Salmon-and-dill and zucchini fritter burger

The salmon patties in this post were inspired by this recipe. I made a couple of tweaks, substituting lime for lemon, ginger for garlic and adding lots of fresh dill. I also swapped out the avocado topping for zucchini fritters. Fish burgers are lean but they can be on the dry side, so the crispy-on-the-outside-moist-on-the-inside fritters and spicy aioli were terrific accompaniments. 

They cooked well in a skillet but I can't wait to try them again on the BBQ come summertime. 

xx

To make the salmon patties:

Start with 1 lb cooked wild salmon fillet. Cut off 1/4 of the salmon, finely chop by hand and set aside. Place the rest of the salmon in the food processor and pulse until slightly gluey.

De-core and finely dice 1 yellow pepper. 

Finely slice 2 stalks green onion. 

Chop 1/3 cup fresh dill. 

Peel and grate 1T ginger.

In a mixing bowl, combine all the salmon, pepper, green onion, ginger and dill. Add 6T Panko breadcrumbs, 1 lightly beaten egg, the juice of 1/2 lime, 1 tsp soya sauce and 1/4 tsp salt.

To make the zucchini fritters:

Using a food processor, grate 2 cups of zucchini. Sprinkle with salt and place in a colander for 10 minutes, then gently squeeze out excess liquid. In a mixing bowl, combine grated zucchini with 1/3 cup flour, 1 lightly beaten egg and 1/4 tsp pepper.  

In a large skillet, heat 1T oil over medium heat. Rather than shaping the fritters ahead of time, I packed them into round silicone molds for poached eggs. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes

To assemble:

Top one half of a toasted burger bun or English muffin with a salmon patty and a fritter. Add any kind of spicy aioli (I used a jalapeno-lime one available at Costco) and a small handful of fresh cilantro. 

Mexican everything salad

This recipe was a case of throwing together random ingredients from the fridge, with awesome results. The taste is similar to a loaded Taco, but lighter because of the high veggie ratio and lack of cheese. The 'dressing' takes the form of commercial pico de gallo and a can of refried beans. What could be easier?

I hadn't planned to blog about this dish and anyways, I was too busy chomping away and feeling pleased with myself to take a picture the day of. So this snap is from the next day when the greens were a little less perky.

Come summertime, if you find yourself with some leftover chicken, make this dish and spare yourself standing over a hot stove! This dish serves four.

xx

To make, wash and shred 1/4 head of green cabbage and 1/4 head of iceberg lettuce. 

Peel, de-core and dice 1 ripe avocado. 

De-core and dice 1 red or yellow pepper. 

Finely slice 1 small bunch of green onions. 

Steam 1 cup of green beans until tender-crisp, then cut into 1" pieces. 

Shred 1-1/2 cups cooked chicken (I used leftover roast chicken). 

Finely dice 4 Piri Piri peppers (or substitute 1 jalapeño pepper). 

Wash and chop 1/2 cup cilantro. 

Place cabbage, lettuce, avocado, pepper, green onion, green beans, chicken and Piri Piri peppers in a large mixing bowl. Toss with one can refried beans and 1 small container of pico de gallo. 

Before serving, add the juice of two limes and 1-1/2 cups crushed Tostitos. 

Pumpkin-cinnamon French toast with sautéed apples, cottage cheese and maple syrup

So this recipe reads like autumn. Yadda-yadda-yadda. I'm pregnant and ALL I was thinking about the freshly-tapped maple syrup I'd get to pour over top. Credit for the pumpkin French toast part of the recipe goes to Laura of lauraemphemera. My changes to the original were quite minor. This recipe serves 2-3 people. 

xx

To prepare the French toast:

In a mixing bowl, lightly beat 2 eggs. Add 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup pumpkin puree or pumpkin pie filling, 2T pumpkin spice latte syrup, 1T almond extract, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp cloves and 1/4 tsp allspice. 

Dunk thick slices of brioche bread into the egg mixture, then sauté in butter over medium heat for 2-3 minutes per side, until well-browned.

To prepare the apples:

Peel and core 3 apples, then cut into 1" pieces. Tart varieties like Granny Smith work well for sautéing. Heat 1T butter in a skillet over medium heat, then add the apples. Sprinkle a little brown sugar over the top, then cook for several minutes until starting to brown, turning regularly. If the apples aren't softening, you can cover them with a lid for a minute or two to build up steam. 

To assemble:

Spread cottage cheese over the toast and top with a generous scoop of sautéed apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon and drizzle with maple syrup.

We served this with turkey breakfast sausage sautéed with maple-caramelized onions on the side. The sweet and savoury fix carried us through the better part of the day.