BBQ Salmon Cakes

This recipe was simple, quick and delicious! I was so glad that I thought to cook extra salmon so that I could make these salmon cakes. These would make a great lunch or simple supper. We had ours on a bed of greens and veggies. Here's what I did...

-leftover salmon, flaked into medium sized chunks (I ended up having about 8 or 9 ounces leftover)
-leftover BBQ spice rub (or if you made extra, just use 1 TBS)
-1 shallot, diced and sauteed in olive oil (you can also use white onion OR you can use scallions and just toss them in without sauteing)
-a handful of chopped parsley
-Salt and pepper to taste
-about 1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs (they're Japanese style bread crumbs with a more coarse texture than regular breadcrumbs. Found in the Oriental section of the grocery store. If you can't find these, use regular unseasoned breadcrumbs.)
-1 tsp of celery seed (you can use fresh chopped celery if you have it on hand)
-1 egg, beaten

Gently combine all of the ingredients with your hands, being careful not to mash the salmon up too much. You may find that if you used the regular breadcrumbs you might need to add more until the mixture comes together. You want it to hold together, but not be dense. Form into patties. I was able to make 6 slider sized patties, but you can also make larger patties and serve it as a sandwich. Once the patties are formed, let them sit 5-10 minutes to let the breadcrumbs absorb the moisture to ensure that the patties hold together. In a saute pan or skillet, add 1 TBS of extra virgin olive oil and bring up to medium heat. Cook the salmon cakes about 3 minutes per side. You want to form a nice, golden brown crust on each side. Place on to a bed of greens and veggies for an easy salad or on top of a bun for a salmon burger. Top with your favorite dressing or you can combine 1 cup of sour cream, the zest and juice of a lemon and some fresh or dried dill to make a simple dressing. Enjoy!

BBQ Spiced Salmon

I have mixed feelings about this recipe. While I enjoyed the flavor of the salmon, I felt that there was something missing. I baked the salmon which may be what's bothering me. Like I said, the flavor was good and I wouldn't change my spice rub, but I think I would change how I cooked the salmon. Next time, I think I would try grilling it or just putting it under the broiler to get the caramelization that I was looking for. With that said, I will give you the recipe as I did it, but maybe when you make it you can try either grilling it or putting it under the broiler. Then you can let me know how it turns out! :)

BBQ Spice Rub
-1 TBS California Chili Powder (or whatever chili powder you have on hand)
-1 tsp smoked sweet paprika
-1 tsp onion powder
-1 tsp brown sugar
-1/2 tsp ground mustard
-a heavy pinch of cayenne or chipotle powder
-a heavy pinch of salt


This amount should cover about 4 pieces of salmon, so you can double the recipe if needed. I liked the flavor of this because it had a sweet-heat taste to it, along with a smokiness from the paprika. So, if you're going to bake the fish in the oven, preheat it to 350. Then I just took 3 (obviously, use however many pieces you need) skinless pieces of salmon, drizzled them with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled the spice rub on each side, rubbing it in. Place on a sheet tray with a cooling rack over the tray and let the salmon sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to let it absorb the flavors of the spice rub. Cook in the oven for 10-12 minutes. You can check the doneness by taking a fork and flaking the thickest part of the salmon. If it comes away easily, it's done.

Something to think about...I cooked extra salmon so that I could make salmon cakes for lunch the next day. I was able to make 6 slider sized salmon cakes with about 8 or 9 ounces of fish. They're great to pack for lunch and reheat well. So, if that's something you'd want to do, you will only need one or two extra pieces of fish (depending on how many salmon cakes you want). I'm going to post that recipe as a separate blog though. Anyway, I hope you try this and if you try one of the other cooking methods that I suggested, I'd love to hear how it turned out!

