What's For Dinner: Pulled Pork Sandwiches

For the finale of Meat Week, I opted to make pulled pork after being inspired by a feature on the dish in a recent issue of Food and Wine magazine. Instead of using the recipe in the magazine, however, I opted to use a different one I found on the Internet -- there's no way I could pass by a recipe that involves root beer! I purchased a couple of pounds of pork shoulder at Whole Foods in Fort Collins and I sourced a bottle of root beer made with natural ingredients at Big Hollow Co-op here in town. Though I was considering just buying a bottle of barbecue sauce to finish off the pulled pork, I decided that would be a bit of a travesty given the provenance of the meat, so I took advantage of an afternoon teleconference and made a batch from scratch. It took a lot of ingredients, but not too much time, and I think the results definitely rival what can be found bottled in a grocery store.

Pulled Pork

makes enough for 8+ sandwiches

2-3 lbs pork shoulder

1 12 oz bottle Virgil's root beer

1. Place the pork shoulder in a slow cooker.

2. Pour a bottle of root beer over the pork. Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 6-7 hours.

3. Use a knife and fork to shred the pork. Drain off the liquid.

4. Stir in about 1-2 cups of barbecue sauce.

5. Serve immediately. I served the pulled pork along with hamburger buns, potato chips, and vegetarian baked beans.

Barbecue Sauce (adapted from this Food and Wine recipe)

makes about 3 cups

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 medium onion, chopped

fine sea salt

1/4 cup Maker's Mark whisky

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 cup water

1 cup Simply Heinz ketchup

1/4 cup organic molasses

1/4 cup yellow mustard

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1. Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

2. Add in the chopped onion and garlic along with a pinch of salt. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

2. Pour in the whiskey, and simmer for two minutes.

3. Add in the chili pepper, black pepper, allspice, and cloves. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until the spices become fragrant.

4. Stir in the brown sugar, water, ketchup, molasses, mustard, cider vinegar, and hot sauce. Reduce the heat to low/medium-low and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.

5. After the sauce has thickened, use an immersion blender to puree the sauce. (Alternately, use a blender, but allow the sauce to cool a bit first before pureeing.)

6. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to two weeks.

{bbq sauce ingredients -- chili pepper and allspice partially hidden, water and veggie oil MIA}

What's For Dinner: Tostadas with Antelope Chorizo Sausage

Tonight's dinner is another first-degree of separation kind of meal. Well, I suppose second-degree of separation for me; first degree for D since he's the one who dispatched the animal whose meat is featured in the tostadas. D hunted this antelope last year in Wyoming's Shirley Basin (scroll down for a photo of the successful hunt). I have to admit that I'm not a fan of antelope meat on its own -- it definitely has a "gamey" taste, probably due to the antelope's penchant for eating sage on the plain. We learned this the hard way after D dispatched his first antelope in 2008; last year he opted to have the majority of his antelope processed locally into chorizo sausage and breakfast sausage. Antelope meat is relatively low in fat and is a good source of protein, iron, riboflavin, thiamin, and phosphorus. For more nutrition facts about antelope meat, click here.

Tostadas with Antelope Chorizo Sausage

makes 4+ servings

1 lb chorizo sausage

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.

2. Add in the chorizo sausage and brown, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

3. Line a colander with a paper towel and spoon the cooked sausage into the colander to soak up any excess fat.

4. Set up a table with all the taco/tostada fixin's -- we had fresh guacamole, refried beans, baby spinach leaves, chopped heirloom tomato, shredded cheese, and Greek yogurt.

{antelope . . . it's what's for dinner}

What's For Dinner: Rosemary Chicken Breasts with Wild Rice and Caprese Salad

Chicken breasts were standard fare when I was growing up -- "chicken with snot" was my nickname for the soup-covered chicken breast entree that had a starring role in many a weeknight dinner. Amazingly, I'm pretty sure that this is the first time that I've cooked chicken breasts on my own. And, full disclosure, it didn't go all that well -- but D helped me salvage the meal. Let's just say that Rachael Ray's instructions to cook the breasts on the stovetop didn't quite work out, but baking them in the oven did rectify my almost-disaster. And a glass of wine in between did wonders to my psyche. (Thank you, Lindeman's 2009 shiraz!) Our chicken breasts were served alongside a caprese salad (made with an ohmygawd so good!! heirloom tomato from Whole Foods) and some wild rice. All in all, it was a good learning experience, and I'm hoping that next time I'll have a little more confidence when cooking chicken!

