Dedicated to my Little Sister!
Have you ever had to think about making a meal that was grain free and dairy free? I honestly found it to be a little challenging at first. I’m so used to being able to use butter, eggs and cheese without giving it a second thought. Now granted, I’m no Spring Chicken. I have to be aware of the quantities that I use as well as the amount of salts and sugars, but grain free and dairy free now that was a little over the top for me. Hahahaha.
So the challenge was on. I replaced sugar in my tomato sauce with the use of a carrot and some local honey. I also used some chorizo to aid in binding the venison meatballs together. I refrigerated the meat for a few hours before forming into small meatballs. They held together great. As a pasta replacement, I chopped up brussels sprouts and made pasta like ribbons out of my zucchinis. I plated everything just like you would spaghetti and meatballs. And in all honesty it was AMAZING! So amazing we had seconds without the guilt!
I guess grain free and dairy free isn’t that difficult if you put a little thought and creativity into it! Enjoy this ‘Paleo’, grain free, dairy free wild game dinner idea!
Tomato Sauce
- 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 14oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 carrot
- 1/2 red wine
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- fresh thyme
- fresh basil chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Venison Meatballs
- 1lb venison burger
- 1 mild chorizo or sausage link (removed from casing)
- 1 teaspoon fennel powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Brussels Sprouts and Zucchini
- 2 cups brussels sprouts chopped
- 2 zucchinis (use a julienne peeler or potato peeler)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
DIRECTIONS
- In a bowl, mix together ground venison, chorizo and spices. Cover and place in refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
- In a stock pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Add all other ingredients and simmer covered on low heat for about an hour. Remove carrot and celery stalk and process sauce using an immersion blender or food processor. Process until smooth.
- Remove venison mixture from refrigerator and form small golf sized meatballs (18-20). Heat cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and venison meatballs. Cook meatballs for about 5 minutes until browned on bottom. Turn meatballs over using a small spatula and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn heat to low and pour tomato sauce into pan covering meatballs. Continue to simmer for another 10 minutes or until meatballs are cooked thoroughly.
- During this time, heat a non-stick skillet to medium-high heat and add olive oil, brussels sprouts and zucchini. Saute until tender. Add a little sea salt, pepper and fresh chopped basil. Remove from heat.
Enjoy!
