Food – Page 30 – Simply Norma

Bison & Turkey Sausages

Uh, yes … I agreed to try bison for the first time ever in my life. Have you ever tried it?

These Bison & Turkey Sausages were really good and a nice change from the usual breakfast food of fruit, paleo muffins or plain ‘ol eggs. They do complement eggs very well though which is how I had them a few times.

The sausages didn’t taste like bison. Well, I can’t really say that with a straight face as I hadn’t tasted bison before. I guess what I should be saying is that it didn’t taste odd or unpleasant but was a really good sausage. How good? Well, I could probably have them every morning. (laughing)

Seriously! They were that good and perhaps part of the reason was some of the ingredients that were used such as maple syrup, cinnamon and sweet onion. Check out the recipe for yourself to see.

Then, by all means try them.

The National Bison Association says that bison has a slightly sweeter and richer flavor than fine beef. Now, if anyone should know bison, shouldn’t it be them?

“Nutritionally you are getting more protein and nutrients with fewer calories and less fat.” The National Bison Association

If you decide to try them, let me know what you think. I don’t believe you’ll be disappointed.

Downtowner Woodfire Grill

After having our taxes done this year, we settled into a local St. Paul, Minnesota restaurant called the Downtowner Woodfire Grill.

Upon entering, we were seated almost immediately by a hostess who would become our waitress. She was very efficient at her job and served us our drinks/water immediately and then took our orders.

The restaurant has a quiet ambiance and I especially liked the fire that they had going. It made it seem relaxing to me — almost like I was at home.

Our food came quickly and looked quite scrumptious until I took my knife and cut into the sirloin steak that I had ordered. Unfortunately, as seems to happen more often than not, it was not well done as I had ordered. So, the steak went back and they returned it in a timely manner.

It’s always uncomfortable for me when this happens as I sit there and eat what’s left on my plate — in this case, it was garlic mashed potatoes and veggies. The feeling is one of incompleteness which I guess shouldn’t be an odd feeling since my meal is incomplete. (Is there a philosophical sentence in there?)

Anyway … everything tasted pretty good. My husband had Pork with Basmati Rice and Vegetables …

My son had the Tenderloin Filet with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes and Vegetables …

I’m not a big fan of horseradish and had never heard of it being added to mashed potatoes, have you?

I had the Sirloin Steak with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Vegetables …

The steak does look a little overdone on the outside, doesn’t it? It actually tasted a little charred but good.

We would definitely eat here again if we’re in the area. It is a little pricey though — the Tenderloin Filet was $29.95.

The mashed potatoes were a treat for us because we’re not eating potatoes on our paleo diet — unless it’s sweet potato or yams.

They sure tasted good!

Salmon Charmoula

Here’s another salmon recipe for you to try. It’s called Salmon CharmoulaÂ and we had a baked sweet potato with it.

The dressing for the salmon was interesting as it had quite a few ingredients like cumin and cilantro which gave your mouth a nice burst of flavor when you put it on a fork and slid it in your mouth.

The only thing I would have changed about the dressing was the amount of green olives it had as it made it taste quite salty. But I do love green olives!

We have been eating more and more sweet potatos/yams as they are quite healthy for you with their high content of vitamins such as B6, D and C.

Hmmm … I wonder if anyone’s ever had a sweet potato smoothie. Â Anyone?

Slow Cooker Twenty Garlic Chicken Dinner

If you like garlic (like I do) then this recipe is for you! It uses approximately 20 garlic cloves so make sure the one you’re next to also has the same meal so you don’t scare them away. (laughing)

Side-note: I’ve heard that garlic has cancer-fighting properties. Have you ever heard that? (You can “google” the benefits of garlic to see what information is out there regarding that claim.)

Using a slow cooker is such an easy way to make meals because you start the meal early in the day and simply forget about it.Â And that’s the best thing about this recipe — it’s both easy and tastes great.

