Cod Cakes

I have some cod in the freezer that needs to be used.  Tired of making the same old sauteed/grilled fish recipes and since ‘tis the season for crab cakes in Baltimore, I wondered…

Could I use cod in place of crab?

Now, I’ve never made crab cakes before…nor, have I ever tried a fish cake other than a crab cake.  Does a fish stick count??

So, I began my internet journey of trying to find a crab cake recipe that I could adapt for my healthy blog; then insert cod.  I scoured the internet and was able to find enough recipes that I got the gist of what to do.  Haven't tried this one yet but I think the recipe is solid and plan to do so in the next few weeks.  In the meantime, feel free to try it out and post comments!

Cod Cakes (Serves 2)

Ingredients:

- 2 pieces of cod, lightly seared in a pan and flaked (I used frozen, vacuum-sealed cod for this recipe)
- ½ egg, beaten

- 1 tbsp reduced-fat mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs (plain would be best, but I used Italian because it was all I had in the house)

- 2 tbsp finely chopped onion

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- Few dashes Worcestershire sauce
- Few squeezes lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard

- 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- Freshly cracked salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

- Preheat oven to 400F

- Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

- In a bowl, whisk together beaten egg, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, mustard, Old Bay, salt and pepper.

- Add onion, garlic and bread crumbs; stir

- Gently fold in the flaked cod so as not to break up chunks

- Form into 2 even patties

- Bake for about 10 minutes until bottom is golden brown

- Flip and do the same on the other side (less than 10 minutes on second side)

Top with hot sauce, ketchup, cocktail sauce or just plain lemon juice.

Enjoy!

Apricot Dijon Chicken

Mmm, mustard.  Spicy, brown, grainy, or even neon yellow, I LOVE mustard.  During our holiday trip to France, I was delighted to see that mustard always had a place in the middle of every lunch and dinner table.  I had never really taken the time to sample all of the varieties of mustard to the extent that I did in France, and I was really excited to bring those flavors to my cooking in the US.

Random fact: I ate yellow mustard packets as a kid...all by themselves.  True story.  My mom used to joke and say "we don't feed her".  Thus began my love for all things mustard.

Anyway, our obscene use of mustard got me wondering how I can incorporate it into actual recipes instead of just using it in its natural state.  Mustard and jam are a classic combination for marinades, so I thought apricot was a good place to start this journey.  Plus, it can be grilled…which is always a winning method of cooking in our house.  Planning to make this one soon and I think it's really going to be a hit in our house!

Apricot Dijon Chicken (Serves 2)

Ingredients:

- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

- 1 tsp canola oil

- 1 cup apricot preserves (or any flavor you like)

- 1 cup Dijon mustard (we use the spicy French kind)

- 2 cloves of garlic, minced

- Freshly cracked salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

- Tenderize chicken with a poultry/meat tenderizer

- Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper

- In a bowl, mix ½ of the apricot preserves, ½ of the Dijon mustard, all of the canola oil and all of the minced garlic- this will be the marinade for the chicken

- In a separate bowl, mix just the other half of the apricot preserves and the Dijon mustard- this will be for dipping once the chicken is cooked

- In a large resealable freezer bag, put chicken, and preserve/mustard mixture

- Massage the marinade into the chicken really well (why else did we tenderize it?)

- Refrigerate for a few hours

When you’re ready to serve:

- Heat outdoor grill (this also works well on a grill pan indoors if the weather is bad)

- Take chicken out of bag but do not discard marinade- you will use it for basting

- Place chicken on grill; turn once when chicken releases easily from grill (about 6 minutes on each side)

- Baste chicken liberally with remaining marinade from bag on both sides while grilling

- Serve with the plain apricot/Dijon mixture that was set aside earlier for dipping

Maybe serve with rosemary potatoes?  I’ll have to make up a recipe for those soon!  Have to figure out some way to use the rosemary that’s overflowing out of the pot in my kitchen!

Salsa Chicken

Mexican food is one of my all-time favorites.  However, it doesn't always get high points in the health department.  Since chicken is so versatile and popular, I thought I would experiment with a few things I know go together.  I forgot to take pictures this time but will be sure to post some the next time I make it.

Salsa Chicken (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in 1” strips

1 cup fresh salsa (I use the one in the produce section because it tastes fresher than jarred)

1 tsbp olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Freshly cracked salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

- Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper

- Put 1/2 cup of the salsa in a small food processor

- In a large resealable freezer bag, put chicken, olive oil and the processed salsa

- Massage chicken so that it is covered with the salsa mixture; place in fridge for a few hours

When you’re ready to serve… beware, this recipe is quick, so grill the chicken last!

