Herbed Salmon Croquettes

My in-laws gave me a gift certificate for my birthday and so over the Holiday break, I took the kids to Barnes & Noble to look at books. I picked up a giant stack of cookbooks, novels, and magazines and parked it in the kids section. Luckily for me, my kids like to look at books as much as I do. We spent a few hours there, but I waited to use my gift certificate, so I could think about what I wanted to get.

Before we went to the bookstore I was thinking about dinner and what I could make. I really needed to go get groceries, but decided to use what I had on hand to make dinner instead. I was thinking about making some sort of salmon patty because I had 2 pouches of salmon in my pantry. While at the bookstore I saw this recipe for Herbed Salmon Croquettes. My past experiences with Ellie Krieger's recipes gave me confidence and I knew they would be fabulous. I have her 2 other books and love them. I had everything on hand and I felt confident that I would be able to find the recipe online. Thankfully, I was able to look inside this book on Amazon and get the recipe.

These Salmon Croquettes were fabulous. My kids loved them. I just served them over a big salad of mixed greens and we devoured them. I wanted to try one of the sauces that Ellie recommend in her book to go with them, but didn't have the ingredients on hand. To my satisfaction the croquettes were flavorful enough to not need any sauce. I was so happy with this recipe and how it turned out, that I went back to the bookstore and used my gift certificate to get this cookbook (and maybe a Lego StarWars book for my son, since we were on a date :D )

Herbed Salmon Croquettes adapted from Comfort Food Fix by Ellie Krieger
2 slices whole wheat bread
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 5-ounce pouches skinless, boneless salmon, drained of any excess water
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 celery stalk, very finely diced
2 large egg whites
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
olive oil cooking spray

Put the bread in a food processor and process until fine crumbs are formed. There should be about 1 3/4 cups of crumbs.

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl combine 1 cup of the bread crumbs, the onion mixture, salmon, mustard, celery, egg whites, parsley, dill, salt and pepper, mixing well to combine. Form into eight 2 1/2-inch patties and gently press each patty in the remaining 3/4 cup bread crumbs.

Heat the remaining 4 teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the croquettes until browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Spray the tops with oil spray, flip.. and cook 3 minutes more, or until browned and warmed through.

Shaved Fennel Salad

Fennel is something that I am really beginning to love. I avoided it for many years because I knew that it had anise/black licorice flavor, but when I first tried it raw in a salad last year, I discovered that it is really delicious, and that the anise flavor is not very pronounced.

When my brother and sister were here we needed a quick salad to enjoy after church. This one fit the bill. Lots of yummy veggies and flavors and the only prep work is slicing a few things.
I added more arugula than the recipe called for, to make sure that this salad would last a couple of days.

It is delicious that day it is made, but it is so good a few days later. I topped it with some canned tuna a few days after my siblings went home and my kids loved it that way. I have made this salad 3 times in the past few weeks because it is so great in the summer time.


Here is the recipe for Shaved Fennel Salad from 101 Cookbooks
* I added some thinly sliced celery
* I used almonds instead of pine nuts
* I didn't measure my lemon juice or olive oil- I just adjusted it by taste
* I added more arugula than called for

Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake

My husband said that this should not have "cheesecake" in the recipe title, simply because it is not a typical dessert cheesecake. He also thinks that bread pudding needs to be renamed. I can't really change the name since I didn't create this recipe, but please note that this is indeed, a savory dish.

My sister and brother came to visit almost 2 weeks ago and so, I realized that their visit was a good chance to make a few things that might be better appreciated by adults. I still had tons of zucchini coming out of the garden and I thought this looked like a great way to use some of it (I used yellow squash too).

This is an interesting dish. It is hard to explain. The texture is not exactly smooth, but it isn't weird. The flavor is mostly ricotta, but the lemon zest really shines through. The dill is also really present and noticeable. A couple of us really liked this one and I am finding more and more recipes that I really want to try from this blog.

