Blackened Salmon with Wild Rice and Green Beans

I've started growing a miniature garden on the balcony porch of our apartment. I've been really proud of it (even though I've already killed and have had to replant half of it). Some of the herbs have finally matured enough to trim enough to use for fresh cooking. 

Every now and then I'll switch my protein to seafood based. Salmon is one of the most versatile and easy fish to cook and therefore is great to try new recipes on.

Blackened Salmon with Wild Rice and Green Beans

Servings: 1-2

Prep: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 30 Minutes Total 

Ingredients:

Fresh Salmon Fillet

Green Beans- with ends trimmed and washed

Chopped Spinach

2 Cups Wild Rice

4 Cups Water 

Olive Oil

Butter- I used herb butter from my local market

Sea Salt and Peppercorn

Salmon Rub:

I used fresh herbs from my garden so I had to grind/shred these down but you can estimate the measurements to be 1/2-1 Tsp of each

Basil

Thyme 

Oregano

1 Tsp Garlic Salt

1 Tsp Paprika

1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 Tsp Onion Powder

1. Add wild rice, water and salt and pepper to taste to a pot. Bring to a boil and then switch to simmer and add a lid. Let the rice cook while you prepare and cook the fish.

2. Turn the oven on to 300F and add foil to a baking sheet. Add green beans and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Add a few pinches of sea salt, peppercorn and garlic salt. Cook for 20 minutes. 

3. Skin fish, if needed. Mix all of the spices, along with salt and pepper to taste, in a bowl and then rub generously to the salmon fillet. 

4. Heat a skillet to mid heat and melt butter. Add salmon fillet for about 5-7 minutes on each side. If you have fresh herbs apply any extra from the rub on top while the salmon sears.

5. When the rice is ready, fluff and add the chopped spinach. Season with salt and pepper as needed and apply to your plate. Add the green beans, salmon, a sprig of parsley and voila!  

Bacon Wrapped Venison with Vegetable Hash

As I've started a blog named Venison and Vodka, I realize I should have started off with one of my go to venison recipes. Whenever I cook, I focus on an entire meal and not just one part of the recipe. Therefore any of my blog posts will be for the entire sha-bang and not just one component.

I realize not everyone is as big of carnivore as me, as well as don't agree with hunting. So I do want to set a few things straight: 1.) All of the venison I use, either I or a family member shot  2.) Most of the deer are older does that are no longer viable for reproducing as well as from herds of deer that overpopulate areas in mid-Texas.

I also need to reiterate how much of a meat and potatoes girl I am. That doesn't mean that I don't like to eat healthy when I can, but anything wrapped in bacon is a weakness of mine. Hope it is for you and your loved ones too.

Bacon Wrapped Venison with Hearty Vegetables 

Serving: 2-3
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes Total

Ingredients:
Venison Back Strap or Tenderloin- cut into individual servings
1 Package of Thin Sliced Bacon (I used maple accented)
1 Package of Brussel Sprouts
3 Russet Medium Potatoes
3 Eggs
Olive Oil
1 Cup of Brown Sugar
1 Cup Soy Sauce, preferable non low-sodium
Sea Salt and Grinded Peppercorn
Paprika
Cajun Seasoning (Tony's is my GO-TO!)

1. Mix brown sugar and soy sauce in a bowl. Add the deer cutlets and let marinate for at least 3 hours but overnight is best.

2.When the meat is marinaded, preheat oven to 450 F

3.. Cut potatoes into small cube-like pieces and cut the brussel sprouts in half. Heat a frying pan to medium heat and add a splash of olive oil. Lightly toss the vegetables to brown just enough on all edges.

4. Add both vegetables to a 2-3 inch deep, circular baking pan with foil and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper plus a few hearty pinches of the cajun seasoning and a dash of paprika. Mix around a bit to make sure all pieces are coated somewhat and repeat. Add to oven for 45-50 minutes, flipping the vegetables around about half way through. The exact time depends on how crispy you want your veggies.

5. While the vegetables are in the oven, take the venison and bacon out of the fridge. Wrap bacon all the way around all of the pieces and if needed secure with a toothpick. Place the venison cutlets on a baking sheet with foil and a thin coating of olive oil. Add the remaining bit of the soy/brown sugar marinade on top with a brush. Grind 2-3 turns of each of the salt and pepper on top and a little extra brown sugar to coat the top part of the bacon.

