Crab Cakes

Crab cakes hold a special place in my heart - or should I say stomach. I equate crab cakes to relaxing nights out and new adventures together as a couple. It seems like nearly every time that David & I have gone to a new restaurant that has these on the menu, I'm compelled to try them out on my endless hunt for the perfect and best crab cake. Many have left me disappointed, and some have made it to the favorites list. Tonight - I tried them out at home.

However, crab cake ingredients contain our arch nemesis - the dreaded mayo.

An interesting fact about our home - I don't believe our fridge has ever contained a jar of mayonnaise. Perhaps this is one of the things that keeps us together - is our joined dislike of the white gooey stuff. I have slightly more tolerance than my counterpart, but I was determined to make a crab cake that did not contain any mayo what-so-ever. I'm not ignorant to the fact that all of those other delicious cakes I had previously enjoyed did indeed contain the mayo, but I was bound and determined to have delicious results while searching for an alternative.

I'm proud to say that tonight's date-night-dinner turned out fantastic! From some searching throughout the food blog world, I found a recipe which sounded like a perfect starting point - not too much filling and lighter in calories.

*This made 2 large dinner sized crab cakes - could possibly make 6 smaller appetizer sized ones also.

• 12 oz lump crab (I found pre-picked meat that was in the cooler section)
• heaping 1/2 cup of crushed reduced fat Ritz crackers (next time I will use slightly more crackers)
• 1 whole egg plus 1 egg white, beaten
• 1 finely sliced green onion
• 2 tbsp finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 heaping tbsp of plain yogurt
• 2 tbsp of chopped fresh cilantro
• juice from 1/2 lime

In order to keep the crab as lumpy as possible, I folded the ingredients in a large bowl in with the crab meat. This avoided the shred factor.

I used a 1/2 cup measuring cup as the base to form these into a cake shaped patty and let chill in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. They could probably stand to be chilled for longer, but I was getting impatient.

I baked at 400 for 10 min on each side. Just a warning that these guys are pretty sticky. I placed them on a Pam-sprayed, aluminum foil lined baking sheet and still had to to pry them off.

To really make the whole experience semi-authentic, I whipped up a remoulade-type topping in the food processor.

• Remainder of the 6 oz container of plain yogurt
• 2 tbsp roasted red pepper
• 2 tsp minced canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce
• 2 tsp of lime juice

The sauce gave the crab quite a kick and was an excellent compliment.

As these cakes were pretty large, a bit of salad was the perfect side. Overall, a fun date-night-in type of meal.

Edamame, Sweet Corn and Black Bean Burrittos

David created this delicious combo several months ago, and it was ingenious. I never would have thought to put soy beans inside of a tortilla accompanied by sweet corn. It goes without saying that this is better enjoyed with fresh, sliced right off the cob, sweet corn, but during these winter months we settle for the frozen stuff. Not as refreshing, but the texture combination is still there.

We use basmati rice for these burritos. Something about the longer and slightly softer grain of the rice pairs well with a burrito, but if you want to be fancy - its also the type of rice that Chiptole uses. I threw in a small handful of cilantro and a few spritzes of lime juice to the rice after it was finished cooking - also what Chiptole does. See a trend?

The combination of edamame and black beans provide enough protein so that you really don't miss any meat. We top ours with a sprinkle of monterey jack cheese. Just a quick note on the flavors: there are no additional spices added other than cilantro and a hint of lime to the rice. All of the flavor comes from the veggies & black beans. If that is not ok with you, dump hot sauce all over - as David does. I prefer mine pretty simple, but if you wanted to spice these up a bit, you could probably stir a little bit of taco seasoning in with the black beans when they are cooking.

After David made these for us the first time, we wondered why we hadn't thought of this combination before. Delicious!

Curry-Spiced Noodles

If you don't know by now, I *very much like* Asian noodle dishes, of nearly any variety. This month in my Cooking Light Magazine, a new vegetarian curry noodle dish popped out at me. The photo was too tantalizing to pass up.