Here is the recipe for Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake from 101 Cookbooks
* I used skim ricotta
* I didn't drizzle mine with olive oil
* I used feta cheese to top mine

Spiced Turkey Burgers

So its been about 6 weeks since my Dad started my garden for me. I have been watering and weeding and watching in amazement as the veggies have grown so quickly. So many of my veggies are doing great and when I made these little burgers, we were able to use some of the green leaf lettuce from our own garden to make little wraps! So fun and exciting to harvest your own produce.

I don't know how I found this recipe, but I had a little feta in the fridge and these little patties can be made ahead, so they were the perfect thing to mix up before church and grill as soon as we walked in the door. I used my indoor grill and we were eating lunch within about 15 minutes.
These burgers were flavorful and juicy. I made them into smaller patties, so that we could have wrap them in lettuce leaves. Fun and delicious!


Here is the recipe for Spiced Turkey Burgers from Pinch My Salt
* I used fresh dill, fresh oregano, and fresh Italian parsley
* I omitted the olives
* I made 12 small patties instead of just 6

Snow Peas with Creamy Ranch Dressing

Here is another recipe from Eating Well magazine. There were just a lot of recipes in this issue I wanted to try!
They had a section about snow peas that had some different ideas about how to serve them.
I love finding new ways to eat vegetables, so I was excited about these recipes. I chose this recipe, which has you slice the snow peas into strips and then serve them with a creamy dressing, kind of like a salad.

I don't really like creamy dressings and typically either go with a homemade vinaigrette or lemon/lime juice to dress my salads. My husband and kids like Ranch dressing, but I really prefer homemade over anything bottled or packaged, so I thought I would try this dressing recipe.
I always have low-fat buttermilk in the fridge and happen to have some fat free mayo, so I had everything on hand for this dressing.
Since the snow peas were raw and the dressing was really easy to mix together, this whole dish was ready in a matter of minutes.
I loved the crunch of the snow peas with the creamy dressing. It was a really good combination.
The only problem was that I had a super spicy red onion! I didn't mind, but it was a little bit too hot for the kids. They still ate it, but had to remove the red onion pieces.

This would make a great side for a picnic or BBQ this summer!

Recipe for Snow Peas with Creamy Ranch Dressing

Salmon, Asparagus, and Orzo Salad with Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette

This was a dinner that I saw on myrecipes a couple of weeks ago and when I saw the source, Cooking Light- Fresh Food Fast, I realized it was a cookbook that I had on the shelf.
I don't remember this recipe sticking out to me when I was flipping through the book, but that day when I saw the recipe on the computer screen, it looked really good.

My family loves asparagus and salmon and my husband also recently confessed that he really likes orzo, so I knew this was going to be a successful dinner experience for all of us.

Everyone loved it, especially my husband- he asked for seconds and even had the leftovers in his lunch, so it will be put on the "make again" list.

I left out the red onion, since I don't love raw red onion in these types of dishes and added a 6 oz bag of baby spinach that I wilted.

This was exactly what the cookbook claimed- fresh and fast, not to mention very delicious.

Recipe for Salmon, Asparagus, and Orzo Salad with Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette
* I added 6 oz of wilted baby spinach

Recipe for Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette

Asparagus and Zucchini Frittata with Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

Here are a couple of recipes that I pulled out of magazines and threw together for a quick dinner the other night. The biscuits really were easy and fast and I was surprised at how much height they got. The frittata was also quick and delicious.
I think that dill goes really well with egg dishes and that was the main herb in this frittata. The great thing about a dish like a frittata is, you can use whatever veggies you have on hand and change up the cheese or herbs to make it a totally different dish. I love dinners like this that can be made quickly, are healthy and fill you up.

Asparagus and Zucchini Frittata

12 oz fresh or 1 10-oz pkg frozen asparagus

1 small yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped bottled roasted red peppers

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

8 eggs

1/2 cup skim milk

1 Tbls fresh dill or 1 tsp dried dill

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

2 Tbls all-purpose flour

3-4 Tbls finely shredded fresh Parmesan

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 2-qt rectangular baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.

