I learned the secret to making meatloaf that doesn’t fall apart. You have to use a milk product in your recipe! 

Want the details? Just check out my latest post at the Attune Foods blog - Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice Meatloaf Gluten Free Recipe.

The best meatloaf recipe EVER #glutenfree is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Yes, you read that right – I’m slow cooking mountain goat meat. As I found out when I made carne asada, mountain goat is so tough it’s practically inedible unless made into sausages or cooked in a Crockpot.

So for this month’s Secret Recipe Club recipe I went to Jen from Bean Town Baker’s blog for a little crockpot inspiration. I found her slow cooker recipe for Crockpot Pulled Chicken that looked perfect, as mountain goat (as opposed to domestic goat) tastes just as mild as chicken. Not only that, I had all the ingredients on hand except for the tomato paste, which I omitted and didn’t miss.

If you’re using chicken, slow cook this recipe for five to six hours. However, if you’re slow cooking mountain goat, plan to cook it up to a full day. (I cooked up my batch for 20 hours, believe it or not.) You could try this with beef or pork, too. (Slow cook those meat around six to eight hours.)

This slow cooker recipe gives a nice, smoky taste to your meat of choice. Serve your shredded goat, chicken beef or pork on rice or make it into a burrito, tostado or taco.

Crockpot Pulled Goat

Based on Bean Town Baker’s recipe for Crockpot Pulled Chicken

Print
Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 14 ounce can tomato sauce
• 3 chipotle chiles in adobo, finely minced
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoon smoked or regular paprika
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3 teaspoons dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 pounds mountain goat meat – chops, steaks, roast, etc.
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

1. Stir tomato sauce, chiles, vinegar, agave nectar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, chili powder and salt in a 6-quart slow cooker to combine.
2. Add mountain goat, onion and garlic and stir to cover meat thoroughly.
3. Put the lid on and cook on low until the mountain can be pulled apart – at least over night if not nearly a full 24 hours. Check often to make sure it’s not getting dried out. If the liquid levels are getting low add some water, broth or more tomato sauce.
4. When done, shred mountain goat with a fork right in the crock. Stir well then serve.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 20 Hours

Total Time: 18:15 - 20 Hours 15 Minutes

Nutrition Grade B from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 6

Servings:

• Serving size: 6
• Calories: 344
• Calories from Fat: 31
• Total Fat: 3.4g
• Saturated fat: 0g
• Unsaturated fat: 0g
• Sodium: 816mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 21.7g
• Sugar: 15.9g
• Fiber: 3.7g
• Protein: 52.4g
• Cholesterol: 0mg

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Secret Recipe Club: Crockpot Pulled Goat #secretrecipeclub #goaterie is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

A recent culinary challenge I faced was cooking the mountain goat my husband bagged in September. We had our local game processor make the meat into German, Italian and chorizo sausage – all of which have been fantastic. However, I was concerned with the steaks and chops. Would they be gamey?

I tentatively grilled up a few and found the mountain goat meat was very mild tasting – and extremely chewy. So much so that it was practically inedible. Flummoxed, I decided to marinate and tenderize the heck out the mountain goat meat by making carne asada.

It’s all about the vinegar

We love authentic Mexican carne asada and have learned to make it at home using a recipe my husband found on the Internet. (There are so many similar versions online that I’m not sure who to credit as the author.)

Traditionally, a carne asada marinade uses red wine vinegar. Instead, I decided to do things differently and use Holland House® Malt Vinegar. Both Holland House Malt Vinegar and Holland House Red Wine Vinegar have 5% acidity, which makes both perfect for breaking down and tenderizing tough meat. However, the malt vinegar has a wonderful, strong zingy taste that goes well with the lime and orange juices.

My Carne Asada Marinade recipe will marinade five to six pounds of meat and can be easily halved for a small dinner with no leftover or doubled for a big party or tail gating. If you’re using beef, use skirt steak or a similar thin cut, as show above, and marinate 24 to 48 hours. (The tougher the meat, the longer you should marinate it.)