For the meat itself, I opted to purchase organic boneless and skinless chicken breasts from the Whole Foods butcher. Whole Foods' standards for raising poultry include no antibiotics, no animal byproducts in the feed, no beak trimming, and appropriate litter for comfort and natural foraging. (Read more about Whole Foods' Farm Animal and Meat Quality Standards here.) In addition, animals are raised humanely and "processed with a measure of compassion." Though I still have some qualms about slaughtering (I think purchasing straight from a well-researched farm would be the best), I do feel a lot better purchasing this chicken rather than one raised under factory-farm conditions. And to be honest, when my initial attempts at cooking the chicken breasts seemed to be heading toward failure, I was most concerned that my chicken had died for naught, rather than that I would possibly have ruined dinner for myself and D. A little hippy-dippy? Maybe, but that's my perspective when it comes to eating as a conscientious omnivore!

Rosemary Chicken Breasts (printer-friendly version)

makes 2 servings

2 8 oz organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic, pressed

1/2 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

freshly ground black pepper

fine sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and pressed garlic clove.

3. Set the chicken breasts on a plate.

4. Brush each chicken breast with the olive oil mixture. Cover both sides thoroughly.

5. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Sprinkle both chicken breasts with the chopped rosemary.

7. Place in the fridge and allow the chicken to marinate for at least 10 minutes.

{marinating chicken breasts}

8. Place both chicken breasts in a glass baking dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.

9. Bake in the oven for at least 30-35 minutes, or until the juices run clear and the internal temperature has reached 170 degrees.

10. Remove from the oven and let rest for a couple minutes, then serve.

What's For Dinner: Oven-Roasted Spicy Salmon Fillet with Lemon-Butter Green Beans

One of the first meats I introduced back into my diet a few years ago was salmon. I prefer wild salmon, though Whole Foods sells a sustainably farm-raised Norwegian salmon. Salmon is an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins B12, B3, and protein. Sockeye salmon, in particular, is a great source of vitamin D. For a full nutritional profile on salmon, click here.

Oven-Roasted Spicy Salmon Fillet (printer-friendly version)

makes 2 servings

2 6-oz wild sockeye salmon fillets

extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon organic Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

3. Place each fillet skin-side down on the foil.

4. Lightly brush each fillet with olive oil.

5. Brush 1/2 tablespoon of Dijon mustard over each salmon fillet.

6. In a small bowl, mix together the ground coriander, fine sea salt, black pepper, cumin, cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon.

7. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the top of each salmon fillet until both are fully covered.

8. Roast the salmon fillets in the oven for 12-14 minutes, or until the salmon lightly flakes apart with a fork.

Lemon-Butter Green Beans (printer-friendly version)
makes 4 servings

30 green beans, ends trimmed, rinsed, and dried

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon shallot, minced

1 tablespoon pine nuts

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

fine sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1. Blanch the green beans. To do this, bring a medium-sized pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and boil for about 2 minutes. After the time is up, remove the beans from the boiling water and place in an ice bath. Once the beans have cooled down, remove them from the ice water and place them on a towel to dry. Set aside.

2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

3. Add in the shallots and saute for about a minute.

4. Add in the pine nuts and saute for another minute, stirring constantly.

5. Stir in the lemon juice.

6. Add the green beans into the skillet, and stir to combine all the ingredients. Cook just until the beans are warmed. Serve immediately.

(adapted from this Emeril Lagasse recipe)

What's For Dinner: Venison Backstrap with Mashed Potatoes and Farmers Market Green Beans

One of the first meats I ate when I hopped back on the carnivore train was venison. What I like most about this meat is that I know exactly where it came from, when it was killed, and who killed it. I can be fairly certain that the animal had a good life up until the time it met its end. Though for the most part, the only other types of meat I eat are sustainably and/or organically raised, I still don't have the same connection with those farm-raised animals as I do with the deer in the freezer.

Compared to other meat sources, venison is quite a nutritious option. This meat is high in protein while low in saturated fat. Venison is also an excellent source of B vitamins (B12, B2, and B3 in particular) and iron. You can find a fairly concise description of venison's nutritional profile here. When it comes to cooking venison steaks, I let D take the reins. For this dinner entree, D pan-seared the venison backstraps before finishing them in the oven. According to D, this one of the best pieces of venison he has ever eaten, and I most whole-heartedly have to agree!

Venison Backstrap

makes 2 servings

2 6-oz backstrap fillets

fine sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, pressed

olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Generously coat both sides of each fillet with salt and pepper.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the pressed garlic and stir.

