Panko Crusted Salmon

My husband came home from work the other night with wild caught salmon from Alaska. He explained that one of his patients had gone on a fishing trip and decided to share the catch. He handed me a bag that contained vacuum packed servings of the beautiful salmon and I tried to keep from jumping up and down with excitement.
Salmon can get a little bit pricey sometimes, so I was more than grateful for this lovely gift.

I have been wanting to try this particular recipe for quite a while, but salmon has been too expensive. This recipe is so easy, but so delicious. A few ingredients really gave this salmon great flavor. You mix panko crumbs, lemon zest, fresh parsley, and a little salt and pepper and then brush the salmon with dijon mustard. The panko mixture is pressed onto the salmon and it is cooked for a few minutes in a little bit of hot oil. The salmon is than transferred to the oven where finishes cooking to perfection. My entire family loved this dish. It was soo good.

Panko Crusted Salmon from The Barefoot Contessa's How East Is That?
2/3 cup panko
2 tbsp. finely minced fresh parsley
1 tsp. lemon zest
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
3-4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
4 (6-8 oz.) salmon fillets, skin on
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
Lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. In a small bowl, combine the panko, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and toss with a fork until the crumbs are evenly coated; set aside.

Place the salmon fillets skin side down on a work surface. Generously brush the top of each fillet with the mustard and then season with salt and pepper. Press the panko mixture thickly on top of the mustard on each fillet to help the panko adhere.

Heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet. When the oil is hot, add the salmon fillets, skin side down, and sear for 3-4 minutes without turning to brown the skin.

Transfer the pan to the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes, until the salmon is almost cooked through and the panko is browned. Remove from the oven, cover with foil and let rest 5-10 minutes. Serve warm with fresh lemon wedges.

Eggplant Burgers with Homemade Tzatziki Sauce

Aggie shared this recipe on her Facebook page a few weeks ago and as soon as I saw the recipe, I knew I would be making these for dinner asap. I had picked a couple of eggplant from my garden the day before and couldn't wait to serve these up for dinner.

The burgers contain eggplant in 2 ways- steamed cubes and shredded. A few other ingredients are mixed in and then they are ready to cook.
They are topped with a delicious homemade tzatziki sauce and Aggie suggested serving them on toasted english muffins. I was happy to add a slice of homegrown tomato. Nothing beats a tomato from the garden!

These were a huge hit with my daughters. My 4-year old gobbled hers down and was the first one finished. My son was not a huge fan, but he doesn't really care for eggplant in any way. He still finished his though. I was glad that there was one burger leftover for me to have for lunch the next day!

Here is the recipe for Eggplant Burgers

Here is the recipe for Tzatziki Sauce

"Cooking School" Zucchini Oven Chips

I have made zucchini fries many, many times, but they always seem to disappear before I can take a photo of them. I don't really use an exact recipe but have used a few
different
ones for inspiration.

My daughter loves getting her hands in on the dipping when I make zucchini fries, so we decided to try the same idea in the form of a "chip" for our next cooking school experience. We have tons of zucchini to use and this was the perfect way to eat a few of them.

This recipe was a little bit different, in that it didn't use any egg to help "stick" the breadcrumbs, or in our case panko crumbs to the zucchini. The cheese that is added to the crumb mixture helps the coating stick when it bakes in the oven.

My kids absolutely loved making and eating these. I don't know any child that wouldn't love getting their hands "dirty" while dipping slices of zucchini in milk and breadcrumbs and then arranging them on a cooking sheet and waiting for them to crisp in the oven.
It was fun and yummy!

Here is the recipe for Zucchini Oven Chips from Cooking Light
* I used Italian seasoned Panko crumbs
* We used pizza sauce for dipping

Eggplant Parmesan

When I bought a couple of eggplants a few weeks ago, it wasn't because I had anything specific in mind that I wanted to make with them. It was because they were for a great price and I had no doubt at all that I would use them.

I was flipping through Cooking Light and saw that one of the best recipes from that particular issue was for Eggplant Parmesan. I didn't follow the recipe completely, as they had it turned into a casserole of sorts-I just used their coating and baking instructions.
I decided to top our eggplant with provolone cheese, served it over red quinoa and used some bottled marinara sauce to bring it all together.