Slow cooker pulled carne asada

Traditionally, you grill carne asada meat. I tried that on half the mountain goat meat I prepared. While it was extremely delicious, it was still chewy even after marinating the mountain goat for over two days!

Instead, I decided to cook the other half of the meat in the slow cooker. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as sweet and tangy as the grilled carne asada. It was still tasty and tender, more like “pulled” meat, which is what I was shooting for. From now on, all mountain goat meat will be slow cooked. Lesson learned.

Carne Asada Marinade

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup Holland House® Malt Vinegar
• 1/3 cup lime juice or lemon juice
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons peeled fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon white pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 orange, sliced
• 1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Place meat in gallon sized freezer bag, in the bottom of a shallow baking dish, or a non-reactive (plastic or glass) storage container with a lid.
3. Pour carne asada marinade on top of meat, cover dish or close bag, and marinate overnight up to 48 hours in the refrigerator.

Grilling the marinated carne asada:

1. Take meat out of container and grill until just cooked through. (Rare to medium rare.)
2. Cut cooked meat into strips.
3. Place meat and favorite toppings (salsa, cheese, guacamole, avocado slices, tomatoes, shredded cabbage, grilled sweet peppers, etc.) in a tortilla to make into tacos or burritos. You can also serve meat over rice for a carne asada bowl.

Slow cooking the marinated carne asada:

1. After marinating for one or two days, place meat and marinade in a slow cooker.
2. Slow cook for 10 to 12 hours on low.
3. Meat should be extra tender and can be shredded with a fork.
4. Place meat and favorite toppings (salsa, cheese, guacamole, avocado slices, tomatoes, shredded cabbage, grilled sweet peppers, etc.) in a tortilla to make into tacos or burritos. You can also serve meat over rice for a carne asada bowl.

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Disclosure: Mizkan, the parent company of Holland House, provided compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

Best Carne Asada Marinade recipe ever! is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

This month’s Secret Recipe Club recipe is shepherd’s pie from Shelby at The Life & Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch. Shepherd's pie is classic British pub food that’s usually made with ground lamb. However, you can make it with other ground meats (Shelby and I used venison) or even make a vegetarian version, called a Shepherdess’ Pie, with soy crumbles.

Shelby’s version of shepherd's pie uses instant gravy mix. However, since I’m gluten free, I chose to make the gravy using the method found in The Joy of Cooking. However, instead of flour, I used rice starch to thicken the gravy.

Also, feel free to use fresh, frozen or canned vegetables in your shepherd's pie. I used canned since that’s what I had on hand (and what I'm trying to get rid of before we move to Boston). I also eliminated any added salt as there was plenty of sodium in the beef broth and the steak and Worcestershire sauces.

Gluten Free Shepherd’s Pie

Based on recipes from The Life & Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch blog and The Joy of Cooking

Print
Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 pounds red potatoes
• 3 tablespoons buttery spread, divided
• 1 1/2 pounds ground meat (lamb, venison, turkey or beef)
• 3 tablespoons rice or corn starch
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can sliced carrots
• 1 (15 ounce) can peas
• 1/2 cup onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can beef stock, divided
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons steak sauce

Directions

1. Wash potatoes and cut into large chunks. (If you’re not using red potatoes, you’ll need to peel them, too.) Place in a pot of water, bring to a boil and cook until tender.
2. Drain potatoes reserving 1/2 cup of cooking liquid. Mash potatoes with liquid and butter until fluffy. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Brown ground meat with onions. Set aside.
5. In a small bowl, mix 3 tablespoons rice starch with 3 tablespoons of beef broth until thoroughly mixed.
6. In a skillet on medium high heat add garlic, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, steak sauce and vegetables. Bring to a simmer and add the rice starch and broth mixture. Stir until the broth thickens.
7. Add the browned ground meat and onion mixture to the pan. Mix and keep at a simmer. Add any beef broth you have leftover and cook until thickened. Remove from heat.
8. Pour vegetable and meat mixture into a baking dish. Carefully spoon mashed potato over mixture. Using the tines of a fork, score the mashed potatoes, if you like.
9. Place small chunks of the buttery spread on the mashed potatoes. Then place baking dish on a cookie sheet as the gravy may bubble over.
10. Bake 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees until mashed potatoes are golden.
11. Remove shepherd's pie from oven and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Cook Time: 1 Hour

