Salmon Fishcakes with Sweet Potato Chips

I wish I could take credit for the marvelous recipe below, but sadly I can not! This little gem was created by the lovely and talented Chante, our honorary "Riley" holding down the fort in Scotland. Thanks, Chante!

Lovely Chante and the Kiwis in the Big Easy

Salmon Fishcakes with Sweet Potato Chips

(Serves two- easily increased for more.)

Pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Best to make the Chips first. As they’re roasting, you can throw together the rest.

Sweet Potato Chips
2 large sweet Potato
Fresh Thyme finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Peel the sweet Potato and cut them into ‘chips’. Blanche the pieces in boiling water for 3 minutes. Lay on an oven tray and sprinkle of Thyme and salt and pepper. I spray over some olive oil too.
Roast the chips for approximately 20 minutes at 220 degrees (turning every now and then) until they are crisp.

Salmon Fishcakes
2 fillets of fresh salmon
1 bunch Spring onion
Ginger finely chopped
Zest of one lime
Juice from that lime
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut the raw salmon fillets into chunks and place in a bowl. Add the lime zest, lime juice, chopped ginger and salt and pepper to your taste. Chop the spring onion and cook them in a pan until soft. Add the cooked spring onion to a bowel.
‘Whizz’ the contents of the bowl together in a food processor or I have a hand held ‘Whizz’ which I use.
Pat the salmon mixture into 4 patties (I didn’t think they’d hold together but they do). Fry in a pan with a little oil until cooked through and golden on both sides.

Dip
1 small pot Greek Yogurt
Horseradish or wasabi to taste
2 tbs mayonnaise
Black pepper
Combine together adding as much wasabi/horseradish as you like. Great dip for both the chips and the salmon!
Serve all with a green salad.

P.S. I couldn't resist posting one more image Chante sent us this morning. Behold! (I have a serious case of vegetable garden envy!)

Enjoy,

Heather

Fruit Pies!

With so much tasty fruit in season, I've been making pies to share with friends. Also, fruit pies are one of the only desserts that Kevin truly likes, because they're not too sweet. I wish I'd remembered to take pictures, but I'm sure you can conjure images of peach and blueberry pie in your head! I'm posting the recipes I used below.

I'll be honest: I'm scared of pie crust, so I used a frozen one. Instead of Pet-Ritz, I tried Marie Callender's; the texture was nice and flaky, but I really thought it was too sweet. Next time, I might venture into the brave new world of pastry and try my own...

With both recipes, I thought the sugar could have been reduced by half (to make the fruit the main flavor, and not the sweetness), but I was afraid that would affect the texture too much. And does anyone know a good way to make sure pie holds together when you slice it? I'd love to know if you have any tips.

Peach Pie

8 large, ripe but firm peaches (3 1/2 pounds)
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, thinly sliced
Egg wash made with 1 egg yolk mixed with 2 tablespoons milk

Slice the peaches into a large bowl (I left the skins on, because I like the texture, but you can peel 'em if the fuzziness offends you). Add the sugar, lemon juice and flour, toss well and let stand for 5 minutes. Pour the peaches and their juices into the chilled pie shell and scatter the butter slices on top. Brush the edge of the pie shell with the egg wash and lay the second round of dough on top. Press the edges of the pie shell together to seal and trim the overhang to a 1/2 inch. Fold the edge of the pie dough under itself and crimp to seal. Brush the remaining egg wash on the top crust and cut a few slits for venting steam.

Transfer the pie to the oven and place a baking sheet in the bottom to catch any drips. Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°, cover the edge of the pie with foil and bake for about 40 minutes longer, until the filling is bubbling and the crust is deeply golden on the top and bottom. Transfer the pie to a rack to cool completely. Serve with Bourbon Whipped Cream.

Blueberry Pie

6 cups of fresh (or frozen) blueberries, rinsed and stems removed (if using frozen, defrost and drain first)
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (for thickening)
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tbsp butter (unsalted), cut into small pieces
Egg wash made with 1 egg yolk mixed with 2 tablespoons milk

Gently mix the blueberries, sugar, flour, cinnamon, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Transfer them to the chilled bottom crust of the pie pan. Dot with butter pieces. Brush the edge of the pie shell with the egg wash and lay the second round of dough on top. Press the edges of the pie shell together to seal and trim the overhang to a 1/2 inch. Fold the edge of the pie dough under itself and crimp to seal. Brush the remaining egg wash on the top crust and cut a few slits for venting steam.

Bake for 20 minutes at 425°. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake for 30 to 40 minutes more or until juices are bubbling and have thickened. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Let cool completely before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

I Love Carbs ( and veggies)!

Here is a awesome pasta dish from last Tuesday night. It was originally going to be a simple garlicy kale and orecchiette pasta (one of my favorites), but it quickly morphed into something a little more complex. To tell you the truth, I had to stare at this photo for a few minutes so I could remember what I put in the bloody dish...here goes!