Butternut Squash Risotto

So, if you've never made or eaten risotto it is by far the best thing in the culinary world. It's rich and creamy and cheesy. I mean, really...what more could you ask for? I really like experimenting with different flavors in risotto. Since, it's a rice dish, you can put almost anything in it. There are 4 key ingredients that you need: arborio rice, white wine, chicken stock and parmesan cheese. If you only had these 4 ingredients, it would still taste pretty darn good, but throw in a little onion and peas and you have yourself a basic risotto. I have to warn you though, risotto can be a little fussy. It's not like regular rice where you put it in a pot and forget about it for 20 minutes. You have to babysit risotto. Constant stirring and attention must be focused on it, but in the end, it is SO worth it.

This recipe is Matt's favorite in my risotto repertoire. This is how I did it....

-8 oz of arborio rice (it MUST be arborio rice. Arborio rice is specific to risotto dishes.)
-1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
-1 large shallot, finely diced (found near the onions. It's small and purple with an oval shape to it. You can also use a sweet white onion.)
-1/4 to 1/3 cup of dry white wine (just eyeball it. Normally, I would say that wine is optional, but in risotto it's really not. It gives the risotto a depth of flavor and one of the specific tastes that makes it risotto.)
-2 15 oz cans of chicken stock (I use reduced sodium so that I can control the salt content.)
-a generous handful of shredded or grated Parmesan cheese (by now, you know which one I mean! :) )
-a handful of flat leaf (or Italian) parsley, chopped
-a splash of half-n-half or heavy cream
-1 TBS of butter
-Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375. Meanwhile, cut the butternut squash in half between the long section and the round section. Cut off each of the ends as well. Remove the seeds from the round section. Peel the squash using a sharp knife, following the contours of the squash. Once peeled, cut the squash into bite sized cubes. (At this point, you can decide how much squash you would like in your risotto. I like to get a big squash and use it 2 different times in 2 different recipes, but if you're just making this, you can get a smaller squash.) Place the squash on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes are until softened and lightly browned. While the squash is roasting, melt the butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes and season with salt and pepper. Add the arborio rice and stir for 2-3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and let the wine cook out. Begin adding about 1/2 cup of chicken stock at a time and stir. Add more when it looks like the rice has absorbed the stock. Keep repeating this step until all of the stock is used or until the rice is cooked. If you run of stock, but feel that the rice isn't cooked all of the way yet, you can use warm water. (This is the part where you have to get a feel for the rice. I keep tasting mine to make sure that the rice is cooked all of the way. You may think that it is done and go to serve it, only to find out that there are crunchy bits of rice throughout the dish. So, just keep stirring and tasting until you are confident that all of the rice is cooked.) Turn the heat to low and stir in the parmesan cheese, then add the butternut squash and parsley. Right before serving, stir in the half-n-half or heavy cream. Salt and pepper to taste.

This makes about 4 servings. (Or 2 if you're Matt and I!! ha, ha!) It goes great with chicken, fish or pork and reheats really well the next day. Risotto can be kind of difficult. The first couple of times I made it, it didn't come out right, but don't give up! Keep trying and once you master it, you will make great risotto every time! :)

Mexican Chicken Salad

The other night, Matt said that he really needed a salad, but being the meatatarian that I am, I couldn't just eat a plate of rabbit food. (Ha, ha!) So, of course, I had to put my own spin on this salad idea. Here's what I did....

-boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 per person)
-any mixed greens of your choice (in the quantity needed/desired)
-ripe avocados (allow a half an avocado per person)
-1 can of whole black beans, drained and rinsed
-2 handfuls of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
-1 small can of green chilies
-1 ear of fresh corn, cut from the cob, sauteed in a little olive oil for 2-3 minutes (you may also use frozen corn, of course)
-1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
-3 to 4 scallions, chopped
-1 lime
-1/2 TBS of ancho chili powder (or any kind of chili powder you have on hand)
-1/2 TBS of smoked sweet paprika (regular paprika will be fine too)
-a heavy pinch of salt
-1 tsp of onion powder