2. If using fresh asparagus, trim woody bases. Cut into 1-inch pieces.

3. In a large saucepan, bring 1 inch water to a boil. Add asparagus, yellow pepper, zucchini and onion. Cover and simmer until just tender. Drain well. Stir in roasted peppers. Spread asparagus mixture evenly in baking dish and sprinkle with half of the mozzarella cheese.

4. Whisk together eggs, milk, dill, salt and pepper. Whisk in flour, making sure it is completely combined. Pour over vegetables on baking dish.

5. Bake, uncovered, about 35 minutes or until slightly puffed. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits from Cooking Light

A light hand with the dough will help to ensure tender biscuits. This method of folding the dough creates irresistible flaky layers. To maximize the number of biscuits you get from the recipe, gather the dough scraps after cutting and gently pat or reroll to a 3/4-inch thickness.

9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk

3 tablespoons honey

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Chill 10 minutes.
3. Combine buttermilk and honey, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist.
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 times. Roll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) 9 x 5–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds (as if folding a piece of paper to fit into an envelope). Reroll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) 9 x 5–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds; gently roll or pat to a 3/4-inch thickness. Cut dough with a 1 3/4-inch biscuit cutter to form 14 dough rounds. Place dough rounds, 1 inch apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan; cool 2 minutes on wire racks. Serve warm.




Up Next- Twd- Tartest Lemon Tart

Spaghetti Squash and Quinoa Bake

First of all, let me ask- How do you like my new look? I absolutely love it!
I have been wanting to change the look of my blog for awhile now, to make it more personal, but wasn't sure how to go about it. Then I saw a couple of really cute designs- Aggie's Kitchen got a lift, Engineer Baker got a new look, and I also noticed Clumbsy Cookie was looking spiffy. We all owe it to Hannah Craner over at Craner Design Studio .
Hannah is great to work with and super talented, as you can see. I sent her an email and she responded almost immediately. She envisioned exactly what I wanted and was finished within 2 weeks. The first draft that she sent me was so good (here it is), that I said I love it! And I do! So, if your blog needs a facelift or a little spice, contact Hannah and I am sure you will be pleased with her work. I know I am more than pleased.
Now on to the food. This might just be one of the tastiest things I have ever eaten. Alexa's blog, Artsy-Foodie is wonderful. I want to live at her house because everything she creates look so fabulously wonderful. I seriously want to make everything I see over there. Since I now know that I like winter squash of all types (Thank you Butternut Squash Risotto, I am forever in your debt), I couldn't resist trying her Spaghetti Squash and Quinoa Bake. A recent trip to the health food store meant I had a supply of quinoa and well, everything else is readily available. The only problem is the sun. It goes down too early and my pictures just don't do this dish justice! Go check out Alexa's POST, so you can see why I was so drawn to make this beautiful dinner. I used mostly red quinoa, and had so much fun cooking my spaghetti squash.
For instructions on how to cook the squash go HERE. I personally had fun poking my squash all over with a long skewer. The best thing about this bake is how wonderfully the flavors meld together. I loved it! The dill was the perfect herb to just top the whole thing off.
I am definitely going to be making this one again!

Spaghetti Squash and Quinoa Bake from Alexa of Artsy-Foodie
(serves 8) or 4 if you like it as much as we did!
4 cups of cooked spaghetti squash (1 large)
16oz lowfat cottage cheese
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon mild pepper, chopped fine ( I used a jalepeno, seeded and membranes removed)
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups cooked quinoa (for instructions on how to cook quinoa go Here)
1/2 cup egg whites
4 large eggs, beaten
1 cup shredded cheese (mexican blend)
2 teaspoon dry dill
Preheat oven 375F
Pre-oil a deep ceramic baking dish (large lasagna dish).
Heat the oil in a pan over medium flame. Add the pepper and onion. Saute, stirring often, until caramelized (about 10-15 minutes).
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Transfer to the pre-oiled dish and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or until the bake is set and the top is golden. If you would like to reduce the cooking time to an hour, use two deep pie dishes instead of the large lasagna dish.

Up next- Pecan-Topped Pumpkin Bread