Want to know what nutrients are in your foods, meals, or menus?

Kwe,

September is a busy time for me. This is a time of harvest, canning and preserving jellies and bounties from the year's gardening, while the hunting season and fishing runs begin. And let me tell you, I had my first taste of tenderloin moose steaks yesterday and "oooohhhhhhhhh" gawd I missed the taste of wild game. There is nothing like the taste of the wild. Honestly it doesn't just taste better, its also healthier! This is not just my personal opinion but a scientific fact.

There is a web tool on a website I use once in a while its called nutritional data.com . On this site, there are several useful tools for someone who likes to keep track of what they consume and the nutritional information on not just your foods but your entire menu and recipes. They have so many foods in their database, including wild game such as moose. I experimented with a few recipes a while back, I took two exact recipes with only one difference, recipe 1 was made with 100% beef and recipe 2 was made with 100% moose. Once I was done computing these recipes into their database, I had the option to print out a nutritional label that looks like the labels posted on the sides of almost every food product we ever buy which basically tells us the per cent age of all the minerals and vitamins are in the product. So I did this and compared the nutritional values side by side. I was impressed with the health benefits of wild game in comparison with the beef, the moose is leaner, which is why it usually requires a bit of more tenderizing or marinating but it also contains less fat, the fat in the moose also contains more omega fatty acids which are a healthier alternative to the fat in beef. I think I will take a recipe and show you what I mean sometime so you will understand what I am talking about, I can not verbalize it as well as I can just show you.

The more I understand diet and nutritional values, the more awed and inspired I become of our ancestors who had an incredible lifestyle, diet and ways of life that we can not compare with today. We do the best we can with what we have though and many times these cuisines are spectacular. I love to cook and trying new foods.

Speaking of trying new recipes, I will be preserving and I will keep you posted and let you know how these canning projects come along. I have no recipes to share today but I am working on them. I justed wanted to give you a bit of an update and let you know there are more stories and recipes to come in the near future, including stories from Mi'kmaw role models. So stay tuned.

Take care
Eva

Trout is running, so let's cook it up!

I heard the news today that Atowas'su (trout) is running through our waters of Skye River, so I figured now would be a good time to add a few fish recipes. Trout is a wonderful fish I love to cook. Every so often, I enjoy a simple meal of grilled or pan fried trout with my favorite Luski (Bannock) , and some tapatats, (Potatoes). It always hits the spot. I almost never buy fish at the market and prefer the taste of fresh catch that either my sons or husband usually brings home. For me, quality time is the time and care we take in the preparation of a meal, including the planning, hunting, growing, harvesting, cleaning and cooking the catch. It is often said the most important ingredient in any recipe is Love. A good dish is when you can taste the love. It is true, many times my best dishes were full of Love and enjoyed cooking the dish.

Pan Fried Trout

Ingredients

2 large trout
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tbs. grated lemon peel
1/2 cup flour
1 tbs. butter
3 tbs. lemon juice
2 tbs. parsley
Lemon slices/wedges

First of all, rinse trout and wipe with a damp towel. Combine 1/2 cup melted butter, salt, pepper and grated lemon rind. Brush inside of trout with this seasoned butter. Dip both sides of trout into flour and make sure the trout is well floured. Pour remaining seasoned butter into skillet. Add trout and fry on both sides about 8-10 minutes. Remove trout and place on dish. In skillet, melt 1 tbs. butter and add lemon juice. Heat and pour over trout with cut up parsley. Serve with lemon slices. This will make 4-6 servings.

Baked Trout Recipe
4 to 6 trout (approximately 1/2 lb. each)
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt (or to your taste)
2 cloves minced garlic (or to your taste)
1 cup Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc wine
2 Tablespoons Italian parsley
2 Tablespoons chopped green onion
2 Tablespoons dry seasoned bread crumbs
4 Tablespoons melted butter or margarine

Wash and dry trout. Rub the outside of trout with lemon juice and sprinkle with salt.

Arrange the minced garlic in the bottom of a buttered baking dish that is large enough to hold the trout in a single layer.

Place trout in the dish and pour the wine over the top.

Sprinkle with parsley, green onion, and bread crumbs. Spoon the melted butter evenly over the top.

Bake at 400F (200c) degrees for 20 minutes. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Photo of the Day - Mi'kmaq guide William Muese with his catch of trout ,Bear River, Nova Scotia

Source: Mi'kmaq Portraits Collection.
Printed on obverse: "Micmac Guide, Bear River, N.S." Note the canvas canoe, the woven wood splint fishing creel, and the big catch of trout. Son of Chief James Meuse, William Meuse and his wife Rosie (1892 ca - 1937), had 10 children: John, Jim, Louis, Joseph, Frank, Oliver, Clarence, Bruce, Marguerite and Olive.