Salmon Rice Salad

Where did this week go? I am back to work after having a week off for Spring Break so I have to again squeeze my blogging time in between family, home, my-time. Last week was more doing things that I put off during my busy weeks of working. Spent time with my in-laws who are down from Michigan. Of course it is during peak tourist season and spring break. We have to time it right if we want to do anything, after Easter it slows down and we can enjoy our beaches and restaurants again.

In the meanwhile we eat often at home (unless someone wants to take us out to eat) :) We usually have fish at least once a week, when I make salmon It's nice to make a little extra for bento box lunch. This recipe is a good way to use up those leftovers, and make for a nice healthy lunch. I used some left over salmon and saffron rice, added edemame because that is something I always have in the freezer, you can add what you like and have on hand.

Salmon and Rice Salad
2 olive oil (I used a garlic parmesan olive oil)
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 or 2 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh)
1 teaspoon dill (I used dried)
1/2 teaspoon garlic ginger paste
1 cup brown rice
1/2 cup or more cooked fresh salmon
1/2 teaspoon capers (rinsed)
1 carrot (shredded)
1/4 cup edamame (cooked and cooled)
sprinkle of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

In a small bowl whisk together the first 5 ingredients until smooth. In a larger bowl add the remaining ingredients and mix well, pour the dressing over the top and mix to coat everything. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.

Now if you have some other ingredients that you would like to add of course feel free, and if you like more dressing increase the amount! As a matter of fact all the amounts are adjustable!

I was first going to make it Thai inspired with fish sauce and red chili pepper, but since the salmon was cooked with dijon I decided to go that way with the dill and dijon.



The rice, salmon and veggies never looked so good. ;) and a little different from my regular fried rice I would normally do with leftover rice.

A parent of a student I was taking care of in the clinic gave me this bottle of olive oil from the store that she runs. I was thrilled when she brought this in to me when she came to pick up her sick child. That was so nice and unexpected of her. She is Indian and we always talk of Indian food and recipes when she comes in...so I think she knew I would appreciate the oil.

My husband doesn't care for cold salmon so I guess there is more for me! Unless someone cares to come over and join me by the pool for some lunch? Who knows what I'll put in it next time!

Tuna Anelletti Salad

A co worker from Albany New York was looking for some ring shaped pasta since she moved to Florida. I guess they used to get it up there all the time and make a tuna salad dish from it. Well I found some at an Italian deli that I like to go to and told her about it. She said it was close to what she would get, but a little larger. So I ended up using it myself.

The ingredients are all subject to taste and I rarely measure when making things like this, but I'll try to give some measurements.
1 can of solid white Albacore tuna
8 oz anelletti (ring shaped pasta)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup chopped olives (or capers) I used black olives
1 shallot chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
a few chopped chives, I had some garlic chives too
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
fresh parsley or cilantro chopped

Cook pasta per package directions, and set aside to cool. Prepare ingredients that needs to be chopped and place in a mixing bowl. Open and drain the tuna, then add to the bowl along with all the other ingredients and mix until combined. You can adjust the amount of mayo and yogurt to the way you like it. If you have any fresh herbs here is a great way to use them.

It looks better in person, but it makes a good lunch any time of year.


Add some grape tomatoes or dice up some from you garden...if you are one of those you are lucky enough to get them from the garden. It is nice to serve on a bed of lettuce too. Sometimes I like to add a little curry powder just to change things up.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burgers

Another meatless meal, not that we are trying to cut down on eating meat, we just enjoy many vegetarian meals. I try to incorporate many grains and veggies in our meals....even if I have to sneak it in there. We didn't eat these as burgers, but you could. Actually I couldn't find my can of organic black beans so I used pinto beans instead. I asked my daughter if she wanted me to make it with garbanzo beans or pinto beans an she chose garbanzo so I used pinto...haha just kidding. She wanted the pinto beans, but I think they were a little too soft for this recipe. They were good and full of flavor, they just might not work on a bun like the black bean patties would. I used Japanese sweet potato which is white flesh and slightly dry, but plenty sweet in my opinion.


Black Bean Patties

ingredients:
1/2 onion (I used shallots) chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
3 shiitake fresh mushrooms chopped (or baby bella)
1 handful fresh basil or cilantro
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon savory
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sriracha, or any hot sauce to your liking
1 can of black beans (I used pinto)
1/2 sweet potato diced and cooked (boiled)
3 tablespoons ricotta cheese (optional...I had some I wanted to use)
1/2 green chili (I used serrono chili)
1/2 cup panko bead crumbs (or cooked quinoa and oats)
1 egg slightly beaten
salt and pepper to taste

First saute onions mushrooms and garlic, in some olive oil. I used a food processor to make these, but I think it would work just as well...maybe even better if you just mash the potatoes and beans instead of pulsing in the processor.

