Chefofcake

One of our friends is an avid hunter who eats very little domestic raised meat.  He hunts large game (moose, deer) as well as a multitude of smaller game.  He brings us moose meat and wild goose sausage from time to time.  He also goes to hunt camp with my husband which works out nicely.  I turn to him for advice for preparing wild game and soon will be enlisting his help using my new smoker (more on that to come).  A few days ago, I cooked two moose steaks he had gifted us with. Moose meat has a mild, less gamey flavour than venison.  Unlike venison, it doesn't require the addition of pork fat even though it is a very lean meat.  Both venison and moose are best cooked using a moist heat  (eg. braising, stewing). The moose steaks were large but  not overly thick so I pan fried them in a little olive oil and butter until just lightly browned and cooked through.  While the steaks were frying, I sprinkled lightly with garlic pepper.  O...

Cheese lace or frico is simply baked shredded cheese.  Almost four years ago today, I shared how I make cheese lace bowls .  These delicious edible bowls are an ideal presentation for salad.  Frico can be shaped into simple rounds for a low calorie, no carb crunchy snack or the frico can be crumbled to sprinkle on top of salads and vegetables.  They can also be used as a garnish.  Frico are very easy to make! I made a batch of frico for snacking.  Since I was calculating the nutritional value, I weighed 15 g (about 2 tbsp) of the shredded cheese for each frico.  It was important to weigh the unbaked cheese to determine the nutritional value in the finished frico.  I placed each weighed portion of the shredded cheese on a Silpat lined baking sheet in a small mound that I spread into a circle about 2� - inch diameter leaving space around each for spreading.  I had a total of six prepared cheese circles.  I baked the frico at 350�F un...

I recently posted about my new Ninja blender bought specifically to make smoothies.  Smoothies are an ideal way to use protein powder for an after work-out recovery beverage.  The main problem with smoothies is it is very easy to create a high calorie, high carb beverage that is a tasty way to boost your energy level but not help with muscle recovery.  A high carb beverage has a low satiety level as well meaning that in comparison to a high protein beverage, you will be hungry much quicker.  A good protein smoothie will aid in muscle recovery while keeping you feeling full for about three hours so you won't be turning to other high calorie snack foods. I've learned several ways to keep the calories low in smoothies.  For example, unsweetened almond milk provides nutrition that water does not but is only 35 calories per 250 ml serving so I use that as a base rather than milk.  Fruits can quickly raise the caloric value and carb content of smoothies so the s...

I recently wrote about a few alternative flours that I am experimenting with.  Flours like almond, black bean, and rice make it possible to make gluten free baked goods.  Some are suitable for making baked goods that meet the requirements of a Paleo or Primal diet.  However, you don't need to be eating a special diet to enjoy the benefits alternative flours offer.  They add a whole new dimension in creative cooking allowing you to bring a little pizazz to your family favourites, There is just something comforting about stuffed chicken breasts.  They are easy to make yet tasty and filling.  Stuffed chicken breasts are quite economical as well.  They can be lightly seasoned and uncoated or coated with seasoned flour or bread crumbs.  I used unblanched almond flour to make almond crusted stuffed chicken breasts . Almond flour adds a light, nutty flavoured crust to the stuffed chicken breasts.   The almond flour browns nicely.  It ad...

I had to admit that when I started my fitness journey over a year ago that I really had little appreciation for smoothies.  Sure, I had made them before but not very often.  It is possible to pack a lot of calories into a smoothie and if the focus is on fruit, a lot of carbohydrates as well.  As I worked my way up to a daily high calorie burn routine, smoothies became an appealing way to incorporate a high protein recovery meal.  They are an economical, easy to prepare post-exercise meal that can be tailored to individual needs.  I tend to boost the protein on the days I have a high exercise calorie burn but on the weekends when I take a break from the higher burns, I don't worry about boosting the protein.  I also pay attention to the carbohydrates content adjusting based on activity. A blender is necessary to make smoothies.  While a regular blender works fine for the occasional blender, a heavy duty blender performs better for regular use.  The...

Sugar substitutes have been on the market for a number of years.   We don't use artificial sugar substitutes or products that have artificial sugar substitutes as an ingredient.  All of the artificial sugar substitutes can have a negative impact on health.  What many don't realize is artificial sugar substitutes can impede weight loss.  Although these sugars do not have any calories, the body still responds to them and studies have shown that the artificial sweeteners can trigger cravings that ultimately make you eat more than you normally would have.  If you want to lose a bit of weight, avoid the artificial sweeteners!  We switched from white granulated sugar to organic and raw sugars a few years ago.  I have substitute either with maple syrup, honey, agave, molasses or fruit (eg. medjool dates, banana, applesauce).  Last year I began experimenting with stevia, an herb.  I plan on growing stevia in the garden this year.  I don't u...