Kale and Orange Cauliflower Pasta with Garlic, Prosciutto, Lemon and Peccorino

Mince and fry 4 slices of prosciutto in a black iron skillet with a little bit of oil. Once crispy, remove from skillet. (if you don't have, you can substitute with bacon)

While frying prosciutto, prep the veggies and remaining ingredients:

Wash, strip, chop kale (1/2 a bunch)

Chop cauliflower into small florets (1/2 head)

Mince 3 cloves of garlic

Zest and juice 1 lemon

1/2 cup grated peccorino cheese

handful of breadcrumbs

Boil the pasta of your choice, We like "little ears" and while you're doing that, cook the veggies:

In the same skillet with the flavorful prosciutto grease, add the kale and 1/2 garlic. Cook on high for about 5 minutes, until wilted. Add liberal amounts of black pepper and a dash of salt along the way. Once cooked, remove kale and add cauliflower and a bit more oil. Then add the rest of your minced garlic as well as more salt and pepper and 1 1/2 tbs of curry powder. Cook cauliflower until it is tender, maybe 5-10 minutes. If it's not softening up to your taste, add a bit of hot pasta water and cover for 2 minutes of so. This will steam the cauliflower nicely.

Once tender, add the cooked kale, lemon zest and another glug of olive oil. Add your cooked pasta and lemon juice and stir. While stirring, add the cheese, bread crumbs and crispy prosciutto. Give it a taste and season additionally if needed.

Dump it into a big bowl and serve it with a simple green salad drizzled with a tart dressing and big shards of peccorino.

Enjoy!

Heather

Similiar, but very different!

I experienced a bit of deja vu last night as I snapped a photo of dinner. Had I experienced this exact meal before?! No, but it did look strangely familiar to the meal we enjoyed on Tuesday night. :)

What can I say, Win and I eat lots of fresh greens and whole grains with an occasional piece of lean meat thrown on top. So yes, it did look the same, but after one bite all similiarities were washed away. Give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

Herb Grilled Chicken with Cilantro Couscous over Arugula Salad with Feta and Walnuts

Cilantro Couscous

1 cup water

1 cup whole wheat couscous

Boil water, add couscous, turn off. Cover and rest for 5 minutes. Fluff and pour into bowl.

In Cuisinart or handy chopper combine:

Zest and juice from 1 lemon

3-4 glugs of Olive oil

Cilantro (or parsley, if you don't care for the taste of cilantro?!) - 1 generous handful minced in Cuisinart

1/4 cup of shredded parmesan or romano cheese

S & P to taste (We like lots of pepper)

Whiz until it resembles pesto. Add to fluffed couscous. Combine and set aside. If it looks a little dry, just add more oil. The longer it sits, the better it is!

Herb Chicken

This isn't rocket science, so I'll keep it super short.

Chicken breast- boneless and skinless

Olive oil

Dried herbs of your choice

S & P

Grill in black iron skillet until done!

Arugula Salad with Feta & Walnuts

Well, here is another no-brainer! I will give you my go-to vinaigrette recipe just in case you're thinking of pulling a bottle of store-bought dressing out of the frig. (Blasphemy.)

3 parts Olive or Canola oil

1 part acid (vinegar, citrus juice)

1 part dijon mustard

1 part honey

1 clove of garlic - crushed

S & P

Combine and throw over arugula. Add the walnuts and feta and you're good to go.

As can see from the photo, I piled everything on top of one another. If you're not into that, just plate it separately and serve! Oh, and right at the end, shave a little more parmesan or romano cheese over the chicken for a little extra punch.

Enjoy,

Heather

Green is good

Yikes, it's been miserably hot out there for days, and I for one am OVER IT! Yesterday's heat zapped me of all of my normal "nervous energy", so the idea of heating up the kitchen with a labor-intensive meal was out of the question. With that said, I pulled together a quick meal that was packed with big flavor and big nutrition. Let's eat!

Grilled Pork with Garlic Kale and Basmati Brown Rice Salad

I don't know about you, but I LOVE KALE! As I write this, I'm thinking about my leftovers in the fridge. Yummmmm. Anyway, here goes:

Basmati Brown Rice Salad

*Cooking brown rice can be a real pain, but if you soak it for 30 minutes while you're prepping the pork and kale, it's a breeze.

1 1/2 cups Basmati Brown Rice

3 cups water

Soak for 30 minutes and then boil for 30 minutes. Strain, rinse and dump into bowl with:

Olive oil, a glug or two

Juice of 1 lemon or lime

Big handful of fresh basil, ripped into small bits (Thanks, Molly!)

S & P, to taste

Kale

1 bunch of kale, cleaned and ripped into small pieces

Garlic- minced, 3 cloves or so

Olive oil, glug or two

S & P, to taste

In a hot black iron skillet, throw in the garlic, kale and then olive oil. Stir fry on HIGH for about 3-5 minutes. DO NOT OVERCOOK!!! *The kale should not resemble the mushy,overcooked greens of your childhood. It should be bright green with a bit of texture!

Once the kale is done and out of the skillet, throw the marinated pork in!

Pork

*We don't eat a lot of meat, so feel free to adjust the amount accordingly!

2 Pork chops-boneless and pounded thin

Marinate for a few minutes in:

Olive oil

Cajun seasoning, such as Tony Chachere's

Herbs de Provence

Black pepper

Grill pork in same black iron skillet. If you pounded them thin like I did, they should only need 1 minute or so on each side. Slice into thin strips before serving.

Tower everything in a pretty bowl and enjoy!

Heather