Total Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

Nutrition Grade A from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 7

Servings: 8 servings

• Calories: 349
• Calories from Fat: 85
• Total Fat: 9.5g
• Saturated fat: 4.1g
• Unsaturated fat: 0g
• Sodium: 362mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 37.0g
• Sugar: 7.6g
• Fiber: 6.2g
• Protein: 28.7g
• Cholesterol: 83mg

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Gluten Free Shepherd’s Pie #secretrecipeclub #glutenfree is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

What do you do when you cook up a meatloaf that’s delicious, but falls apart when you slice it? Make meatloaf hash! Just chop up the meatloaf with a spoon and add some healthy mix-ins like rice or vegetables or just a bit of ketchup, like I did above.

That’s what I’m making until I’ve perfected my Smoked Meatloaf recipe. It’s almost there but needs a little more work. I want a meatloaf that slices up perfectly when it’s hot out of the oven – or in my case the smoker. I’ve made it twice – and it’s good enough to share – but maybe you can give me some help on perfecting it by commenting your suggestions below.

How to smoke a meatloaf

Well, you find a big pipe and…

Seriously though, I first heard about smoked meatloaf when my husband came home raving about the taste after sampling it at a local restaurant. I did a search and found My Smoked Meat Loaf Recipe from Smoking-Meat.com. (If you own a smoker, you must sign up for Jeff’s Smoking Meat enewsletter.) I liked his recipe but wanted to combine it with my recipe for Boulder Firefighters Meatloaf.

Also, I wasn’t crazy about how Jeff set up his uncooked loaves. The first time I made smoked meatloaf, I didn’t use a loaf pan. I ended up with a flat, squishy meatloaf that was delicious – thus the Smoked Meatloaf Hash.

The next time I made it, I knew I would have to smoke it in a loaf pan. But how?

Preparing your loaf pans

There’s two problems using a loaf pan:

1. The meatloaf won’t get exposed to the smoke.
2. It will cook in it's juices and stay mushy.

After discussing it with Paul, he came up with an idea of taking a metal loaf pan and drilling holes in it. He drilled two holes on the ends, three on the sides, and seven on the bottom. Then he sanded off the burs.

You could also do this with a disposable aluminum loaf pan. However, since metal loaf pans were only $6 at WalMart, he went out a bought a couple just to make smoked meatloaf in. (He obviously wants me to make this all the time.) You can pick up few loaf pans for a  buck or two at thrift stores or garage sales, too.

Smoking your meatloaf

Now that the pans will drain, I needed something to catch the juices. I decided the easiest method would be to place the meatloaf pans on the bottom rack of the smoker so it would drain directly into the water dish at the bottom. Easy!

This worked pretty well until we realized that as the ground meat cooked, it would expand and block the holes. About half way into the cooking process, I had to tip to the pans and empty out some of the juices from the top and sides. Maybe we need more drill more holes in the pans. Or maybe just emptying the juices a few times will do the trick.

The other issue was cooking time. If I put all the meat (2 pounds) into one loaf pan, it would take three to four hours to cook. Since I didn’t have time, I opted to divide the recipe in half to cut back the cooking time to about 90 minutes. Smoking food is all about planning, so next time I’ll make sure I have enough time to cook just a two pound meatloaf in one pan. I’ve a feeling a bigger loaf will be more solid and sliceable.

Smoked Meat Loaf

Nutritional information based on using ground venison.

