It's That Time of Year Again!

And by that time, I mean hunting season. The husband is determined he will get a buck this year, so with a promise of more venison to fill my freezer I need to clean out what I have left. At the end of the season earlier in 2009, my father-in-law gave us a good bit of venison. We haven't eaten much, just every now and then, because it requires at least an couple of hours marinating to taste really good to me. And I don't always prep for dinner that early.

The good news is that venison is a very lean meat, and works great for my new weight loss plan! We had some tenderloin medallions and I decided to do them in a Korean BBQ style. They were SO good! Best way I've had venison yet!


I also tried a weight watchers recipe for mashed cauliflower and potatoes. These were pretty good, and a lot less points than traditional mashed potatoes. And Taylor even liked them. He ate seconds!!

Venison, Korean BBQ Style
Source: Me
Serves: 3-4 people
4 WW points per serving

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
3 green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
10-12, 1 oz. venison tenderloin medallions

Mix all ingredients except medallions. Reserve 1/2 cup marinade. Add medallions to the rest of the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Grill medalions until medium/medium-well. Pour reserved marinade over medallions once they are on the serving dish.

Mashed "Potatoes"
Source: Weight Watchers
Serves: 4
2 WW points per serving

8 oz. cauliflower florets
3 small yukon gold potatoes
2 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp salt, divided
1/4 cup 1% milk (I used skim because that's what we have)
2 tsp butter
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp chives, freshly snipped (I omited because I didn't have)

Place cauliflower, potatoes, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan. Add enough water to cover ingredients and bring to a boil. Boil until vegetables are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes; drain and return to saucepan.Stir in milk, butter, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper; mash with a potato masher until smooth. Stir in chives and serve. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.

This whole plate? 6 Points!!!

"I'm not eating that."

That is what my husband said when I told him we were having roasted cauliflower with our steaks. He doesn't like cauliflower (in any way, shape or form according to him) and he just flat out wasn't eating it. I love raw cauliflower, but am usually not a fan of the cooked stuff. However, I've seen more than one blog post about how wonderful roasted cauliflower is and I am always looking for new side dishes that don't include corn or potatoes since those are my default sides. I begged him to just taste it and promised I would make him another option in case he was right and didn't like it.

Well, he didn't like it and I wasn't a huge fan either. I think I just don't like mushy cauliflower. When it is cooked, it loses it's bite and the crunch is the best part. I did however like it before I roasted it. Ha! I tasted a few pieces befor putting it in the oven and it was really good. I could have eaten the whole pan just like that as a snack. Maybe next time I'll just do that! It has a good flavor though, so if you liked cooked cauliflower, give it a try.

Oven-Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic, Olive Oil and Lemon Juice

Source: The Recipe Girl My additions/changes in italics

6 cups cauliflower florets (I just used a whole head)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp sliced garlic (I minced mine)

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp kosher salt (I used sea salt)

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 tbsp parmesan cheese

chopped chives, for garnish (I used some dill I had instead)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Place the cauliflower in a roasting pan (I used a rimmed baking sheet). Drizzle with olive oil and season with garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Toss to coat cauliflower. Place in oven and cook 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and garnish with chives. Serve while warm.