Crab Cakes

This recipe was adapted from Emalee Chapman's Fresh 15-minute meals. The original recipe was for crab cakes. This is an easy recipe and it makes a great dish.

Ingredients (makes 8 small crab cakes - serves 3-4)
2 6 oz can Crabmeat, drained
2 tsp lemon juice
1 egg
1/2 cup Breadcrumbs
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp Celery seed
1 tbsp flour
3 tbsp Olive oil (add more if needed)

Directions
1. Drain the crab meat and place in mixing bowl.  Add lemon or lime juice and eggs. Mix until well blended
2. Add breadcrumbs, salt and pepper (to taste) and celery seeds.  Mix to combine.
3. Form small patties (around 1 1/2 to 2" round). Sprinkle patties with flour on both sides.
4. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook 4 patties at a time. Cook approximately 3-4 minutes on the first side, and then 2-3 minutes on the other side.  Use more oil if needed.

Drain over paper towel and enjoy!

Chicken Casserole

We have been wanting to make healthy Chicken Pot Pie recipe.  That is coming someday.  In the meanwhile, I wanted to make a lighter version of the Steak Tips with Mushroom Gravy.  So this is kinda a second generation recipe from Cooking Light!  This new dish, called Chicken Casserole, is pretty healthy and is really quite good over noodles.  We definitely liked it - a great comfort food for a cold day.  I figure it will reheat very well for lunch.  This was definitely a very good meal and we will try it again.  It is a nice healthy alternative to the Cream of Mushroom based casseroles for sure.

Ingredients (Makes around 4 servings - perfectly served over noodles, rice or with mashed potatoes).

2 tbsp Olive oil, divided
2 Chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and cut into think strips
1/2 tsp black pepper, divided
1/2 tsp Kosher salt, divided
1 Onion (small), finely chopped
1 (8-ounce) package White or Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
2 cups Frozen peas and carrots (or mixed frozen vegetables)
2 tsp Garlic, chopped
2 tbsp Cooking sherry
4 tbsp Flour (all-purpose)
1/2 tsp Thyme (dried)
1/2 tsp Celery seeds
1 1/2 cups Beef broth

Directions (you are on your own for noodles, rice or potatoes)

1. Season the chicken with 1/4 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray and add steak. Sauté for around 7 minutes until it is browned on both sides. Remove chicken (with any juices) from pan and cover with foil to keep warm.
3. Heat remaining olive oil in the same pan over medium-high heat. Add chopped onions, mushrooms , and frozen peas and carrots (or vegetables) and sauté for 4-5 minutes.
4. Add garlic and cooking sherry and sauté for around 30 seconds (until mixed).
5. Sprinkle flour, thyme, celery seeds, and both the remaining pepper & kosher salt over mushroom mixture and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Then gradually add the chicken broth, stirring constantly. Bring the mushroom mix to a boil and cook 2-3 minutes or until thickened. Return chicken to pan and cook 1 minute longer.

Serve over noodles, rice or potatoes.

Enjoy!

Roasted Tilapia with Potatoes and Carrots

I have been playing with different Tilapia recipes at home.  I decided to go this route when I looked at what I could make without buying anything new.  I wanted to try something a bit different - and we love the way that the carrots taste when cooked.  This is a variation - but the carrots really give it a great taste.

Ingredients (Serves 4):
1 1/2 lbs Red-skinned potatoes, quartered
3/4 lbs Carrots, baby-cut, larger ones sliced in half lengthwise
1 lemon, thickly sliced
1 tsp Thyme leaves, dried
1/2 tsp Dill weed
3 tbsp Olive oil
1/2 tsp Kosher salt (or to taste), divided
1/2 tsp Black pepper (or to taste), divided
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted
4 Skinless tilapia fillets (about 1 lbs)
1/2 tsp Paprika


Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400° F.
2. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes, carrots, lemon, thyme, 1/2 tsp dill weed, 3 tablespoons oil, and 1/4 tsp each of kosher salt and black pepper. Arrange in a single layer.
3. Roast for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.
4. Then toss the olives with the potato mixture and move to the outside of the pan. Place the tilapia fillets in the center. Season the fish with the paprika and the remaining 1/4 tsp of kosher salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
5. Continue to roast for around 14 to 16 minutes - the fish will be opaque throughout.

Enjoy!

Autumn Salmon

This is a variation on my recipe for Roasted Tilapia Mediterranean that has been a regular in the family for a while.  I wanted to try this with carrots and I also wanted to come up with some new ways to cook salmon.  So smash them both together - and I have Autumn Salmon.   I loved the way this came out and will definitely make it again.