Print
Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground venison, lean beef or turkey ((The leaner the beef, themore likely the meatloaf will fall apart. But the lower the calories and fat grams!)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup carrots, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pieces whole wheat or gluten free bread
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup egg whites
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup ketchup or barbeque sauce

Directions

1. Set smoker for 250 degrees.
2. Soak the bread in warm water in a small bowl – enough to moisten the bread but not too much so it turns into mush
3. Place the ground meat in a large bowl.
4. Add softened bread, onion, carrots, garlic, egg, egg whites, and ketchup. Mix with your hands until all the ingredients are incorporated.
5. Put meat mixture into a specially prepared loaf pan (see above).
6. Place loaf pan on lower rack, just above the water pan.
7. Add mesquite wood chips and smoke for 3 to 4 hours until the center registered 160 degrees.
8. If necessary, pour off extra juice that gathers on top of the loaf pan every hour.
9. You can finish the top with ketchup or barbeque sauce about 30 minutes before the meatloaf is finished smoking. Some people like to use bacon instead.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 3 - 4 Hours

Total Time: 3:15 - 4 Hours 15 Minutes

Nutrition Grade B- from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 3

Servings: 8 slices

• Serving size: 1 slice
• Calories: 190
• Calories from Fat: 18
• Total Fat: 2.0g
• Saturated fat: 0.1g
• Unsaturated fat: 1.9g
• Sodium: 393mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 12.7g
• Sugar: 8.2g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 28.2g
• Cholesterol: 23mg

Labor Day grilling: how to smoke a meatloaf is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Each month, Secret Recipe Club participants are assigned a participating food blog from which we’re to make a recipe. It's a secret, so you can’t tell them you are making something from their blog! I was assigned Recipe Taster and chose Alessio’s recipe for Cuban Picadillo. I was intrigued that a Sicilian man living in Bonn, Germany would cook up a Cuban dish. Then that’s Alessio for you! He’s a scientist, an artist, a food blogger, and calls himself a Renaissance man – a perfect description for someone with his range of talents and interests.

Picadillo

But back to the food. I love picadillo, a traditional dish in Cuba, Mexico, the Philippines, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. I usually make my picadillo in the slow cooker with onions, apples, raisins and spices. However, I wanted to make a different version and Alessio’s picadillo recipe looked perfect. I loved that he used raisins, olives and potatoes in his dish. However, I had a problem - I didn’t have any green peppers or olives in the house.

So I improvised and replaced the peppers with celery, but thought the whole thing would fall apart without the olives. Instead, I decided to give the picadillo a Mexican flare by using chorizo, which I just happened to have defrosting in the refrigerator for our weekend breakfasts.

I used ground venison and chorizo made from venison, both of which are very lean. (Our game processor doesn’t add fat to the chorizo.) You can make this with lean ground beef or even ground turkey. If you don’t have a Hispanic grocery store in your area, spicy breakfast sausage is an OK substitution for the chorizo. Just remember to cook and drain the fat from whatever meat you use to cut back on the fat and calories.

My picadillo also features Muir Glen’s Fire Roasted Adobo Seasoned Petite Diced Tomatoes, which gave the dish a terrific smoky flavor. Unfortunately, Muir Glen doesn’t make it anymore. (I either got it at my “dented can” store or possibly through their Reserved Kit program.) A good substitute would be Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies.

Venison Chorizo Picadillo

Based on Recipe Taster’s recipe for Cuban Picadillo and this Chorizo-beef Picadillo Recipe

Makes approximately 6 cups - 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2/3 cup onions, chopped into small pieces
• 2/3 cup potatoes, cut into small pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon green chili sauce
• 8 ounces chorizo (venison)
• 1 1/4 pounds ground venison or very lean ground beef
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) Muir Glen’s Fire Roasted Adobo Seasoned Petite Diced Tomatoes
• 1/2 cup raisins

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions, potatoes and garlic and cook until onions start to brown and caramelize. Stir often and turn down heat if vegetables begin to burn. About 10 minutes.
2. Add salt, cumin, oregano and green chili sauce. Cook for 1 minute.
3. Add chorizo, breaking it up and stirring it into vegetables.
4. When chorizo has browned, add the ground meat. Break up meat and stir into other ingredients.
5. When meat has browned, add in the seasoned tomatoes. Stir to combine with other ingredients.
6. Add raisins and stir to combine.
7. Cover skillet and turn down heat to low.
8. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes.
9. Serve on top of rice.

