Diet not Dieting

I think it was about this time last year that I started reading about Nourishing Traditions; I read the book late last spring and have tried a few recipes. But my great traditional diet plan fell through, partly do to my love of boxed cereal and all things baked. And in the time since last year I have gained a bit of weight, part do to diet, part to to Fibro treatments/medications and part to an over worked under producing thyriod. Well the medical issues are more under control so now it's time to focus on the food.

I've decided, thanks to a few blogs I'm reading, to reread NT and see if I implament any of it in my diet. I have read that there is a new cook book out that uses the NT principles and I plan to put it on the to read list as well.

There will also be some regular posts here about it.

Also I owe you all some photos, I forgot my camera last weekend, but will bring it this coming weekend so you can all see my secret new job.

Food Declaration

I have mentioned the Slow Food movement before; and I have been thinking a bit about it lately. I have fallen off my slow moving bandwagon. I was on their site today and remembered I had never posted the link to the Food Declaration. From the site:

1. Current policy is mired in a 20th century industrial paradigm, where the primary goals are limited to production volume, efficiency of feeding, and ensured profits for commodity producers and those they supply, thereby, benefiting too few.
2. People, ecosystems, and rural economies are becoming less healthy as a direct result of current American policy.
3. The efforts to solve food and agriculture challenges are not being addressed to the degree required by the scale of the problems.
4. The last farm bill cycle confirmed that too few control the debate and they are focused on protecting the status quo rather than aiding the broader population of the nation.

I urge you all to read and sign The Declaration and hope that you also take a stroll through their site and that of Slow food Nation.

Yum

I love baked goods, especially ones involving fruit. And one of the easiest is Crumble; here are two different flavors that use the same easy topping.

Topping
5 Tbl flour (I used an organic stone ground whole wheat, a GF mix would work well too)
2 Tbl brown sugar
1 stick of cold butter cut up into small pieces

I usually make the crumble while my fruit marinates.
Combine flour and sugar in a bowl, then work in the butter pieces. You are not trying to cream the butter, just turn it into tiny flour covered pieces.

Blackberry Basil
1 1/2 pins blackberries
2 grany smith apples
1-2 Tbl basil based on your fondness for the herb (I used Thai basil, it's a bit more hearty than Italian basil)
sugar to taste (I only used a tea spoon or so, I like tart things)

Peach Ginger
4 large peaches peeled and chopped (I blanched the peaches in order to peal them)
1 pint strawberries, cut into smallish pieces
1 Tbl fresh grated ginger (if you have powdered use that, you may just want to add a bit more)

Combine and let sit for 10 min. (I did this in my pie dish) place crumble on top and bake at 350 until all the butter is melted and the edges are bubbling.

Cooking with Venison

As promised two recipes using venison. I multi task, so if you aren't good at doing two things at once, or are new to the kitchen, you might want to do some prep work. Do all of your chopping and measuring first; just line it all up on the counter and things will go smoother. Have fun and I hope you enjoy these dishes. :)

This first one is based on a recipe in "Nourishing Traditions", I adapted it do to what I had on hand.

Venison Stuffer Peppers
4 green peppers
1 pound ground venison
1 small onion
1/4 pasta sauce (tomato paste was called for, and this is what I had)
1/2 cup beef stock (you may need more if u you use tomato paste)
1 cup of brown rice
spices and herbs to taste (I used basic green herbs and a pinch of cinnamon)
olive oil
grated Parmesan cheese

Set rice to cook, per directions on the package, and preheat the oven to 350F. After, start by browning the meat in your trusty skillet, using the olive oil and add desired herbs and spices. While this is going on chop up your onion. Once the meat is ready pushed it to the perimeter of your skillet, you may need to remove it if your skillet is small. Then add a touch more olive oil and put the onions in the center. While they caramelize carefully cut the peppers, I chose to cut them in half, from top to bottom, so they would cook quicker. Greased a Pyrex dish, 9x12, with olive oil and place the peppers in. Once the onions are ready stir them in with the meat and add the tomato sauce, beef stock and rice. Once combined carefully scoop it into the peppers, cover in graded cheese and bake. The baking took about 30 minutes. I server this with a chopped salad.


Onto the next recipe... This time I was basically just trying to clean out the fringe, so feel free to substitute for what you have. Or just get creative.

Venison Chili
1 pound ground venison
1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper
3 carrots
1 small onion
1 can kidney beans
3 table spoons olive oil
spices and herbs to taste (I used cumin, chili powder and garlic powder)
1/4 red wine vinegar
1/2 beef stock
1/2 cup tomato sauce

Plug in your slow cooker, or put your stock pot on low. Put olive oil and meat in pot and turn it on. Chop peppers, carrots and onions into smallish pieces, and add them to the pot. Add kidney beans, vinegar, beef stock and tomato sauce. Spice to taste; I eye ball it when I add the meat and then go back once it is all cooked and sample. I usually end up adding more spice at the end. I served this with toasted tortillas, just brush them with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet in the oven on low. You may need to experiment with it.

Well that is all for now. There will be more coming. Tomorrow is my last day of work; I'll be on sick leave the rest of the summer, while I heal my body and soul.