAGE CHEESE NOODLE KUGEL

 

Ready to sample.

Once out of the oven, it is good to let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.

 

Having several containers of 2% cottage cheese as bulk packages from Costco prompted me to make a kugel. One of my favourite comfort foods is cottage cheese and noodles. This dish includes vegetables and in many ways is similar to a vegetarian lasagna without the tomato sauce or layers. I used egg noodles and I think this dish works well using a flat noodle. I used a wider egg Italian noodle. It is quite filling and goes well with a green salad as a supper meal. Instead of trying to eat the kugel over several days, I will freeze a section for a future meal for the DH and I.

 

Egg noodles drained in a colander.

Vegetables added to the sauteed mushrooms.

Cottage cheese and vegetable mixture.

 

 

Mixture placed in the casserole dish.

Sliced mozzarella cheese placed on top.

INGREDIENTS:

8 ounces or 250 grams of egg noodles

500 grams or 16 ounces of cottage cheese

3 tbsp butter

3 mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cauliflower, coarsely chopped

1 cup of broccoli, coarsely chopped

3 eggs, lightly beaten in a small bowl

1/2 tsp dried chives

1/2 tsp dried dill

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced for topping (optional)

 

DIRECTIONS:

  

Cook the noodles to al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse with water and put aside. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Oil or butter a 9 X 13 baking dish.

Steam the broccoli and cauliflower but do not overcook them. 

Using the pot that cooked the pasta, melt the butter on medium heat and add the mushrooms. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes until the mushrooms are softened. Turn the heat off. Add the drained broccoli and cauliflower to the pot. To the small bowl with the beaten eggs, add the cottage cheese, herbs, mustard, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Add the cottage cheese egg mixture to the pot with the vegetables and combine. Add the noodles and mix well. 

Place the cottage cheese, vegetable and noodle mixture into the oiled baking dish. Cover with thinly sliced mozzarella cheese. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is golden brown. Take out of the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes before slicing it and serving. Makes 5 to 6 servings as a main course.

 

 

  

GRANNY'S BUTTERMILK SOUP

 

A friend of mine sent me a recipe for buttermilk soup that both his grandmother and mother have made over the years. It is a depression era recipe made on the farm that used just a few ingredients - potatoes, water, salt and pepper, flour, milk or cream and buttermilk. My friend knows that I use kefir and buttermilk in recipes and thought I would enjoy it. The soup goes well with warm bread.

It is a wonderful soup and I modified it to include a few other vegetables. I used kefir instead of buttermilk as I have large container of plain kefir in the fridge. I added some cauliflower as there was some in the vegetable bin that needed to be used. The soup is very filling and hits the spot when you are hungry and wanting a hot bowl of soup. If you wanted to make just a potato soup I would use four large potatoes.

INGREDIENTS:

2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 onion, peeled and chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 cup cauliflower, chopped (optional)

water

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp dried herbes de Provence

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup milk

1 to 1.5 cups of buttermilk or kefir

DIRECTIONS:

 

Chop the vegetables to bite size pieces. I like the vegetables to be small in size and not chunky. To a large soup pot add the vegetables and then add enough water so the water covers the vegetables. Add the herbes and salt and pepper. Cover with a lid. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender. If too much water has evaporated, add another cup of water.

In a small bowl mix the flour and milk. You want the consistency of paste. If the mixture is not pasty enough, add a bit more flour. Add the flour paste to the soup and stir well. Turn the heat up so that it boils and then turn the temperature down to a simmer. Stir often so that the vegetables don't stick to the bottom of the pot. Let it simmer for five minutes. The soup should be thick. Add the buttermilk or kefir to the soup and stir. Let the soup heat up until it is very warm but do not let it boil. Add more salt and pepper if required. Serves 4.