Archive for August, 2010

Grass fed Lamb Burgers

Curried Lamb Burgers with Mint Raita

We bought some wonderful grassfed ground lamb and as we love Indian flavors we decided to try these burgers. They were amazing. My husband said it was his favorite burger ever. They were easy to make and delicious too.

Makes 6 Burgers

Ingredients:

Raita

    * 1 cup organic plain whole-milk yogurt (preferably Greek-style)

    * 3 tablespoons chopped fresh organic mint

    * 2 tablespoons chopped fresh organic cilantro

    * 1 1/4 teaspoons finely grated organic lime peel

    * Coarse kosher salt

Burgers

    * 2 tablespoons organic olive oil

    * 1 1/4 cups chopped organic onion

    * 1 teaspoon coarse celtic or kosher salt

    * 2 teaspoons organic curry powder, mild or spicy, your choice

    * 1 3/4 pounds ground pastured, grassfed lamb

    * 3 tablespoons chopped fresh organic cilantro

    * 1 teaspoon organic black pepper

Preparation:

Raita

    *Mix yogurt, mint, cilantro, and lime peel in small bowl. Season to taste with coarse salt and pepper. Cover; chill until cold, at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

Burgers:

    * Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt. Sauté until onion is tender, about 8 minutes. Mix in curry powder and stir 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Cool onion mixture to room temperature, at least 15 minutes.

    *Place lamb in large bowl. Add onion mixture, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, cilantro, and 1 teaspoon cracked pepper. Blend mixture gently; shape into six 1/2-inch-thick patties.

    *Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Place burgers on grill. Cook until grill marks appear, about 4 minutes. Turn burgers over. Cook burgers to desired doneness, about 4 minutes for medium-rare.

    *Serve with rice, pita bread or even a bun, with the Riata on top, or on the side as you prefer. Enjoy!

Read more, great Fight Back Friday posts here:  http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-september-3rd/

Read more, great Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/09/pennywise-platter-thursday-92-2.html

Read more, great Real Food Wednesday posts here: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/09/real-food-wednesday-9110.html

Farmers Market News

We belong to a CSA and get a wonderful box of fruit and vegetables from a local farm all year long, so I haven’t been to our local farmers market in a while.

We decided to go a few weeks ago to pick up some summer fruit and see what else was around and when we got there I was astounded; it was easily double the size of last summer.  There were a lot more booths including one selling grass fed meat, it was wonderful.

One of the long time sellers at the market, Eva, has always had the most wonderful fruit and vegetables.  She and her husband sell everything from peaches and plums to apple and persimmons and they are always wonderful, as well as organic.  This time when we went to Eva’s booth she had ‘Non-GMO’ added to every one of her signs, and was telling all her customers that her produce was Non-GMO.  I was so happy to see that she was making so many people aware of what GMO’s are, to me that’s been a big part of the battle, that so many people don’t even know what GMO’s are.

This past weekend we went back and I gave Eva 50 flyers I had from the Institute of Responsible Technology on GMO health risks. You can get a free copy and you can print and distribute them for free at: http://www.seedsofdeception.com/utility/showPage/index.cfm?objectID=gmfree,5176

Or:

http://www.responsibletechnology.org/documentFiles/140.pdf?

If the download links don’t work, find it here:

http://www.seedsofdeception.com/GMFree/SpreadtheWord/HealthRisksBrochure/index.cfm

So this weeks post is about how powerful it is to educate people about GMO’s. It’s time to let everyone know and get them out of our food supply. We did it with rbGH in milk, we can do it with GMO’s in our seeds and food.

And don’t forget to visit your local farmers market. 🙂

Here’s a great video by Jeffrey Smith about the tipping point and how we can see an end to GMO’s in our food supply.

Read more great, Fight Back Friday posts here: http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-august-27th/

Read more great, Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here:  http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/08/pennywise-platter-826.html

Read more great, Real Food Wednesday post here: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/08/real-food-wednesday-82510.html

Grass fed Onion Burgers

Grass fed beef is much better for us to eat. Most commercial beef is only raised on grass for a short time (if at all) and then confined and fed grains. Cow are herbivores, and they tend to get sick on a grain diet which then leads to them being given antibiotics, which it seems like we also get through the meat.

Grass fed beef is also more nutritious.  It’s got a lot of beta carotene, vitamins A and E and it’s a natural source of omega 3 fats high in CLA.  CLA  (conjugated linoleic acid) is a good fat that has many great health benefits.  They have been shown to be good for your heart, brain and there are studies showing that they may reduce the risk of cancer. In a study in Finland, women who had the highest levels of CLA in their diet, had a 60 percent lower risk of breast cancer than those with the lowest levels of CLA.  It’s also a leaner meat with a wonderful true beef taste. 