Nutritional information

Each serving is 3/4 cup of picadillo only

• Calories 343
• Calories from Fat 183
• Total Fat 20.3g
• Saturated Fat 7.4g
• Cholesterol 94mg
• Sodium 532mg
• Total Carbohydrates 13.1g
• Dietary Fiber 1.5g
• Sugars 7.3g
• Protein 26.7g
• Vitamin C 19%
• Iron 19%

Nutrition Grade B from CalorieCount 

Weight Watchers POINTS = 7

Weight Watchers POINTS = 5 for 1/2 cup of picadillo

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Venison Chorizo Picadillo #secretrecipeclub is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Halloween is over, which means it’s time to cook pumpkins, not carve them! Inspired by the Hidatsa Stuffed Sugar Pumpkin I made a couple of years ago, I purchased a couple of medium sized, organic sugar pumpkins at Sunflower Market. Instead of wild rice – which my kids don’t care for – I used quinoa.

Then motivated by the Pumpkins Stuffed with Quinoa, Butternut and Cranberries recipe I saw in the Denver Post last month, I decided to add butternut squash. Instead of dried cranberries, which are usually full of added sugar, I used unsweetened, dried cherries knowing that their slight tartness would go well with ground venison.

You may find that you have a lot of pumpkin left over, especially if your kids gobble up the venison and quinoa, and won’t touch the pumpkin, like mine did. If that’s the case, peel off the skin, and cut pumpkin up into chunks. You can serve the reheated pumpkin with a little bit of grated Parmigiano Regiiano. Or you can add the pumpkin chunks to soups, chili, stews or even to spaghetti sauce (just puree it in a food processor – your kids will never know it’s in there.) Or check out reader Michelle D.'s recipe for Pan-Seared Scallops Pumpkin Risotto.

Packing a nutritional wallop

Not only is this Quinoa and Venison Stuffed Pumpkin delicious, it’s also good for you!

Quinoa – Contains a balanced set of essential amino acids and is a good source of protein. Quinoa’s also a good source of dietary fiber, phosphorus, magnesium and iron. It’s gluten-free and considered easy to digest, too.

Cherries – According to the Cherry Marketing Institute, compared to other fruits, tart cherries have among the highest levels of disease-fighting antioxidants, and contain 19 times more beta carotene than blueberries or strawberries. There’s also some evidence that links cherries to many important health benefits from helping to ease the pain of arthritis and gout, to reducing risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers.

Venison – A super lean protein that is high in iron, but low in saturated fat. Venison is also a very good source of vitamin B12, providing 60.0% of your recommended daily value as well riboflavin (40.0% of the RDV), niacin (38.0% RDV) and vitamin B6 (21.5% of the RDV).

Butternut Squash – Not only is this squash high in dietary fiber, heart healthy, and has significant amounts of potassium, vitamin B6, and folate. But it’s also rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants, which may give it an anti-inflammatory effect.

Pumpkin – Full of fiber and vitamin A and low in calories.

Nutritional information

• Calories 218
• Calories from Fat 19
• Total Fat 2.1g
• Cholesterol 0mg
• Sodium 306mg
• Total Carbohydrates 33.9g
• Dietary Fiber 5.9g
• Sugars 5.4g
• Protein 16.8g
• Vitamin A 457%
• Vitamin C 25%
• Calcium 7%
• Iron 17%

Nutrition Grade A from CalorieCount.

Weight Watchers POINTS = 4

This Mama’s tips

• Do not use a regular pumpkin! Sugar pumpkins are sweeter and less stringy.
• You can use ground lean beef, turkey or buffalo instead of venison. If you have a vegetarian in the family, leave out the venison and double the quinoa, squash and cherries. Or you can use BOCA ground crumbles instead of the venison.
• If you can’t find dried, unsweetened cherries, use dried cranberries, chopped up dates or sliced up dried plums (prunes).
• Instead of quinoa, you can substitute farro, brown rice, whole wheat tabouli or wild rice.
• This would make a wonderful – and dramatic – addition to your Thanksgiving meal.

