Sheet Pan Salmon and Green Beans

This is another quick and easy weeknight meal that goes from the fridge to the table in 20 minutes. Pepper jelly, orange juice, and soy sauce provide a sweet/savory/ spicy balance that is delicious on the salmon and the green beans.

What you need:

1/4 cup of hot pepper jelly

zest + juice of half of an orange

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp vegetable oil

salt and pepper to taste (about 1 tsp)

1 tsp sesame seeds

1 lb of salmon

1 cup of green beans

Mix first 4 ingredients together in a bowl (microwaving the pepper jelly for 30 seconds will help). Put green beans in the bowl and mix around, scoop them out and place around the outer edges of a baking pan. I like to line the pan with parchment paper, but brushing or spraying vegetable oil will prevent sticking as well. Sprinkle salt and pepper over top of the salmon and green beans. Drizzle remaining sauce evenly on top of the salmon and then sprinkle the sesame seeds on as well. Bake at 400 for about 13-15 minutes. As soon as the fish starts to flake, its done. Serve with rice. Yum!

Elk Tacos (or beef or bison)

Elk meat is a really healthy and lean red meat option, I use it a lot because I can get it easily and it has so much flavor. Supposedly its very nutrient dense while being low in fat. That being said, it can be a little dry depending on how you prepare it, for taco meat I like to add a slice of bacon and/or a tbsp of butter to increase the fat content so its not too dry. Another option to tenderize the meat is add 1/2 can of beer when the ground elk is about 1/2 way cooked, it will add great flavor (use something light like a pilsner) but make sure to cook all of the alcohol off completely. This recipe is perfect with just a little pat of butter to finish it off.

What you need:

1 lb of ground elk, beef, or bison 1 tbsp cumin

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 small onion diced

In a sauté pan, add 1 tbsp olive oil, onions, and all of the spices. Cook over medium heat until the onions have softened. Now add your garlic and your meat and cook through, crumbling the ground elk as it cooks. If you want to add a slice of bacon to the dish, chop it up into tiny pieces and add along with the raw ground elk. It will add a nice smokiness and flavorful fat to the dish. Serve with taco shells, cheese, shredded lettuce, and salsa. So good!

Grammy’s Galumpkis

For me, stuffed cabbage or galumpkis as my Polish great grandmother called them (and will forever be known in my family) are the ultimate comfort food. The smell of the sauerkraut and tomatoes simmering transports me back to my Grammy’s kitchen. Grammy showed her love through cooking for her family and I remember sitting at her kitchen table watching her work and feeling completely content, safe, and happy. My Dad eventually started following in her footsteps and cooking them for us became a New Year’s Day tradition (cabbage and pork for progress and prosperity). This meal is nostalgic, comforting, and hearty and I hope my kids will eventually enjoy the tradition as much as I do. This recipe, is nearly exactly as Grammy wrote it and later added more details to : )

What you need:

1 large head of green cabbage

3 slices of bacon

1 medium onion, chopped

1 lb of ground beef

1 lb of ground pork

1/2 cup of cooked white rice

1 egg

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 1/2 cups of sauerkraut

1 can of tomato soup, 1 can of water after soup is emptied

(you can also use 2 cups of canned tomato sauce...I have done that when I forgot the tomato soup)

Bring a large stock pot of water to a boil and place your cored head of cabbage into the pot and boil for about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool. In a sauté pan, cook your three slices of bacon. When the bacon is crispy, remove it to cool. Add your chopped onion to the bacon grease and soften, stirring around for about 5 minutes. In a mixing bowl mix your beef, pork, salt, pepper, egg, rice, cooked onion, and crumbled bacon. Preheat your oven to 350 and line the bottom of a casserole dish with your sauerkraut (drained of excess liquid). Now peel apart your cabbage leaves, being careful not to tear them. I like to shave down the stem with a vegetable peeler, you can also just cut the thick part out of each leaf. Fill the cabbage leaves with about 2-3 spoonfuls of your meat mixture into each one and fold into a little package, tucking in the ends so the meat can’t fall out. Place your cabbage rolls on top of the saurkraut in your casserole dish. Grammy said to mix one can of tomato soup with one can of water and pour on top, I have also done this with canned tomato sauce and it tastes nearly the same but the tomato soup is better : ) The canned soup is retro. Bake at 350 for one hour. This can easily be converted to a slow cooker recipe as well. Enjoy.