I pulsed the onion, mushroom, garlic mix with the basil or cilantro, then added the beans...pulse a few times, then the potatoes and ricotta, pulse some more. Try not to over process...you can even leave some beans out if you'd like some left whole.

In a bowl whisk the egg, then mix in the remaining ingredients. Mix it all together and form into patties. If it seems too moist add some more crumbs until it holds together nicely.

Cook 6-7 minutes per side or you could bake them at 375 degree F oven for about 25 minutes until golden or browned the way you like it.
What I like about these is you can add so many different ingredients to adjust them for your family. Like you could add corn, bulgar or other grains, more hot spice or less, flax, sesame or other seeds...a little dijon or curry paste?
I like them a little moist, but then I don't eat them on a bun either...

..but they were good with some chipotle powder mixed with Greek yogurt. My daughter (the sour cream eater) said I really liked this sauce on these! My husband got home late and when I told him what I had made for dinner...he wasn't so sure about them, but he ate his fair share! Next time I will leave a little more texture in there and not use a food processor.

My husband finally brought the tall ladder home...so tall it's a little scary...

..so I could pick some mangoes, all the ones that were lower are already picked. The problem with this variety of mango is they don't change color when they are ripe, you pretty much have to squeeze to tell. Otherwise they sit in a bowl for a few days. Just when I was ready to make the climb...a storm rolled in with thunder....just where I wanted to be when the lightning came.
Funny these both were from that tree, I have quite a few large mangoes and many smaller ones too. I wonder why?

I have to figure out something to make with the mangoes...I usually just eat them! I'm not big on eating fruit with meat, but any ideas what I can do with all these mangoes?...and yes I've given many away and the squirrels are still eating too!

This is linked to My Sweet and Savory Meatless Mondays

Cuban Sandwich

Around here in SW Florida, Tampa and Miami as well you can get a Cuban sandwich (we call it a Cuban) most anywhere. It is so easy to find a good authentic, traditional Cuban, you really don't have to make it yourself...but as a food blogger and someone who likes to make it myself I did. When I was at the Sweetbay Supermarket they had some roasted pork on sale in the deli, so I picked some up along with a couple of loaves of Cuban bread.

The traditional Cuban is:

• a loaf of Cuban bread


• thin sliced roast pork


• thin sliced ham


• thin sliced swiss cheese


• sliced dill pickles

Some will use yellow mustard, but never use a panini press as a Cuban doesn't have grill marks, and is cut diagonally across... if you don't have a sandwich press you can use a brick wrapped in foil or...

..like I used a small baking stone (upside down on the sandwich) with a tiny skillet...get it?... "tiny skillet" I have to squeeze that in when I can, hehe!

You don't want the skillet too hot or it might burn or crisp too much, some use butter, but I didn't. You want the cheese just melted and the bread slightly hard or firm. A tip that I got from 3 Guys From Miami is to let the meat and cheese come to room temperature so the cheese melts perfectly and the meat is warm...especially for those who like a lot of meat.

I don't use a lot of meat on mine, so I won't rough up the roof of my mouth when eating it... I hate when that happens, it kind of ruins my day.

Don't tell anyone, but I used Genoa salami instead of ham (I'm not a ham fan) ...but I never claimed mine to be authentic....everything else though. I did use some organic yellow mustard, my daughter's favorite, that is all she has on her sandwiches no mayo for her.

My mangoes are getting the size they should be, but see how close the tree is to our pool screen, some will drop on top...

I happened to catch one (a squirrel) running down the screen....

...oh yes, with a mango in his mouth...grrrrr...the will leave the half eaten mangoes everywhere...

...but we didn't leave the Cuban half eaten, it was finished, every last crumb!

You all have a wonderful weekend!

Okonomiyaki - My first Attempt

Okay this is a fun thing to try over the weekend. As the title states this is my first attempt at making okonomiyaki, a savory pancake, also known as Japanese pizza. In Japan they have many restaurants that serve this and there are many ingredients and toppings that you can choose from...of course depending on what you like. I made it the way I would like it, but it's not as pretty as I'm sure you would get it in Japan.

Batter:

1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1/3 cup water or dashi(broth)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper

Whisk together ingredients to make the batter.