The great thing about making food at home, is that you get to control the ingredients. I'm not one for super salty or super spicy, so rather than worry about how many preservatives and days worth of salt intake that I ingested at a restaurant, I've stocked my fridge and pantry with enough ingredients to fake my way through most stir-fry and noodle dishes.

Buying ingredients like fish sauce, peanut oil, sesame oils, etc, were a bit daunting at first. I always have an inner argument regarding the cost of a certain pantry item and how much I'll *really* use it before it expires or gets lost in the shuffle. I find that now that I have certain items, I throw them in on a whim - to experiment, to add different flavors, etc. My best advice however, if you don't think you'll use it twice within a 2 month period - and the cost is a bit daunting - you can most likely leave it out or find an equal substitute.

Ok, I have already talked waaay too much about non-dinner things.

Curry Noodles:

When I first saw this recipe, the ingredient list is a bit over-whelming, to say the least: 19 items. I was really quite thrilled that I already had the majority of the non-produce items in my pantry, so there was not too much purchasing involved.

The recipe called for Udon noodles, which are a Japanese wheat noodle. I struck out finding these in Fred's when I went earlier in the week, so I decided to use the leftovers of my pasta making excursion earlier in the week -I had frozen up some fresh spaghetti noodles. They were perfect to soak up the delicious sauce.

The ingredient list:

• 8 oz of Udon noodles (I used about a 1/3 lb of spaghetti) *not pictured
  
• 4 tsp of peanut oil *not pictured
  
• 2 carrots, julienned
• 1 each, red & green bell pepper sliced thinly
• 8 oz of shiitake mushrooms thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp chopped lemongrass
• 1/2 tbsp ginger
• 1 tbsp red curry paste
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp tumeric
• 2 heaping tablespoons of minced garlic
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• dash of salt
• 3 green onions
• 1/3 cup cilantro
• 1/4 cup cashews

Whew, sounds like a lot, looks like a lot, but every ingredient plays its own staring roll. I can't imagine leaving anything out.

• Cook noodles, and keep warm.
• Saute carrots in 1/2 of the peanut oil for about 2 minutes. Add in the bell peppers and saute for another 2 minutes. Set aside.
• Saute mushrooms with the remaining peanut oil for 2 minutes. Add the lemongrass, ginger, curry paste, cumin, tumeric, garlic, water, vegetable broth, soy sauce and dash of salt. Bring this mixture up to a boil and make sure to stir it all well or some of the dry spices will stick to the mushrooms. Let the mushroom/sauce mixture simmer for a minute or 2.
• 

• Add back the carrot/bell pepper mixture and toss in the cooked noodles.
  
• Throw in the green onions, cilantro and cashews.
• Enjoy!

The homemade noodles really soaked up the sauce and flavors and held up to the veggies quite well. Definitely will whip this one up again.

Turkey Burgers

I'm not the type to crave a big cheeseburger - my husband however, could probably eat big beefy burgers until the cows come home, and then perhaps eat those up too. I crave shrimp, he craves pizza and cheeseburgers. In an attempt to satisfy his appetite of burgers, I decided to whip up some turkey burgers tonight. Little did I know when whipping up this meal that I'd be eating solo (blazer game) - but that's ok - there's leftovers.

I know... turkey is not even as close to the satisfying taste of beef... but - it's the closest of a comprise as I could get myself to do.

Nothing too special about these burgers other than the following additions to the turkey:

• 1 lb ground turkey


• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs


• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
  


• 1 egg


• dash of garlic powder

• dash of Worcestershire


• dash of dried parsley (for color)

I divided the 1 lb of meat mixture into 4 equal patties and cooked stovetop as I did not want to drag out the Foreman grill.

You'll know they are done when golden brown and no longer springy.

Served on jalapeno kaiser rolls and topped with a slice of provolone, a pretty decent turkey burger - move over Red Robin - you can keep your 700 calories.

