Mooseburger Soup

First day back to work after being sick for 3 days was definitely an adjustment.  But the day went pretty smoothly.  I am still lacking some energy and my appetite is still not back 100%.  At least tomorrow is Friday and then I can rest for a couple more days. 

It was however an exciting day for my class.  This year I’m in charge of the Salmon Hatching program at my school.  In the fall (November) we went to the hatchery and the kids learned about salmon habitat and how the our local hatchery is run.  We also got to collect Coho eggs and some milt and then I fertilized them upon our return to the school and placed them in our school aquarium.  And today I noticed that the eggs hatched.  (right on schedule)

We’ve got lots of little alevins.  It will be another month or two before the alevins leave their egg sack and become fry. 

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On the food front, I decided to make a soup tonight.  My pantry is starting to get bare and will need to be replaced with a few staple foods, but I still managed to whip together an appetizing soup.  Let me introduce you to

MOOSEBURGER SOUP

Gluten-free + Dairy-Free

It was getting quite late when I finally got home this afternoon and since I still wasn’t all that hungry, I procrastinated on the dinner making.  Therefore, I didn’t really take the time to lay out all my ingredients to take a picture.  And to tell you the truth, I really didn’t know how this soup would turn out because i just kind of made it on the fly. 

So here is what I did:

1. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, add a couple tablespoons of oil.  Cook your ground moose (or beef, chicken, turkey) until nice and brown.  Add onions, garlic, carrots and bok choy. 
2. Now I added about 3 Tbsp of chicken base.  For Christmas this year, I had a student give me a jar of Victorian Epicure Chicken bouillon base. I don’t actually buy Epicure, but I like this one. 
   
   
3. At this time, also add a couple tsp of oregano, smoked paprika, some salt and pepper to taste, and a splash of Worcestershire Sauce. You can add whatever other spices you like. 
4. Now add a splash of white wine and about 5 cups of water.  Bring to a boil for about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to simmer until the vegetables are tender. 
5. I also added some leftover cooked rice and about 3/4 cup of small-sized noodles (perfect for soups). 
6. I served mine with a garnish of fresh shaved Parmesan and a drizzle of Truffle Oil. 

You can really add whatever other ingredients you want into your soup.  Try it with some beans, corn, potatoes, etc…. a great way to also finish up your produce in the fridge. 

I didn’t really check the ingredients of the Epicure to see if it’s Gluten-Free, but there are bouillons or broths on the market that are obviously GF, so this recipe is perfect for that.  And if you want to make it Dairy-Free, just leave off the Parmesan shavings. 

Hope you enjoy the soup.  What are you guys up to this weekend? 

This weekend will be a busy one, so I probably won’t be posting anything before Sunday night. I’m going to try and sleep so that I can get better and we’re supposed to be going to a neighbourhood backyard bonfire.  Friends of ours host an annual Christmas Tree burn party every January.  Should be fun…as long as the rain stays away. 

Have fun, be safe, wherever your travels take you. 

Bea

xoxo

Moose Meat

My energy is back

Day 3 was much better.  I slept until 11am and felt pretty good when I woke up.  My throat doesn’t have a burning sensation anymore, more of a scratchy feeling, which is due to the white lumps on my tonsils.  My appetite hasn’t really returned yet, but my fever has also broken, which means I’m good to go back to work tomorrow.   

Having felt better today, I also had enough energy to make my way to the kitchen and bake up this scrumptious looking loaf cake. I’ve adapted the original recipe to make it Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free.  (taken from Better Homes and Gardens Diabetic Living Recipes). 

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Applesauce-Oatmeal Loaf

• 2 cups Gluten-free Flour mix
• 2/3 cup quick-cooking rolled oats ***
• 2 1/2 tsp  baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp  ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp  ground nutmeg
• 2/3 cup  sucranat sugar
• 1/3 cup  butter, softened
• 1 egg (1 Tbsp ground Flax and 3 Tbsp water)
• 2 tsp  vanilla
• 1 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3/4 cup  chopped walnuts
• some icing sugar to dust on top

*** According to the Canadian Celiac Association, pure and uncontaminated oats are now being produced, but you have to make sure you buy oats that are clearly identified as being GF  (Bob’s Red Mill is one brand that I know about). ***

1.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly coat a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

2.  In a medium bowl, use a fork to stir together flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.  Set the flour mixture aside.