Quinoa and Venison Stuffed Pumpkin is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Inspired by recipes for Milk Braised Pork Shoulder and Milk Pork, I wondered if I could do the same braising technique with venison. Usually, I like cooking venison roasts in a crockpot with a lot of beef stock since wild game tends to be very lean and a bit tough. Slow cooking leaves venison meat ultra-tender.

Yet, braising venison seemed very attractive since I’d only be cooking the meat for two to three hours instead of all day. So I kept my fingers crossed, hoping that the enzymes in the milk would tenderize the venison. While the meat didn’t fall apart like it would in my slow cooker, braising venison was very successful - and delicious.

I’ve “healthed-up” the recipe by substituting olive oil for butter and skim milk for whole. I’d also recommend adding another onion, more carrots and even some root vegetables like turnips to the braising pot. Blending the vegetables with the curled milk made a wonderful sauce.

Milk Braised Venison Roast

Yield: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 boneless venison roast (1 1/2 pounds)
• 4 to 6 garlic cloves, peeled and cut into slivers
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, cut in half
• a large handful of “baby” carrots or one large carrot cut in half
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cups skim milk

Directions:

1. Using a small paring knife, make small slits in the venison roast, inserting a sliver of garlic into it. Make sure to evenly cover the roast with garlic filled slits.
2. Heat the oven to 350º F.
3. Evenly sprinkle salt and pepper on the venison.
4. Heat a heavy, oven safe pot over medium high heat. It should be big enough to hold your roast. I used my 3.5 quart  Le Creuset French Oven.
5. Add the olive oil to the pot and brown the venison well on all sides.
6. Add the onion, carrot, and herbs to the pot. Pour over the milk, and bring to a simmer on the stovetop.
7. Cover the dish and transfer to the oven until tender, about 2 to 3 hours, turning the meat every 30 minutes.
8. When done, turn off the oven and remove the pot. Then remove the venison roast from the pot, wrap in foil, and place back in oven to keep warm. Make sure the oven has been turned off!
9. Remove the bay leaves from the curdled cooking juices. Purée the curdled milk, carrots and onion with an immersion blender. If there isn’t much juice left, you can add a little chicken or vegetable stock or water. Remember, the sauce should be thick and not runny, so don’t add too much.
10. Taste and add salt or pepper if needed.
11. Slice the venison on a diagonal and arrange in a serving dish. Pour the sauce over the meat and serve.

Nutritional information

• Calories 321
• Calories from Fat 49
• Total Fat 5.4g
• Saturated Fat 0.6g
• Trans Fat 0.0g
• Cholesterol 5mg
• Sodium 117mg
• Total Carbohydrates 17.6g
• Dietary Fiber 1.2g
• Sugars 14.5g
• Protein 46.3g
• Vitamin A 70%
• Vitamin C 7%
• Calcium 33%
• Iron 2%

Nutrition Grade A from CalorieCount.

Weight Watchers POINTS = 7

This Mama’s tips

• If you have a larger venison roast, add more milk, vegetables and herbs and increase cooking time.
• If you have a big enough French or Dutch oven, you may want to cook two smaller venison roasts.

Milk Braised Venison Roast is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

My mom called this morning to ask me about the Fourmile Canyon Fire in Boulder, Colorado. Even though I live 30 miles away from the heart of the fire, it has affected us a bit.

My children’s school is in Boulder County, so they’ve been kept indoors due to the poor air quality for the past couple of days. Also, my friend works for Boulder County’s Office of Emergency Management, so I’ve been taking care of her kids after school while she works a 12+ hour shift. (Yay, two more kids to yell at about getting their homework done. Sigh.)

Last night, in honor of all the people working on the fire, I created this eggless meatloaf recipe. It was such a hit with all four kids that they asked for thirds. Needless to say, there were no leftovers.