4. Place the fillets in the skillet. Sear each side of the fillets for two minutes per side.

5. Place the skillet in the oven and cook for an additional 6 minutes.

6. Remove the skillet from the oven.

7. Place the cooked fillets on a cutting board. Let the meat rest for 3-4 minutes.

8. Cut the fillets on the cross-grain (bias cut).

9. Plate up and serve.

Meat Week

Much to D's glee, I have decided to declare this week "Meat Week" -- just like Shark Week, except without the sharks. And hopefully a lot less gore. My own journey with eating meat has been a circuitous one -- from happy-go-lucky carnivore up until my college years, then a decade-long stint as a vegetarian, to just recently adding meat back into my diet. I'm not quite sure exactly how I'd label my role in the food chain these days. Perhaps as a conscientious omnivore?

These days about 80% of my diet remains meat-free. And when I do eat meat, I do so consciously. What does this mean? Basically, I prefer to know where my meat came from, how the animal was raised, and how the animal was killed. These questions are easy to answer for meat procured by my husband, a hunter. However, things get a little more difficult to ascertain when you're talking about farm-raised food. For the most part, when I procure meat I purchase it from Whole Foods, at our local farmers market, or at the local natural foods co-op. Though I am fairly assured that the meat I procure from these places comes from animals that were raised in a humane, sustainable, and sometimes organic manner, I still shudder to think about the last days of the animals' lives, given that most farm-raised animals must be slaughtered in a USDA-approved facility--the same place where factory-farm animals go. Because I am concerned about where my meat comes from and how the animals were raised, it should go without saying that I avoid eating meat at restaurants, particularly fast-food chains. I haven't had a McDonald's hamburger in at least 12 years, and I don't see myself ever going back to eating such things. I think I would consider eating meat at a restaurant if they detailed where the meat came from and how the animals were raised. It is encouraging to know that local food is "in" these days and many restaurants, especially those in the greater Denver area, tout sustainably and humanely raised farm products on their menus.

When I initially became a vegetarian (I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian, meaning I still ate dairy and eggs), it was mostly on a whim -- I gave up meat for Lent during my sophomore year of college. As it so happened, the Lenten period coincided with my taking a course in Environmental Ethics, and learning about factory farming definitely helped put a nail in the coffin of my meat-eating days. After Lent was over I decided to continue to not eat meat. One year turned to two, two turned to five, and I decided that I would continue on a vegetarian diet for 10 years, and then re-evaluate. During that 10-year period, I was a diligent vegetarian. I tried out a vegan diet for about a week, but decided I was too much of an ice-cream fan to ever make the switch. Being a vegetarian these days actually isn't all that hard -- there are so many options for things to eat, and I really never missed eating meat once I took it off my personal menu. I had slowly been phasing meat out of my diet as it was, having decreased the amount of red meat in my diet and not eating all that much chicken or pork either. However, I have to admit I was not the best vegetarian, and often joked that I was a "pasta-tarian." Due to my lackadaisical approach to my vegetarian diet, blood work in 2007 indicated that I was nearly-anemic. I diligently added an iron supplement to my diet, but my iron levels remained fairly low. It was at this point that I decided that maybe it would help to (slowly) add meat back into my diet.

An additional factor that helped in my decision-making was that I was at the time about a year into a relationship with a man (now my husband) who was an avid hunter. To get back to the idea of being a "conscious meat-eater," for me, I could get behind the idea of eating meat that D had procured himself. It took away the middle man and the unknown that to me describes the trays of faceless meat in the standard grocery store. I know a lot of people would prefer not to know where their meat comes from, and much prefer that plastic-wrapped tray of meat over having to think about the cow (or multiple cows when it comes to ground beef), chicken, or pig that the meat came from. I think this is the absolute wrong approach. When it comes to putting something into your body, I think it is key to know where it came from. Ethically speaking, I want to know how it was raised, whether it was able to feed normally, whether it had room to roam. I also want to know what it ate and if it received any antibiotics or hormones during its lifetime. I consider it my personal duty to choose the sustainably-hunted or ethically-raised animal over one that came from a factory farm. I am lucky in that I have that choice and can afford to make that choice. Not everyone has that luxury.

This week I plan to feature posts about meals that feature meat as the main ingredient. When I was purchasing items for this week's meals at Whole Foods today, I realized it was the first time that I've personally purchased meat from the butcher. So, this week will be quite the adventure for me, too, as I attempt to cook things that I haven't personally eaten in years. It should be an interesting (and hopefully tasty) ride!