- Heat outdoor grill (this also works well on a grill pan indoors if the weather is bad)

- Place chicken on grill; turn once when chicken releases easily from grill

- Top with remainder of salsa on plate before serving

Serve with:

More salsa

Low-fat sour cream

Guacamole (good fat!)

Diced onions

Baked tortilla chips (I don't like them as much as regular ones, so you could opt for just a few multi-grain ones instead)

Side suggestions:

Grilled corn on the cob

Mexicorn

Vegetarian or low-fat baked beans (Cowboy baked beans are one of my favorites; will post recipe soon!)

Three-bean salad (recipe to come!)

Basic Frittata Recipe

Aahhh, the incredible, versatile egg....

In my opinion, eggs have gotten a bap rep for far too long.  As long as you don't gorge yourself on yolks, they're actually really good for you.  Packed with protein and basically a blank canvas for both savory and sweet dishes, eggs are a staple in my diet.

I call this a cheater recipe because you don't have to babysit it and it's basically always delicious.  Seems to be a theme running through my blog but hey, it works for me.

Frittatas are Spanish by origin, but they're a perfect way to turn just about any leftover veggies, meats and cheeses you have lying around into a delicious and healthy meal option.  It's kind of like using up leftovers to make soup: never quite the same twice but always delicious.

For this particular frittata, I added some torn bits of munster cheese and my brocolli slaw recipe.

Ingredients (serves 4):
- 5 eggs, beaten
- Entire broccoli slaw recipe, prepared (can be warm or cold out of the fridge; just  be sure to temper the eggs)
- 1/3 cup shredded/torn/grated cheese (reduced-fat if you have it)

*I also threw in a little bit of leftover chopped spinach that I had sitting in the fridge...which my honey hates, but I absolutely love.  Here I am sneaking it into things like he's a little kid but luckily, he doesn't mind it in this recipe

Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 360F
- Spray pan with nonstick cooking spray (I used a 9" pie pan but you can use any oven-safe dish, or even make individual dishes for each person)
- Beat eggs with a whisk or fork until fully incorporated
- Mix broccoli slaw and cheese into eggs
- Pour into pan and put into oven
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the eggs are set in the middle

The crust on the outside of this frittata is out of this world.  It almost tastes buttery, although there is no butter in the recipe.

This is a perfect item for any meal period, served with a simple French green salad.  We have certainly eaten this for dinner a time or two.  Experiment with this recipe and make it your own!

Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

So, I usually plan what I'm making for dinner by walking around in the supermarket, looking for inspiration.  And by inspiration, I mean good deals on ripe produce (when is the farmer's market coming back again so I can get real produce??).  I know that's a little backwards from how most people plan their weekly meals, but that's just how I've always done it.  This week, mushrooms were on special and I had plenty of chicken breasts taking up space in my crowded freezer...thus, this recipe was born.

Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

For the Chicken:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp poultry seasoning
Freshly cracked pepper, garlic salt and poultry seasoning

For the Sauce:
1 tsp oil (only add this if the pan looks too dry)
1/3 cup chopped vidalia onion (you could also use shallot)
1 package mushrooms, washed and sliced
1 cup white wine (use what you like and always pour a glass for the chef for ‘quality control’ purposes! - I used pinot grigio)
1 cup chicken broth (homemade is the best but if you don't have time, low-sodium, fat free stock in a carton will do just fine)
1 tsp all-purpose flour (I used 2 and the sauced thickened too quickly, so next time, I will only use half the amount)
1 tbsp parsley, chopped very fine (I only had dried lying around, so I used that and it worked well)
Freshly cracked sea salt and pepper to taste
*Garlic would have been a great idea in this recipe but I didn't have any in the house...note for next time!


Cooking the Chicken:
- Season pounded chicken with poultry seasoning, garlic salt and pepper on both sides

- Add canola oil to a large nonstick pan and heat over high heat
- Sautee chicken for about 1.5-2 minutes on each side or until brown on the outside and cooked through (it happens fast; do not overcook!)

- Wrap cooked chicken with foil so that the juices can redistribute and it stays warm


Now for the Sauce:
*In a measuring cup, stir together chicken broth and flour until flour is dissolved; set aside
- Use the same pan that you used to cook the chicken and do not rinse! Leave heat on medium-high
- Add onion and mushrooms to pan, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until brown

- Add wine and parsley; boil until almost completely dissolved
- Add chicken broth slurry and cook until the mixture thickens

- Pour sauce over chicken and serve! It got two thumbs up and the seal of deliciousness to go up on the blog!

I served this recipe with roasted carrots to add move vegetable goodness without resorting to a starch.