My oldest son was a little bit wary of this dish, but I told him it would taste just like chicken. He tried it and concluded on his own that it did taste like chicken!

We really enjoyed this lightened version of a classic dish. It was good!
Recipe for Eggplant Parmesan
* I only followed the recipe for steps 1 & 2
* I added some Italian seasoning to my panko coating
* I topped each slice of eggplant parmesan with 1/2 slice of provolone cheese and then put it back in the oven until the cheese was melted

Quinoa Cakes with Ham, Onion, and Chard

I saw this recipe in Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine and knew I had to make it as soon as possible.
It combines two of my favorite ingredients- quinoa and swiss chard.
I didn't really follow the recipe.
The recipe wanted caramelized onions, but I don't really care for those, so I kinda just did my own thing with the swiss chard and ham.
I followed the recipe for the quinoa cakes though.

I used Ellie Krieger's technique for making the ham crispy that I first discovered when I made her Cobb Salad. Basically, you slice the ham and cook it in a hot skillet, coated with cooking spray until it gets nice and crispy- it only takes a couple of minutes.

I cooked my swiss chard like this- making sure to keep all the beautiful stems in there, since they get nice and tender and yummy.

The final outcome was a really delicious dish.
You can leave off the ham pieces and make sure you cook the quinoa in vegetable broth and it makes a really great vegetarian dish.
Either way- this was a great success.
Really pretty with the chard and really tasty too.
You can find the original recipe by following the link below
Recipe for Quinoa Cakes with Ham, Onion, and Chard

Crispy Tofu with Green Vegetable Stir-fry

As soon as I saw the photo for this recipe in a recent issue of Family Fun Magazine, I ripped it out.
This looked like it could be the one. The recipe that would get certain members of my family excited about tofu. (I won't mention any names, but one of them is not a child- that pretty much gives it away, doesn't it?)
Ok, maybe excited isn't the right word to use there.
Acceptance is what I was going for.

Here you have small tofu cubes that are marinated, breaded, and deliciously crispy.
This recipe is a bit more time intensive than the one I posted last week, but it is also one that I would make again.
The stir-fry is great, the tofu is delicious and my family really loved it.

The tofu cubes are flavorful and crispy-the panko breading is perfect.
The recipe suggested serving this over rice, but we don't eat alot of rice and I had some whole wheat angel hair pasta, so I served the stir-fry over noodles instead.
The recipe also suggested using any combination of green vegetables that you like, such as: asparagus, fresh green beans, broccoli, sugar snap peas, snow peas, and/or zucchini.
I used all of the above, except for the sugar snap peas and snow peas.

My daughter (the one that loves tofu), even ate some of the leftover cubes as a snack the next day. Cold, out of the refrigerator.

I'm just saying....


Crispy Tofu with Green Veggie Stir-Fry adapted from Family Fun Magazine
Ingredients
For the tofu:
1 14 oz package extra firm tofu
2 Tbls soy sauce
1 tsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp sugar
3/4 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs found in the ethnic food aisle of supermarkets)
1/3 cup canola oil (I used 2 Tbls and cooking spray)

1- Drain the tofu, then press it with paper towels to remove excess water. Cut into cubes.
2. Combine the soy sauce, lime juice, and sugar in a 8-inch square baking dish. Add the tofu cubes and turn them to coat all sides. Set the cubes aside to marinate for 30 minutes, turning them once halfway through.
3. For dredging, make an assembly line of three small dishes: the first containing the cornstarch; the second, the egg; and the third, the panko. Toss each tofu cube lightly in each dish, in the order listed. Set the cubes aside on a plate until all are coated.
4. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and heat the oven to 200 degrees F. Heat a 10 to 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, then the tofu cubes to the pan. Fry them on one side until golden and crisp, then continue cooking until all sides are golden, using tongs to turn them, about 6 minutes total. Transfer the cubes to the paper towel-lined baking sheet and place it in the oven to keep the tofu warm.