6. Lower the oven to 350 F (if the potatoes and vegetables still haven't finished cooking). I try and keep them in the oven as long as possible by adding them to the lower oven shelf. Once the oven has cooled down a bit, add your venison.

7. How long to cook the venison depends on how rare or medium you like your meat. I'm more on the rare side, especially with deer, so I only cook mine for 15 minutes; 20-25 is the regular standard.

7a. You can either let the meat stand while you finish the rest of the meal or my personal favorite move is to heat the frying pan back up to low medium (about a 4 on a 1-10 scale) and lightly dust the cutlets with a bit more brown sugar and lightly sear each side to crisp the bacon and infuse the brown sugar more into the bacon.

8. Fry each egg sunny side up in the frying pan and add on top of the potato and brussel sprouts in the oven. If there's any bacon leftover, fry the rest and create crumbles.

9. Finally it's time to plate your meal. Presentation is everything, especially with dinner guests. Add a spoonful or two of the potatoes and brussel sprouts with an egg on top. Add salt and pepper to taste, along with the bacon crumbles if you were able to make those. Add a piece of venison and you're good to go!

Caribbean Chicken Hash Salad

This summer has been unusually rainy. I decided to come up with a hearty and healthy meal but wanted to add a more tropical flair as I day dreamed about being on the beach. What I came up with ended up being a cross between a salad and hash but was absolutely delicious. Just ask Forrest, my roommate's scruffy yet adorable rescue dog. He usually can be found on top of my feet while I'm in the kitchen, hoping that my clumsy self drops more food on the floor than normal.

As a cook, I truly believe that measurements can be used loosely, recipes should be altered and don't worry too much about how it will turn out (that's what a lot of seasoning or delivery is for). I'm also completely a meat and potatoes kind of girl. I'm getting in the habit of adding as many vegetables as possible but then I start thinking of an all meat pizza. So with that in mind, here's my first recipe of Venison and Vodka.

Caribbean Chicken Hash Salad

Ingredients:
4 Chicken Breasts or Tenders
2 Medium Russet Potatoes
2-3 Handfuls of Brussel Sprouts
4-5 Handfuls of Spinach
1/2 Cup of Shredded Mexican Blended Cheese
1 Can of Black Beans
2 Avocados- Sliced and Diced
Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary
Lime Juice
Lawry's Caribbean Jerk Marinade
Olive Oil
Chili Chipotle Seasoning
Chili Flakes
Paprika
Sea Salt and Black Peppercorn, Grinded

1. Add the chicken, marinade, a pinch of salt and pepper, a little bit of both the chipotle seasoning and chili flakes to a plastic bag. Put in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

2. Cut the potatoes into small cube-like pieces and add to a bowl of ice water, preferably for 30 minutes. Let stand while cutting all of the brussel sprouts into halves.

3. Preheat oven to 450 F and add olive oil to a baking sheet with foil.

4. Dry off potatoes and place on baking sheet along with the brussel sprouts. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and add a few dashes of salt, pepper, paprika and the fresh rosemary. Bake for 40 minutes. Take out and add half of the Mexican cheese. Return to oven for an extra 5 minutes depending how crispy you want your veggies. (Also make sure to remove the pieces of rosemary before serving.)

5. Add chicken to a medium heated frying pan with cooking spray. Blacken on both sides and then shred. Add back to pan along with a few sprays of lime juice.

7. Turn the pan off but add the spinach while still hot. Make sure to flip around so you have equal parts sauteed and fresh. The spinach will pick up the leftover seasonings from the chicken.

6. Heat up the can of black beans and set aside with the chicken and spinach.

7. When they are ready, add a base layer of potatoes and brussel sprouts. Followed by the blackened chicken and black beans. Add the rest of the Mexican cheese and diced avocado pieces. You don't have to use all of the amounts at once. I'm a leftover queen so I purposely make extra. Add as much or as little of how much you want to eat at once.

8. Finally I combined a little bit of olive oil, a squirt of the jerk marinade, a dash of all of the spices, lime juice and just enough water for a juice like consistency. Drizzle over your bowl.