3.  In a large bowl, combine the 2/3 cup sugar and butter.  Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until mixed.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Alternately add flour mixture and applesauce to beaten mixture, beating after each addition just until combined.  Stir in nuts.  Spread batter into the prepared pan.

4.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on wire rack.  Cut into slices to serve.  If desired, top each slice with raspberries or drizzle with a chocolate-merlot sauce.  Makes about 20 servings. 

Hope you enjoy…will try to make something interesting tomorrow, but will be a busy day… I have a staff meeting after work, so will be a long day.  I’m thinking it’s the last of my leftovers tomorrow. 

Cheers.

Bea

xoxo.

Another Asian inspired meal

Well I wasn’t up to anything too interesting this weekend. I was actually feeling a bit under the weather. It was a rainy weekend to boot and so I decided to lay low and hang around town.  Had another hockey game Saturday night (and yes, I scored another goal ) and Sunday was a quiet day of cleaning up and shopping for groceries. And it was my friend’s Birthday Sunday.  Too bad she lives too far away to celebrate with her.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY REBECCA! 

A couple of highlights of my weekend were:

#1) I did finally get around to purchasing a new pair of running shoes at our local running store.  After trying on 3 pairs of shoes and walking around the store numerous times, I went with these:

Brooks Cascadia Trail runner. 

They are a trail runner, perfect for my May 1st event.  I think they will be well broken-in and this also means that tomorrow I can finally run shin splits free (I hope). 

#2)  I bought a new Wok.  Been meaning to get one for a while now and after my very successful attempt at making Pad Thai last week, it was time to buy one.  It came in handy Sunday night too

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ASIAN INSPIRED CHICKEN AND SHRIMP STIR-FRY WITH COCONUT SAUCE

Another successful attempt at making a flavourful stir-fry.  And guess what?  It’s Dairy Free and Gluten-Free…the best of both worlds.

Ingredients:

To make the sauce

• 2 Tbsp  olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp  ginger puré
• 2 tsp  curry paste
• 1 tsp  Tabasco Sauce
• 1 can diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 can Coconut milk
• 4 Tbsp  peanut butter
• 2 tsp lime juice
• salt and pepper to taste

To make Stir-fry

• 2 Tbsp  olive oil
• 8 oz  boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in small pieces
• 8 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 800 gr assorted veggies
• 1 Tbsp sesame seed oil
• salt and pepper to taste.
• 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Garnish – chopped peanuts, cilantro, green onions (your choice)

How to make

Make the sauce first.  Heat oil on medium heat.  Add onion, garlic and ginger and cook until onions translucent.  Then add your curry paste and hot sauce and cook for a few minutes.

Add tomatoes, coconut milk, peanut butter and lime juice.  Reduce your heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. 

Now transfer the mixture to your blender (I used my Vitamix) and blend until you get a smooth sauce.  Return to saucepan and keep warm until you are ready to use it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now time to make the Stir-fry.  On medium heat, heat your oil in your Wok.  Add your shrimp and chicken and do a quick sauté.  Careful not to cook too long as you don`t want to make your shrimp tough.

Add your veggies and sesame oil.  I used carrots, broccoli, pepper and bok choy.  Continue to sauté until your veggies are mostly cooked. 

Laddle a desired amount of the reserved sauce into Wok and continue cooking until your chicken is tender, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Add your cilantro right before serving.

Serve over rice.  Garnish with more cilantro and chopped peanuts. 

   I also had one of these to go with my meal.  It was left in my fridge after having a few friends over. 

 

 

 

 

 

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Stay tuned for a gluten-free applesauce cake coming soon to Beaglebea. 

Did you do anything interesting this weekend? Make anything new and exciting?

See you soon.

xoxo

Bea