For the stir-fry sauce:
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 1/4 teaspoons cornstarch
2 Tbls oyster sauce
1 Tbls soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1. Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

For the stir-fry:
1 Tbls canola oil
1 small bunch scallions
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
4 cups cut up vegetables to stir-fry(I used broccoli, asparagus, zucchini and fresh green beans)
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds ( I totally forgot about these)

1. Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add the oil, then the scallions and ginger. Stir-fry until they're just fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the vegetables and stir-fry until they're crisp tender, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the garlic and the sauce, stir-frying the mixture until it's bubbling, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Serve stir-fry with rice or noodles and top with 12 cubes of tofu, per serving. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

One Year Ago-Red Lentil Soup-2 ways and Bundles of Joy with homemade Pear Butter

Tilapia Fish Sticks, Millet Pilaf, and Kale Chips

I have been reading lots of books about how to make your kids healthy lunches, how to feed your family better dinners, and books on eating locally and learning more about where our food comes from. All 3 of these recipes came from The Dinner Diaries: Raising Whole Wheat Kids in a White Bread World by Besty Block, check out here website HERE. She wrote about her experiences of trying to feed her family more healthily. Luckily, for me, my kids and husband love fish, so this was just a fun way to serve it. I finally used the last of that huge box of tilapia from the freezer, so the next fish recipe will be a different kind of fish. The kids loved these fish sticks and I felt good about serving them.
The millet was delicious as well. I had to drive 40 minutes to find it at a health food store, but it as cheap. I thought I had died and gone to heaven in that store. I was surrounded by quinoa, red lentils, couscous, blue cornmeal, etc. Keep an eye out for a fabulous red lentil soup coming up soon. I threw some fresh green beans into the pilaf just because I had them and they needed to be used.
Now, the Kale. This might just be the most delicious veggie ever. Spraying the kale with cooking spray and sprinkling it with salt and pepper and then letting it get crispy in the oven. I let it get really crispy and lucky I had bought 2 bunches of kale, because this was gone in a flash! I don't really like potato chips, but that is how crunchy it was and kinda salty, yum! I am going to make it once a week, just because that is how much I like it!




Crunchy Oven Baked Fish Sticks from The Dinner Dairies by Betsy Block, adapted from a KidSafe Seafood website recipe by Sara Moulton
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp paprika
2 cups panko bread crumbs
1 cup low-fat milk
dipping sauce (recipe follows)


Preheat oven to 425 F.
Spray a cooking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine flour, salt, garlic powder, and paprika in a shallow bowl and mix well. Put milk in a second shallow bowl, and panko crumbs in a third.

Cut the fillets into strips or fingers, then rinse them under cold water. Dry with a paper towel and dip each piece in the flour mixture to coat on all sides, shaking off the excess. Next, dip the pieces in the milk, and then in the breadcrumbs, coating well.
Arrange fish on cooking sheet in a single layer. Bake on the middle shelf of oven for 20 to 25 minutes, turning them halfway through. Season with salt and serve with dipping sauce.


Dipping Sauce
Makes about ½ cup
¼ cup fat free mayonnaise
¼ cup ketchup
2 Tbs finely chopped dill pickle
1 tsp pickle juice
½ tsp fresh lemon juice


Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth. Add salt to taste



Millet Pilaf taken from The Dinner Diaries, adapted from Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons

1 Tbls olive oil

1 cup minced onions

1 cup hulled millet

1 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

3 cups chicken stock, plus more as needed

kernels from 2 ears of corn or 1 1/3 cup frozen

1 cup fresh green beans

1 tsp grated orange rind

1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned

2 Tbls chopped chives or scallions



In a heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the millet, coriander, and cardamom, and saute for another minute or two, stirring constantly. Add the salt, pepper, and stock. Bring to a boil over high heat; then cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the corn, green beans, and orange rind. Stir well, cover and continue cooking for 5 more minutes.

Stir the tomatoes into the millet. Taste for seasoning and then spoon onto plates. Garnish with chives or scallions.



Kale Chips from The Dinner Diaries, adapted from Mollie Katzen's Vegetable Heaven

1 head curly kale

canola oil cooking spray

salt and pepper



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Wash and dry the kale and then chop or tear it into medium-size pieces. Spread it out onto a nonstick baking sheet. Spray the kale lightly with oil, and then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until light and crunchy (check every few minutes and give the pan a little shake to avoid burning.