When we first started cooking grass fed beef it was a challenge. As it’s lean it can dry out if you overcook it.  Stanley Fishman’s book Tender Grassfed Beef, link below, made a huge difference for us. Every recipe I’ve tried out of the book has been wonderful and now that I understand how to cook grass fed beef I experimented with this recipe.  It turned out great and is our favorite way to make burgers.

It’s a simple recipe and the measurements are approximate.

1 lb. Organic Grass fed Ground Beef

1/2 – 1 small organic onion

½ tsp. celtic sea salt

½ tsp. organic black pepper

I usually take the beef out of the refrigerator about a hour before I plan to cook it, it makes it easier to mix in the onion, especially if you use your hands like I do.

Grate the onion into a bowl, add the beef and the salt and pepper. Mix well and form into 3 or 4 patties as desires.  You can grill them or pan fry them, about 3-4 minutes per side until they are done to your preference.  They are so flavorful that we don’t eat them on buns; just a little organic Catsup if you like it and they are delicious. Enjoy!

For other great grass fed meat recipes, I highly recommend Stanley’s book, Tender Grassfed Beef.

There’s a link to it, below.

Read more, great Fight Back Friday posts here: http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-august-20th/

Read more, great Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here:  http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/08/pennywise-platter-thursday-819.html

Read more, great Real Food Wednesday posts here: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/08/real-food-wednesday-81810.html

Duck with Cherry Sauce

I’ve never made duck before but have loved it the few times I’ve eaten it out. I thought it would be hard to make so I was hesitant to try it, but this was fairly easy. I found a great source for pastured skin on duck breast, and made this recipe. It was great and my husband who’s never eaten duck before really liked it as well.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

1 cup organic soy sauce

1 cup Sherry

4 6-ounce pastured duck breast halves – with skin on

12 frozen organic sweet cherries, thawed, halved

1 cup organic chicken stock, preferably homemade

1 cup organic beef stock, preferably homemade

1/2 cup ruby (or tawny) Port

1 fresh thyme sprig

1 teaspoon organic cornstarch dissolved in 2 teaspoons water – you could also use arrowroot powder

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) organic/pastured butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, room temperature

Whisk soy sauce and Sherry in medium bowl to blend. Using sharp knife, make diagonal cuts at 1/2-inch intervals in duck skin (not through meat). Place duck, skin side up, in glass baking dish. Pour marinade over. Cover duck with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours.

Bring cherries, chicken stock, beef stock, Port and thyme sprig to boil in heavy medium saucepan over high heat. Simmer until mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 15 – 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat heavy large skillet – I used cast iron –  over medium heat. Remove duck from marinade. Add duck breasts, skin side down, to skillet. Cook until skin is crispy, about 10 minutes. Turn duck over and continue cooking to desired doneness, about 5 minutes for medium. Transfer duck to work surface.

Add cornstarch mixture to Port-cherry sauce. Bring to simmer, whisking constantly. Add butter 1 piece at a time, whisking until butter is melted before adding next piece. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Slice duck breasts thinly on diagonal and fan out on plates. Spoon Port-cherry sauce over duck and serve.   Enjoy!

Read more, great Fight Back Friday posts here: http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-august-13th/

Read more, great Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/08/pennywise-platter-thursday-8.html

Read more, great Real Food Wednesday posts here: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/08/real-food-wednesday-81110.html

Organic Peach Crumble

We bought a peach tree a few years ago.  Last summer we didn’t get any fruit, but this year we got 40-50 small peaches. They were not the sweetest, even when ripe, but they were ours, so I decided to peel and freeze them to use in recipes.  I used sucanat and whole wheat flour and it turned out great.

Filling

3/4 cup organic sugar or sucanat

2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

3/4 teaspoon ground organic cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground organic cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground organic nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh organic lemon juice

3 3/4 to 4 pounds organic peaches, peeled with vegetable peeler, halved, pitted, cut into 1-inch wedges

Crumble Topping

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons organic whole wheat or unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup old-fashioned organic oats

1/3 cup cup sucanat  or organic brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) organic butter at room temperature.

3/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Stir flour, oats, sugar, and salt in medium bowl. Add butter; rub in with fingertips until mixture holds together in moist clumps.

Mix in pecans. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.

Stir sugar and next 4 ingredients in large bowl. Mix in lemon juice, then peaches; toss. Let stand at least 20 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Set rack at lowest position in oven. Slide foil-lined baking sheet under rack onto oven floor (to catch any drips). Preheat oven to 350°F. Spoon filling into either deep dish pie plate or round deep casserole. Scatter topping over, breaking up large clumps.

Bake pie 30 – 40 minutes. Bake until juices bubble thickly and topping is golden. Cool on rack at least 1 1/2 hours. Serve warm or at room temperature.  It’s delicious with homemade whipped cream or raw milk ice cream.

Read more, great Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/08/pennywise-platter-thursday-85.html

Read more, great Real Food Wednesday posts here: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/08/real-food-wednesday-8410.html

Archives