The recipe is calledÂ Slow Cooker Twenty Garlic Chicken DinnerÂ and my son served it with aÂ Chilled Green Bean Salad.

The salad was not my favorite although I do like green beans. I think the combination of the basil and the onions made the salad too complicated for me. In addition, I don’t think the basil went well with the green beans.

So, if you decide to try the green beans and you don’t want onions and basil in it, try other herbs and vegetables until you get the right one for you.

Shredded Beef Tacos

This Slow Cooker Shredded Beef recipe was easy to make (isn’t everything that’s made in a crockpot easy to make?) and tasted so delicious that I asked my son if we could please have it again as soon as possible. Â (It hasn’t happened yet as he wants to continue trying new recipes).

The ingredients have a little something for everyone. Like guacamole? It’s there. Fresh salsa? Yup, it’s there too. Seasoned beef? You got it!

We did not use tortillas because we’re still on the paleo diet so instead we piled the beef and other ingredients on top of lettuce.

I am still longing for the day when my son makes this again as it is at the top of my recipe list.

Maple and Mustard Glazed Salmon

How many glazes can you find for fresh salmon? The more, the merrier, no? It’s always fun to try new ones to see how your palette reacts to them.

Using pure maple syrup, thisÂ Maple and Mustard Glazed SalmonÂ had a nice touch of sweetness to it.

The salmon was served with steamed broccoli and mashed parsnips — two of my favorite vegetables.

In my humble opinion, salmon can be paired with just about any vegetable and taste good. Have you ever had something unusual as a side with salmon? I’d love to hear about it.

Chunky Chicken Soup

This Chunky Chicken SoupÂ was a delight to have on a cold Minnesota night. Large chunks of chicken, carrots and parsnips gave it a lot of flavor. This was the first time I had parsnips in soup and I approve. Although the flavor was subtle you could still taste it.

The soup was served with aÂ Fresh Citrus and Cranberry SaladÂ that included cranberries, oranges and baby arugula (to name a few of the ingredients).

The soup and salad were paired well together.

With the salad, make sure you add the oil a little at a time so you can taste it to make sure you don’t add too much for your taste, otherwise you’ll have a soggy salad.

Paleo Carrot Cake

My husband recently had a birthday so my son made him his favorite cake — carrot cake. Â Well, it was a paleo carrot cakeÂ but did taste very much like “regular” carrot cake without being too dense. Â The cake is sweetened with pure maple syrup which is okay to have on a paleo diet.

I especially liked the vanilla cream frosting because it wasn’t too sweet like cream cheese frosting normally is. This frosting is made with coconut milk and honey but didn’t taste like coconut to me.

The cake tastes really good served warm also.

I have to admit that I had my doubts about whether this cake would be edible but it was very very good.

Almond Blueberry Crumb Muffins

Well, I have to say that these were not the moistest blueberry muffins I have ever had. The paper liner got stuck to the muffin so I had to scrape it off with a knife. Â Once I did that, I thought the muffin was “okay” — not spectacular but okay. The rest of the family disagreed and thought the muffins weren’t very good.

I find that it is difficult to enjoy the taste of paleo bread once you’ve had the “real” thing. Do you think it’s because the almond or coconut flours that are used to make paleo bread don’t “feel” as moist in the mouth? I believe that probably would depend on what else is in the ingredients to make it moist, no?

Any thoughts on this?

Paleo French Toast

Awhile back, we made some paleo banana bread that turned out very good and was quite moist.

When my son suggested that I make french toast with it, I was doubtful that it would 1) hold together like “regular” bread and 2) tastes good. Â I was wrong.

I sliced the banana bread a little thicker than I normally would then dipped it in my french toast batter which consisted of:

2 eggs
3 tablespoons almond milk
Pinch of Salt
Cinnamon (as much or as little as you like)

It came out tasting quite nice served with fresh melon and turkey bacon.

I guess it’s not too late to teach an older person new recipes.