Combine spices in a small bowl and sprinkle generously over the chicken. Using a basting brush, brush the chicken with extra virgin olive oil. You can either grill the chicken, about 4-5 minutes per side or bake in the oven at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. Since chicken thickness varies, always test the internal temperature of the chicken with a thermometer. The thermometer should read around 165 as it will continue cooking another 10 degrees as it rests. (AKA carry-over cooking) Let the chicken rest about 10 minutes before slicing. While the chicken is cooking, combine the black beans, cilantro, scallions, green chilies, corn, and tomatoes and toss. Slice the avocado and juice half of the lime over it to keep it from turning brown. Arrange the greens on the plate, spooning the desired amount of black bean and corn salsa over them. Add the sliced chicken and avocado slices as desired. To make it extra fancy, alternate the chicken and avocado slices. :) For the dressing, you have several options...you can use one that you already have, you can make a sour cream based dressing or an olive oil based dressing. If you choose Option B, take about a cup of sour cream (feel free to use light) and instead of putting the avocados in the salad, put them into the food processor or blender with the sour cream. Add the juice of one lime and a small handful of cilantro and pulse until smooth. For Option C, take equal parts extra virgin olive oil and lime juice, adding honey to taste. I like it pretty tangy so I only use about 1 tsp, so go from there. Whisk vigorously for 1-2 minutes or until the oil and lime juice are combined.

You may have noticed that my Black Bean and Corn Salsa is already on my blog, which means that if you've made it for something else, this recipe is a good way to use up leftovers! This salad can also be enjoyed with leftover grilled or baked chicken or leftover steak.

I apologize for the lack of pictures, but trust me, this salad is very good! Let me know what you think of it!

Update

I know I haven't posted anything new for a long time. Believe me, I miss it just as much as I hope you do! :) I'm still writing recipes and I have some oldies, but goodies that I'm wanting to post on here. Once, we get settled back home, trust me...the recipes, they will be a-flowin'! :) In the meantime, I will post as many recipes as I can as often as I'm able to...I wouldn't hold out on ya!

Pesto Chicken Burgers

I know it's been awhile since I've posted a new recipe and I'm sorry about that! It's been a busy summer, but I'm back and I've got a great new recipe for you! I've been trying to come up with a new chicken burger recipe, just to mix things up a little. I make a really flavorful pesto sauce so I thought why not put into ground chicken instead of pasta for a nice change? Here's what I did...

-1 lb ground chicken (you can use ground turkey if you can't find ground chicken. 1 lb makes 4 large burgers or 6 regular sized burgers)
-2 large handfuls of fresh baby spinach
-10 large fresh basil leaves
-1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted (toast the pine nuts in a dry saute pan, no oil, over medium low heat. Stir occasionally, toasting them until golden brown)
-1 medium lemon (zest the lemon, then juice half of the lemon for the pesto)
-2 large handfuls of shredded or grated Parmesan cheese (you know what I'm going to say...use the real stuff, please!!)
-black pepper, to taste
-1/2 chopped sun dried tomatoes (I recommend getting the sun-dried tomatoes that don't come in oil. For one thing, they are cheaper, plus you don't want the extra oil in your burgers. I found a package of sun-dried tomatoes in the produce section. Reconstitute the tomatoes in some hot water for 5 minutes. Drain the remaining water, then dice.)
-1 shallot, finely diced and sauteed in olive oil (they are near the other onions, and are small and a light purple color)
-a handful of plain breadcrumbs
-smoked mozzarella or smoked gouda
-1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of extra virgin olive oil (just eyeball it)
-4 to 6 rolls of your choice, toasted under the broiler