Ingredients (Serves 3-4):
12 oz Baby potatoes or fingerling potatoes, halved
8 oz Baby carrots
1/2 tsp Tarragon leaves, dried
1 tsp Dill weed, dried (divided)
2 tbsp Olive oil, plus some olive oil spray
1/2 tsp Kosher salt (or to taste, divided)
1/2 tsp Black pepper (or to taste, divided)
1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted
8 oz Green beans, trimmed
3-4 Skinless salmon fillets (about 1 lbs)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400° F.
2. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes, carrots, 2 tablespoons olive oil, tarragon, 1/2 tsp dill weed, and 1/4 tsp each of kosher salt and black pepper. Arrange in a single layer.  Roast for 18-20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.
3. Increase the oven to 425° F.
4. Then toss the olives and green beans with the potato & carrot mixture.  Move the vegetables to the outside of the pan. Place the salmon fillets in the opening.  Lightly spray the salmon with olive oil and then season the fish with the dill weed and the remaining 1/4 tsp of kosher salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
5. Continue to roast for around 15-16 minutes.

Enjoy!

One Pan Lemon Chicken with Green Beans

This was a double adaptation.  So it was adapted from my recipe for Rosemary Lemon Chicken with Mushrooms that was reworked from an old recipe that I had, that in turn was adapted from a great one from "Quick After-Work Italian Cooking" by Hilaire Walden; Fisher Books, 1995.  This is a really nice one pan dish that can be served over rice or noodles.

Ingredients
2 tbsp Olive oil
2 tsp Chopped garlic (or 2 cloves)
3 Chicken breasts, flattened and cut in half
1/2 tsp Kosher salt (adjust to to taste)
1/4 tsp Black pepper (adjust to to taste)
1 tbsp + 1 tsp Lemon juice
1 cup Chicken broth (low-sodium)
8 oz White mushrooms, stems removed and cut in half
8 oz Green beans, trimmed
1 tbsp dried Parsley
2 tsp dried Rosemary

Directions
1. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 1 minutes.
2. Season the chicken with kosher salt and pepper. Add chicken breasts to the pan and cook until lightly browned, around 4-5 minutes per side.
3. Add lemon juice, chicken broth, mushrooms, green beans, dried parsley, and dried rosemary to the pan. Mix gently.
4. Cover and cook for 13-15 more minutes (turning chicken from time to time).
5. Serve with juices over rice or pasta.

Enjoy!

Roasted Asparagus

This is a really nice side dish that is great for family dinner.  We all love asparagus and having lots of it for family meals is really needed.  So I love this because we can make a lot at one time.  This was adapted from the Cooking Light recipe for Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter.  We made this for Easter a LONG time ago and I am only getting it posted now.  Oh well - it is a great side and one will make again when we are entertaining.

Ingredients (around 6-8 servings)
2  bunches Asparagus, cut to around 4" from the tip.
Cooking spray
1/2 tsp Kosher salt (adjust to taste)
1/4 tsp Black pepper
3 tbsp Butter
3 tsp Soy sauce (Lower-sodium if you have it)
1 tsp Balsamic vinegar

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.  Arrange asparagus in a single layer on baking sheet.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Bake at 400° for 12-14 minutes or until tender.
3. In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.  Cook for 3 minutes, shaking pan occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. Drizzle over asparagus, tossing well to coat. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Oven Baked Chicken and Green Beans

I had some fun with the recipe for Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas and made something that goes great with two of my favorite vegetables, green beans and mushrooms.  We made this the other day and loved the way it came out.  I served this over rice and it was a really nice one dish meal.  It is very easy - and something that I will definitely make again.

Ingredients (serves 4)
1 1/2 tsp Chili powder, divided (adjust to taste)
1 1/2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Parsley, dried
1/2 tsp Coriander
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
1/2 tsp Oregano, dried
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper
Cooking spray (or olive oil spray)
3 Chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
1 lbs Green beans, trimmed
12 oz Mushrooms, stems removed and sliced in half

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, parsley, coriander, garlic powder, oregano, kosher salt, and black pepper.  Set aside.
3. Spray cooking spray or olive oil on the bottom of a 13×9 baking dish.
4. Place the chicken on the bottom of the pan and drizzle the olive oil on top.  Sprinkle all but 1 tsp of the spice mix atop the chicken.
4. Add the tomatoes (with liquid), green beans and mushrooms to the baking dish and stir to combine.  Sprinkle the remaining 1 tsp of spice mixture on top of the baking dish.
5. Bake uncovered for 32-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through

Enjoy!