Venison, which usually refers to deer meat, is low in calories, lean, and nutrient-rich. Packed with vitamin B12, phosphorus, and iron, this meat will provide all the great unseen extras to your dishes. It’s also low in fat and cholesterol.

Normally, because of how lean it is, this meat has a tendency to cook very fast and dry out. Kitchen Kneads recommends lowering the temperature when cooking on the stove. One of the best ways to cook venison is to grill it! Don’t forget to use oil, the lean meat has a tendency to stick.

Venison normally has a deeper flavor, the meat absorbs and distributes very well needing fewer seasonings and less marinade time. Utilizing an oil-based marinade can help avoid drying the meat out too much when cooking. Venison is great for steaks, burgers, ground up, and added to any dish you would normally use beef.

Because of the lower fat content, the venison is a little tougher in texture, especially after cooking. We came about and tweaked to perfection this amazing chili recipe. When slow-cooked in chili juices version comes out savory and tender. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

VENISON CHILI

Yield: 6-8 SERVINGS prep time: 10 MINUTES cook time: 45 MINUTES total time: 55 MINUTES

Venison Chili – This is the best venison chili recipe! Made with classic chili ingredients slow cooked to perfection.

Slow Cooker

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds ground venison
3 garlic cloves (minced)
1 cup diced onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1/4 teaspoon Rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 15 ounce can dark red kidney beans
1 15 ounce can light red kidney beans
1 can Corn
1 Large Bell Pepper

TOPPINGS (OPTIONAL)

Cheddar cheese (shredded)
Green Onions (sliced)

SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium pan, saute ground venison, onion, and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat until the venison has browned.
Transfer browned meat, onions, and garlic into a 6-quart slow cooker. Add in remaining ingredients and set slow cooker to HIGH for 2-3 hours or LOW for 4-6 hours.
Serve topped with green onions and cheddar cheese (optional)

Main Course

chili

We are always adding something new and fun. Check out our other recipes, tips, and tricks on our blog page. You’re sure to find your new favorite recipe that you can’t stop making. We’d love to hear how your recipes come out!

As spring continues, so do the dandelions. While some work tirelessly to rid their yards of these gems, I have an endless supply of fresh greens. One of my favorite pictures of my daughter is when she was 3 years old and blowing the white fluff from a dandelion and making a wish. I am sure that dandelions can bring memories to you, either wonderful or trying to get all of them out of your yard.

There are a few tricks to using dandelion greens that I want to share with you. But first let’s look at the nutrition of dandelion greens and I guarantee you will be searching for these greens either in your yard or one of your neighbor’s. One cup of dandelion greens is packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants including 112% of daily recommended value of vitamin A and 535% of vitamin K. The greens boost immunity and calm inflammation. Dandelion greens have been shown to have diuretic properties which are helpful in reducing symptoms of liver, gallbladder, and kidney conditions.

My husband sent me a picture of a moose eating grass — or so he thought — outside the bedroom window. As I looked closer, that moose was eating dandelions. He knows what’s good for him.

The tricks to enjoying these greens at their fullest are these:

1. Look for smaller leaves. These will be a bit sweeter. If I am foraging later in the season, I will use the larger leaves but will cut the bottom of the stem off.
2. Dandelion greens will remind you a bit of kale. If eating raw, squeeze a lemon over the leaves. This will help to make the leaves not as bitter. Dandelion greens can be eaten raw or cooked. I would like to share a few recipes that I have found delicious. Besides the recipes that I am sharing you can also just sauté the greens in olive oil and garlic. After cooking them, give them a squeeze of fresh lemon and sea salt and fresh ground pepper. As always, the dandelions aren’t available at Kitchen Kneads, but all of the ingredients that I like to call bare-bones ingredients can be found at Kitchen Kneads.

Dandelion and Cauliflower Soup

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cups chopped cauliflower (about 1 medium head)
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 heaping cups chopped or torn dandelion greens (no thick stems, I like to cut the greens with my kitchen shears)
• ½ medium ripe avocado, pitted and diced
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Heat the olive oil in the bottom of a soup pot.
2. Add the cauliflower and green onions.
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, until the green onions are soft.
4. Add the garlic. Stir for 1 minute.
5. Add the broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the cauliflower is just tender.
6. Remove from heat and stir in the dandelion greens until wilted.
7. Allow the soup to stand, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
8. Stir the avocado into the soup. Use a blender to puree the soup until it is thick and creamy.
9. Serve right away, and don’t forget to make a wish.

I have made 2 different pesto recipes. They are both delicious. I wanted to include both for you to make your choice or like me, have 2 favorites.

