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Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Adventure Week: Eat Your Veggies: Crispy Chopped Salad

About a cup of dried Cranberries
About a cup of Pepitas
1 small block of Feta Cheese cubed
3 Celery Stalks chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper diced
3 Green Onions chopped
about half a head of Red Cabbage sliced
1 head of Romain chopped
3 small Cucumbers chopped

 The Dressing:
1 Tablespoon of Honey
1 Tablespoon of Apricot Jam
1/2 Teaspoon of chili powder
Zest of 1 Lime
Juice of the Lime
1/3 Cup of Rice Wine Vinegar
1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
1/2 Cup of Vegetable Oil
(this dressing is based off of my chili honey lime glaze for the salmon)



Thursday, February 2, 2012

Cod Cakes with Black Bean Sauce with Spicy Aioli

So, I have a lot of food allergies.... shellfish being one of them and "The Big Chief" (my hubby) LOVVVEESSS crab cakes.  Anytime, we are at restaurant that serves them he orders them.  So, I made up this recipe with The Big Chief in mind. I call him that because he is the chief of the fire department in our town.  Chicks love guys that run into fires or at least that's what my friend's husband told me.  I guess he's right.  Anyhow, I also have a major hankering for Mexican flavors.  So, I was inspired to create this healthy little dish that is great paired with a lovely glass of white wine, and if you really wanna do things right add some fresh raspberries to your glass and enjoy some dark chocolate for dessert.

What you will need to make this dish:
White wine (Always chose a wine that you would drink. If you wouldn't put it in your glass to enjoy, don't put it in your pan)
1 pound of fresh Cod
Fresh Cilantro (2.5 cups chopped)
4 Green Onions chopped
Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Peppercorns
1 egg
Panko Bread Crumbs
1 lemon juiced
Butter
Black Beans 1 Can
2 baby bell peppers 1 yellow, 1 orange
1 poblano pepper
1 small onion
3 shallots
1 long hot frying pepper
Cayenne Pepper 1/2 tspn
Chili Powder 1/2 tspn
Garlic Salt
Kosher Salt
Apple Cider Vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 small can of Tomato sauce
1/2 Cup Half & Half
Mayonaise
Hot Sauce



Boil cod in salted water until the fish easily flakes. While you are cooking the cod, coarsely chop peppers, onion and shallots.  Sweat out the onion and shallots, place peppers in pan and continue to cook low and slow. Add Cayenne Pepper, Chili Powder, sprinkle with a mix of garlic salt and kosher salt to taste.  Keep in mind you are cooking these in olive oil.  Deglaze your pan with a small amount of apple cider vinegar.  This adds a bit of tang to your mixture as well.  Add drained beans to the pain and sauté for about 2 minutes then add small can of tomato sauce. Simmer for a few minutes then transfer into food processor add about a cup to a cup and a half of fresh chopped cilantro and continue to process until smooth, add about a half a cup of half and half.






Remove fish from water and flake with fork.  Make sure all bones are removed. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Add a cup of panko breadcrumbs, and one cup of chopped cilantro.  Mix ingredients. Add one egg as a binder.  Form small cakes and place in a fry pan with butter. Brown the cakes evenly on both sides.  Cooking at a med/low temp. Add lemon juice and a splash of white wine to the pan.

 Now place about two tablespoons of black bean sauce on a plate, set cod cake in the center, garnish with fresh cilantro and spicy aioli.
To make a quick spicy aioli ( I use it in many of my recipes)  Take 3 to 4 tablespoons of mayo and add them to the food processor, add about 1-2 teaspoons of your favorite hot sauce and about 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder.  As you are processing add a olive oil to create desired consistency.  The heat that you add depends on your taste so you can vary the amount of hot sauce and chili powder that you use.   Use a squeeze bottle to drizzle over your cakes.
The amount of black bean sauce that you will have left should be close to two cups.  Be sure to save the sauce.  I will have a great vegetarian recipe that uses up your black bean sauce for you tomorrow!