For the more adventurous palate…

Serves 4

1/2 Elk or Venison loin, silver skin removed

Marinade:

• 2 Fl oz Fresh orange juice
• 4 drops Wild Orange essential oil
• 2 Fl oz Fresh grapefruit juice
• 4 drops Grapefruit essential oil
• 2 drops Lemon essential oil
• 2 drops lime essential oil
• ½ Fl oz Fresh lemon juice
• ½ Fl oz Fresh lime juice
• 2 drops Juniper berry essential oil
• ½ Tablespoon cracked black peppercorns
• 3 oz Extra Virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients. Immerse loin in marinade for 24 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 350F. Remove loin from the marinade, pat dry and season with salt & pepper. Sear sides in a hot sauté pan with a small amount of high heat oil. Put into the oven and roast until the internal temperature has reached 120F, approximately 8-10 minutes.

Let meat rest for 10minutes before serving.

For the Rosemary Port sauce:

• 3 C Port Wine
• 2 oz Glace de Viande (can be purchased frozen at specialty shops or made at home)
• Rosemary Essential Oil, to taste
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

Reduce wine by two thirds in a saucepan.

Add Glace de Viande, simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove sauce from heat, add rosemary essential oil and salt & pepper to taste

An easy & tasty 3-ingredient summer salad, flavored with essential oils (and a number of oil combinations taste great!)

• 1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced
• 1 Pint Heirloom cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• ¼ Red onion, sliced
• 3 Tablespoons EVOO
• 2 + drops Basil essential oil
• 2 drops Lemon essential oil
• …or use Cilantro, Lemon, and Lime essential oils for a slightly different flavor!

Combine Cucumber, Tomato & onion in a mixing bowl.

Blend EVOO & essential oils, pour over vegetables and mix well to coat.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

There’s a lot of information circulating about the benefits of bone broths, and for good reason. Poor diet, physical & emotional stress, prescription and OTC medications- these are just some of the things that have adverse effects on our gut and digestive system. They can cause deterioration of the stomach lining, allowing food particles to pass into the blood stream before going to the small intestine for digestion. An undigested food particle is read by the blood as a toxin and eliminates it, without any nutrient absobption. The next time we eat that food, our body remembers it as a toxin, and quickly eliminates it as before.

Bone broth, or stock, contains gelatin. When we consume gelatin, it helps repair a damaged stomach lining. Gelatin comes from cartilage and connective tissue that is converted during the cooking process, and contains a high amount of protein.

When I was a kid, my grandmother fed me Jell-o for stomach flu, and I remember it feeling so good in my tummy. Hospitals give gelatin to patients to eat after surgery, either as Jello or as a broth, becauase it eases the stomach and helps rebuild healthy cells.

It’s not hard to make a great bone broth at home. It can sound daunting for some- something reserved for the Professional Chef- but it’s not. In culinary school, the ‘fond’ (base, stock) and it’s versatility are studied at length and revered. The best broth starts with a stock. Both stocks & broths are made in the sme exact way- the difference is 1.) Broths are made with meat instead of just bones, and 2.) Broths can be served as a finished dish, whereas a stock is generally used to to prepare other items, including a finished broth. Here’s some guidelines into making a super healthy and tasty bone broth /stock from the Elevate! Kitchen…

-The best bones for beef & veal stock are bones from young animals. They have a higher percentage of cartalige and connective tissue, which turns to gelatin during cooking, and has a higher protein content as a result.

START THE STOCK IN COLD WATER. The ingredients (bones) should always be covered with cold water. When bones are covered in cold water, blood and other impurities dissolve. When the water heats, the impurities coagulate, rise to the surface and are easily skimmed off. If the water level goes below the bones while cooking, add more water, as flavor and connective tissue cannot be extracted if they aren’t under water.

SIMMER THE STOCK GENTLY. The stock should be brought to a boil and then reduced to a simmer. Simmering releases the flavors and proteins, and the liquid will remain clear as it reduces. Boiling a stock for any length of time will cause impurities and fats to be released into the liquid.

SKIM THE STOCK FREQUENTLY. A stock should be skimmed often to remove fat and impurities that rise to the surface during cooking.

STRAIN THE STOCK CAREFULLY. Once done cooking, the liquid must be seperated from the bones, vegetables and other solid ingredients you have added for flavor. Carefully ladle the stock from the pot and strain through a china cap or strainer lined with cheesecloth.

COOL THE STOCK QUICKLY. Most stocks are prepared for later use, so great care must be taken while cooling a stock to prevent food-borne illness or souring.

-Keep the stock in a metal container. Plastic insulates and delays cooling.

-Put the metal pot into a sink and fill it with ice water. Put a rack or blocks at the bottom of the sink to set the pot on, to allow for cold water to circulate underneath the pot, cooling it quicker.

-Drain and refill the sink with COLD water and ice as needed. Stir the stock frequently to help with even and quick cooling.

STORE THE STOCK PROPERLY. Once cooled, transfer the stock to a clean metal or plastic container and refrigerate. As the stock chills, fat rises to the surface and solidifies- if left there, it helps preserve the stock. Stocks can be stored for 1 week in the refrigerator, several months in the freezer.

DEGREASE THE STOCK. When you’re ready to make your finished broth, remove the fat layer before using.

From here, use this base (stock) to make well-flavored and healthy broths. For a flavorful beef broth, brown a beef shank in oil, then place in a stockpot. Set aside the shank browning pan and grease. Add the COLD stock and bring to a simmer, skimming as necessary. (simmer for 2 hours for best flavor). In the beef shank pan grease, caramelize carrots, onion and celery. Add to the stockpot. Add leeks, turnips or tomaotes to the pot for more flavor. Put some black peppercorns, bay leaf, thyme, parsley stems and garlic cloves into a coffee filter, tie with butcher string and add it to the pot for seasoning. Simmer for an hour, skimming the surface as necessary. Strain, season with salt and peper to taste, and enjoy!

NOTE: The word SALT is mentioned once- for the reason that salt should never be added until the very end, while making the finished product. Adding salt before will prevent you from reducing the stock any further (it will be too salty), and it also prevents you from adding any other ingredients that have salt in them as you make your finished product.

While this may seem intimidating and time consuming, if you follow the above guidelines, the procedures are pretty simple. The absolute BEST way to achieve health benefits from a bone broth are to make it yourself at home. Use quality ingredients, and with a little practice you’ll have it mastered!

Easy Marinade for fish, tofu, vegetables

• 2 T Minced Garlic
• ¼ C reduced sodium Shoyu or Tamari
• To taste, drop Ginger Essential Oil
• To taste, drop Lemongrass essential Oil
• ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• Green onion, sliced

Combine all ingredients, add essential oils one drop at a time, to taste. I recommend 2-3 Lemongrass oil and 1-2 drops of ginger.