Boulder Firefighters Meatloaf

Based on A Firefighter’s Meatloaf at Allrecipes.com

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2 slices whole wheat bread from Rudi’s Organic Bakery in Boulder, Colorado
• 2 pounds ground venison
• 1 small onion, choppped
• 1 cup medium hot, chipotle salsa
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoon barbeque sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Soak the bread in warm water in a small bowl.
3. Place the ground venison meat in a large bowl.
4. Drain bread and add to beef along with green onion, onion, salsa, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic. Mix by hand until well blended.
5. Form into a loaf and place in a greased cookie sheet or hotel pan.
6. Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven.
7. Blot excess fat off the pan with paper towels.
8. Glaze the meatloaf with barbeque sauce.
9. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
10. Meatloaf is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. 

Nutritional information

• Calories 354
• Calories from Fat 125
• Total Fat 13.9g
• Saturated Fat 6.2g
• Trans Fat 0.1g
• Cholesterol 148mg
• Sodium 521mg
• Total Carbohydrates 12.5g
• Dietary Fiber 2.1g
• Sugars 4.8g
• Protein 43.0g
• Iron 33%

This Mama’s tips

• You can also use ground buffalo, turkey or lean ground beef.
• If you don’t like the smoky taste of chipotle, use any kind of medium hot salsa.
• If you use loaf pans, you can split the recipe to fill two pans about 3/4 of the way. Freeze the second loaf or use it for sandwiches the next day.
• Sneak in some grated zucchini for added fiber and greens.

Nutrition Grade B+ from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 8

How you can help Boulder Fourmile Canyon Fire disaster relief

• The Red Cross cannot accept small individual donations of items such as clothing. Instead, they ask that you make a monetary donation to the Red Cross’s Mile High Chapter for Disaster Relief.
• If you’re in Colorado, you can call 211 to identify an appropriate location to take items you’d like to donate.

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Photo courtesy of striking-photography.com and thelightningman.com on Flickr.

Boulder Firefighters Meatloaf is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Everyone has a recipe they make in a pinch out of what's in the cupboard. Mine is spaghetti and meat sauce, since we always have ground venison in the freezer and healthy, whole wheat pasta and canned tomato sauce on hand.

It took awhile to get the family used to whole wheat noodles. (Our two favorite brands are Barilla and Pasta Garofalo.) But now I rarely hear a complaint, especially when I make venison meat sauce from scratch. As my 10-year-old son, Nathan likes to say, "Mom, my compliments to the chef!"

Healthy meat sauce

This recipe is loosely based on the homemade sauce my husband made for me on our first date.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 to 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground lean meat such as venison, buffalo or turkey
• 3-15 ounce jars of canned tomato sauce, such as Muir Glen Organic's No Salt Added Tomato Sauce, 15 oz.
• 3 cans of Muir Glen Organic's Diced Tomatoes No Salt Added, 14.5 oz
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of a hearty, red wine (Cabernet, Shiraz or Merlot)
• 2 teaspoons of dried basil
• 3 teaspoons of dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium to medium high heat.
2. Add minced garlic and cook for a minute.
3. Add ground meat and cook until meat has browned. Break up any large pieces with a spoon as it cooks.
4. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, wine, basil, and oregano. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer while you cook the pasta and set the table.

Variations:

• All ingredient portions are totally to taste. Add more (or less) garlic or basil, if you like. Wine is optional, but I find it takes the acidity of the tomatoes down without having to add sugar or honey.
• Substitute fresh herbs for dried ones. Add other herbs like parsley.
• You can add a chopped onion and/or sliced mushrooms along with the garlic, if you like.
• Try Muir Glen Organic's Chunky Tomato Sauce, Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes, Diced Tomatoes with Basil and Garlic, Diced Tomatoes with Garlic and Onion or  Diced Tomatoes with Italian Herbs. Adjust seasonings appropriately.

This Mama's tips

• The sauce tastes better the longer you simmer it. It also tastes better the next day.

Healthy whole wheat spaghetti with meat sauce is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!