Filling:
1 1/2 cup cabbage - shredded
1 carrot - shredded
2 scallions - chopped
1 tsp ginger (grated) or 1 T pickled ginger
1/2 cup shrimp - small or chopped (I had frozen so I used that)
3/4 cup crab sticks - chopped


I didn't measure, I just dumped what looked like a good amount in the bowl.


Combine the filling and batter and lightly mix, not working it too much.



On a lightly oiled griddle over medium heat pour batter to about 1" thick. Cook about 5 minutes or until the edges crisp up a little. Now most recipes will call for a few slices of bacon to lay on top before you flip it, but I didn't have any on hand to do that...maybe next time. It looked nice and round...until I flipped it.



Gently flip it...probably best to use two flippers if you can. Cook the other side until center is stable and it becomes a nice golden brown on both sides. I slid it onto a plate like I would an omelet.

Top with:

tonkatsu sauce: which you can buy ready made in an Asian market or make your own...usually made with ketchup, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and sometimes onion juice, and mustard (that's the one I used) some will add sugar or corn starch to thicken it.( Or you could use oyster sauce, or worcestershire sauce)

Japanese mayonnaise: Kewpie mayo - I didn't try this because it was described as a little sweet, and I didn't want to pay the $5.99 for it until I knew what it tasted like. So Hellman's it was!



green nori flakes: or seaweed, I used a little furikake, my nori was it sheets used for sushi.



bonito flakes:


You can top with scallions, caramelized shallots or onions...or ...I don't know go crazy! What would you come up with to fill it or top it with?


The bacon would of been good on it if it crisped up when you lay it on top and flip it. I think the texture was a little heavy, or different than I am used to, but tasty. I think next time I will make small ones, and it would be neater looking and easier to flip when cooking.


...it was very filling...I tried to make it look pretty, but I didn't have any squeesy things to squeeze the sauce and mayo on with.


...again, good for a snack or meal, lunch or brunch!


...or next time I'll try this mix for Korean seafood pancake! The veggies look good in there!

Arepa Reina Pepiada ~ Arepa Sandwich with Chicken and Avocado

When we were on spring break I had time to play around with making arepa for breakfast. I have both kinds of masarepa flour, and like them both. I made some with both white and yellow, with and without oil or butter, stove top and baked or both. I will show you one version today, and I'll later post some of the other's. I also got my waffle iron out for the first time (not to make arepas though).

Arepas are a simple bread made from precooked corn flour, and is popular in Columbia, Venezuela, and the rest of Latin America. These corn cakes can be thick, thin, stuffed, topped or made into a sandwich. You can find them on the breakfast table in many Colombian homes. I won't go into the differences of the Colombian and Venezuelan arepas and who was the first to come up with them. I'll just show you one way to make them.


I have both the white and yellow corn masarepa, supposedly you have to have this flour to make an arepa. I found it in our local grocery store in the Latin foods section. If you can't find it in your store I'm sure a Latin market will carry it.

Simply mix 2 cups masarepa flour, 3 cups warm water, and a 2/4 tsp of salt. Mix until well absorbed and the dough is not sticky (I used my hands to mix and you can get a better feel of the dough. Let set for 5 - 10 minutes. Wet your hands before you start and form into a ball, then flatten into a patty, about 3" across and 3/4" thick, if it cracks add some water to smooth it out. Some recipes call for oil or butter, but I found you really don't need this.

Place the arepas on a griddle or skillet heated to medium - high heat. Cook on each side 5 -6 minutes until golden crust forms. Take them from pan and place in a 375 degree oven right on the rack, and bake 15-20 minutes, they will sound hollow when tapped.

(I made some small one for my bento box lunches)

The arepas Reina Pepiada: The Curvy Queen of Arepas was said to be named after a Venezuelan Beauty queen Susana Dujim - she was 1955 Miss World. For fun you might want to read more about this at Venezuelan food and drinks. This is my version of Arepa Reina Pepiada:

4 arepas
3/4 cup shredded cooked chicken
1 ripe avocado

1 shallot chopped
1 clove garlic (roasted and chopped)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1-2 tomatillos (roasted and diced - optional of course)
3-4 tablespoons mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste

I had some tomatillos so I thought I would use them, of course you can omit this. I roasted them and the garlic while the arepas were cooking/baking.

I put some lemon juice on the avocado slices just so they wouldn't turn brown. Shred or chop the chicken and cut everything in uniform size pieces, and mix together.

Slice the arepas in half or cut them almost all the way through so you can stuff them.

Fill them as full as you like...

Ahhh...the simple pleasure...enjoy them for breakfast or like we did with these for lunch

It is the 3rd Saturday time for Cultural Connections over at Our Krazy Kitchen, where I posted this recipe.