In a small saute pan over medium heat, (use the same pan that you used to toast the pine nuts) saute the diced shallot in a little olive oil until they are softened and golden brown. Let cool. In a food processor or blender, add in the spinach, basil, toasted pine nuts, parmesan cheese, lemon zest and juice, and black pepper, pulsing until finely chopped. With the processor or blender running, slowly pour in the olive oil until it forms a thick sauce. If it comes out to thin, you can add more spinach and basil. You don't want to be able to pour it off of a spoon, it needs to be thicker in order to incorporate it into the ground chicken. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, pesto, breadcrumbs, sun-dried tomatoes, and shallots. Mix until just combined. Don't over mix or the burgers will be tough. (I have to warn you that when you mix this together, it will turn green and may seem unappetizing at this stage. Don't worry! When you cook it, it will turn golden brown and taste delicious!) Form into 4 or 6 patties about an inch thick. In a large saute pan or electric skillet over medium heat, cook the patties about 3-4 minutes on the first side. Flip the burger over to the second side and place the cheese on top to melt. Place a lid over the pan to melt the cheese and to ensure the chicken burgers are cooked through. Once the cheese has melted, place the burger on the bottom half of your roll. On the top half of the roll, spread some of the leftover pesto and sprinkle some of the remaining sun dried tomatoes if desired.

If you have extra pesto sauce, you can save it and make a nice pasta salad with it, along with the leftover sundried tomatoes.

Panzanella (Bread Salad)

I came up with this recipe a few days ago and actually made it on Friday. While I was preparing it, I found out that my camera battery was dead. I had to charge it while we ate, but I figured that there would be some panzanella left after dinner to take a picture of...not a chance! There was not a single piece left! I could barely keep Justin at bay to finish it! Ha, ha! :)

So, anyway...panzanella is a salad consisting of any veggies you like, with toasted, cubed bread and a vinaigrette dressing. There are many, many different versions of this salad, so feel free to add whatever you like to it! My friend, Nicole makes a great bread salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and mozzarella. The inspiration to create my own version came from her...thanks, Nicole! :)

So, here's the recipe:

-a loaf of crusty bread, sliced into 1 inch slices (you can use Italian or any of the artisan breads that look good to you. Just don't use the ends of the bread.)

-an English cucumber, chopped (it may also be called a Seedless Cucumber or Burpless Cucumber. It comes in plastic and is usually hiding behind the regular cucumbers.)

-1 to 2 cups of halved cherry or grape tomatoes (you can certainly use any tomatoes you have on hand. I just like the smaller tomatoes because they are always good and seem to have more flavor than the larger tomatoes.)

-1 cup of halved, pitted Kalamata olives (these taste more like Spanish Green Olives, so if you don't like green olives, you can use the regular black olives)

-6 to 8 oz of crumbled feta cheese (just use either of those amounts that you find in the store. I hate when I find recipe that calls for a certain amount and you end up having a small amount left. Besides, with cheese, you can never have too much!)
-3 TBS capers, fried in olive oil (they come out so crispy and salty and add a nice finish to the salad)
-a handful of fresh basil, thinly sliced

-a handful of flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

-3 to 4 scallions, chopped

-1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar

-1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

-1 tsp of honey

Set the broiler to high. Place the sliced bread on a broiler pan or cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper on both sides of each slice of bread. Toast to your level of doneness. Let it cool while preparing the remaining ingredients. Combine the tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, herbs and feta into a large bowl, salt and pepper to taste. In a smaller bowl, combine the vinegar, olive oil and honey, whisking until combined. The dressing should look smooth and you shouldn't be able to see the separate components. When the bread has cooled, cut into large chunks. Place on top of the salad. Just before serving, add half of the dressing into the bowl, toss and then add the remaining dressing and toss again. You may salt and pepper the salad again if you think it needs it.

The first time I made this, I used about half the amount of bread and cucumber (to feed 6 people), thinking that there would be some leftover. The second time, I used the whole loaf and had to feed 10 people and had none leftover. So, it sounds and looks like a lot, but it goes quickly! If you want to have the salad for the next day, keep all of the components separate. Then, when you're ready, you can mix it all together. This would be a great way to pack it for lunch! You could even add shredded chicken or sausage to this to have a complete meal! Like I said before, there are many versions of a panzanella salad, so use whatever veggies and cheese that you like...make up a version of your own! :)