Homemade Lasagna

This lasagna is just about as homemade as I'll ever get, with exception of the sauce.  I don't think I'll ever reach the point where I make my own sausage or cheese, but the closest I could get tonight was making my own noodles.

For Christmas I received the wonderful gift of a pasta roller attachment set for my Kitchenaid, transforming this:

into this:

 into finally this tasty thing:

If you would have told me a year ago that I could and would be making my own pasta, I'd most likely have laughed and doubted the truth to the statement.  Now I laugh at myself, pasta isn't really all that intimidating.  Sure, I've been spoiled that I now have modern conveniences to assist in the pasta making, but its really all not that hard.  4 eggs, 3 1/2 cups of flour, pinch of salt, dash of water and some good old fashioned kneading.  Yes, in the long run its far more costly than the 1.29 for a box of lasagna noodles, but the taste cannot be beat.  You must try for yourself someday.  Pasta making has now made it to my list of things I would love to master before I die.  Each batch I learn something new.

Other than the noodles, this lasagna has the standard: red sauce, Italian sausage, ricotta, mozzarella and a portion with mushrooms, but the noodles made all the difference.  Definitely worth the extra time, but will most likely stay as a weekend meal.

Gnocchi with Shrimp, Asparagus and Pesto

If you are hosting a St. Patrick's Day dinner party - this meal would be a great one to make. This dish unfortunately doesn't photograph too well - but its one of those ugly ducklings. 

In the mix:

• 1 pkg gnocchi
• 1 lb shrimp
• 1 lb asparagus
• 1 batch of homemade pesto

If you have never made your own pesto before - its the worth the few minutes of extra effort.  There is something to be said about being able to control the flavors & oil content.  And of course, it helps to have a food processor to throw everything in.

*A little side topic - I am very much aware that I speak of my food processor as though it is a love affair. It's probably been the most used counter-top appliance that I own.  I use the thing for just about everything - salsa, hummus, pesto, shredding cheese, shredding cabbage...  If you don't own one - I highly recommend the investment - and no - KitchenAid did not pay me to write this.

Back on track: Pesto

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic
• ~4 teaspoons olive oil

Place all ingredients sans oil in processor, blend until smooth, while drizzling in oil until the mix reaches the desired consistency.

This dish is almost a one pot wonder - my favorite type of meal to make on a busy work day.

• Boil gnocchi for 4 minutes
• Remove gnocchi from water with slotted spoon
• Add shrimp & half-ed asparagus to the still boiling water for 3-4 minutes
• Drain, and add gnocchi to the shrimp & asparagus.
• Toss with pesto, and top with a hint of parmesan.

The pesto gives the gnocchi a creamy texture without feeling too heavy.  A quick meal, but unfortunately not too appealing to serve to company.  This guy goes in the repeat offender list when in a bind.

Garden Fresh Salad

We have to brag just a bit - this salad contains 90% home-grown veggies.  Green leaf lettuce, spinach, cucumber, and a neighbor gave us a couple of his tomatoes. I tried to sneak in a few posts - hoping that no one will notice that we haven't posted since August - eeks!  This salad was crafted back in September - with the bouty of our little garden.  Who would have thought that all 30 lettuce & spinach seeds that I planted would actually all grow?  Thus - resulting in quite a few salads like the one pictured above.

I would beg to differ that nothing tastes more satisfying than fresh, from the yard vegetables.  In our attempt to lighten up the dinner plate a little bit a salad was a refreshing change to a heavy meal.  This salad was packed full of spinach, green leaf lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, a handful of croutons and a splash of Annie's Organic Balsamic Vingarette. Annie's dressings are unfortunately a dollar or so more than regular dressings - but the short list of ingredients that I actually recognize is well worth the price. 

I can't wait until next summer and the variety of veggies we will have - we'll hopefully have an abundance of veggies that aren't just lettuce & spinach :)