Dandelion Leaf Pesto Recipe #1

• 4 cups fresh dandelion greens (young, smaller leaves are preferable and less bitter)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup walnuts (or other nuts)
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon dry mustard powder
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• ¼ – 1/3 cup nutritional yeast

Instructions:
1. Pick fresh dandelions greens. Wash and spin dry.
2. Place dandelions in a food processor
3. Add lemon juice and olive oil.
4. Process in a food processor.
5. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth consistency.

Dandelion Leaf Pesto Recipe #2

• ½ cup shelled pine nuts
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups chopped fresh dandelion leaves, washed and spun dry
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan

Instructions:
1. Place all ingredients except the parmesan into the food processor. Process until smooth. If it’s too think, slowly add a bit more olive oil.
2. Add the parmesan and continue to blend until the mixture has a smooth consistency.

Both of these pestos are delicious with crackers and cheese. I like to use the pesto as a spread for a grilled sandwich. I use pesto and mayonnaise on the bread and then cheese and chicken for a delicious grilled sandwich.

Dandelion Green Salad

• Gather a large bowl of fresh dandelion greens, wash, spin dry and chop
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ½ red onion, chopped or diced to preference
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• ¼ – 1/3 cup feta cheese
• 1 small to medium apple, diced

Instructions:
1. In a large salad bowl, add ingredients in order as stated above.
2. Toss to mix.
3. Make dressing and add to taste.

Dressing

• 3 Tablespoons honey
• 1 cup olive oil
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar

Using a jar, mix together ingredients, shake and pour over finished salad. You may have extra dressing. Use to taste.

I challenge you to try something new this spring and see if foraging is a fun activity for you and the kids. It may surprise you to have this nutritional gem in your yard that you may have thought as a pest.

Homemade pasta is a fun way to utilize food storage. Please make your food storage as a living food storage… a food storage that is used on an everyday basis. Food storage has given me a new appreciation for preparedness that I feel strongly about posting this week to help others.

This has been a week of storms and unforeseen weather throughout the country. My sweet daughter lives in the Dallas, Texas area and she has faced weather and a catastrophe that no one would have ever expected in Texas. This week she has experienced 8 inches of snow, rolling blackouts, and currently a boil water notice. She let me know that her family was not prepared. What can we eat, what about the food in our fridge, I need more water, and for a while no hot water were the situations she had to ask to have her family survive happily and not knowing for how long the crisis would last. Luckily, she has a gas stove that she was able to use with the ability to light the pilot light. When you have kids, the last thing we want is for them to panic because you are feeling stressed and not prepared.

Here is the most basic pasta that you can make with only two ingredients and have a fun afternoon by the light of the window or candles if necessary. Of course, a pasta maker is a great addition to your food storage and preparedness. Kitchen Kneads has all of the items you will need to add to a basic food storage to help your family make it through easy and not-so-easy situations.

At the end of this post, I will give you a list of the items that you can consider adding to your preparedness. I will do another post to show what the addition of a manual pasta machine can bring to your pasta making.

Semolina and Water Pasta

500 grams of semolina flour
300 grams of water

Instructions:

Have a kitchen scale handy. Weigh out 500 grams of semolina flour and 300 grams of bottled or distilled water if your water isn’t safe to drink.
Place the water and flour in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Then on a lightly oiled surface, knead the pasta for about 10 minutes until the dough is soft and smooth. Place in a plastic bag to rest. Let rest for 10-30 minutes.
With a bench scraper, cut a piece of dough and proceed to roll the dough into ropes. Use the whole hand to get the ropes thin and as even as possible. Fold the rope in half so when cutting, you will have 2 pieces at a time to shape.
The first shape is Cavatelli. To make this shape, take a small nugget of dough and roll it away from you with your thumb to create a groove which is great to hold sauce.
With a Gnocchi board, roll a small piece of dough away from you down the board. This will create a fun Malloreddus shape much like the Cavatelli but with a texture to help hold sauce as well as the groove.
The next shape is just cutting these small nuggets and using them just that way as nuggets.
The fourth shape that you see in the pictures is a fun Malloreddus. Instead of rolling the nugget with a grooved board, I rolled the nugget of dough on a rolling pin with snowflake textures. I will call this Frozen Malloreddus.
After you have shapes, don’t them touch and dust with flour.
When ready to cook, drop each shape into a salted stock pot of boiling water. When the pasta floats to the top, do a taste test to see if the pasta is cooked. Drain and sprinkle with a small amount of parmesan. This will help the sauce stick better. After adding sauce, add more parmesan.

Use any sauce that that you have. I can promise you that the kids will have fun. This is great healthy snack with or without the sauce.

Here is the list of items for a quick reference to add to your storage. These items can be found at Kitchen Kneads. Stop in and they will help you with all of your preparedness needs and questions.

Semolina Flour, Gnocchi board, Kitchen Scale, Grooved rolling pins (optional), Bench Scraper, Heavy duty Batter Bowl, Stock Pot, Redmond Real Salt, Manual Pasta Machine