Canned Salmon

I'm not a fan of Trader Joe's pink but there red (wild caught sockeye) is very good. It has skin and bones but is pretty solid and at $2.59 for a 7.5 oz. can is a very good value. I'm not a fan of the bones but they're easy to pick out. Being a middle age male calcium is not something I need or want in my diet.
The best skinless/boneless variety I've had so far is Wild Planet sockeye. Their pink variety is also boneless/skinless and cost about $1 less per can.

bumble bee skinless and boneless pink salmon
 
bumble bee prime fillet, in the gold can...the best, no bones or skin


the salmon that comes in a pouch - no bones or skin (Chicken of the Sea). The recipe for Salmon Cakes with Lemon Herb Sauce on their site is also very good.

Easy Salmon Cakes

From Eating Well - To boost your intake of omega-3s, try this simple favorite. It is a great way to use convenient canned (or leftover) salmon. The tangy dill sauce provides a tart balance.


3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
15 ounces canned salmon, drained, or 1 1/2 cups cooked salmon
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 3/4 cups fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs, (see Tip)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Creamy Dill Sauce, (recipe follows)
1 lemon, cut into wedges

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in parsley; remove from the heat.
3. Place salmon in a medium bowl. Flake apart with a fork; remove any bones and skin. Add egg and mustard; mix well. Add the onion mixture, breadcrumbs and pepper; mix well. Shape the mixture into 8 patties, about 2 1/2 inches wide.
4. Heat remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in the pan over medium heat. Add 4 patties and cook until the undersides are golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a wide spatula, turn them over onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining patties.
5. Bake the salmon cakes until golden on top and heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare Creamy Dill Sauce. Serve salmon cakes with sauce and lemon wedges.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 3. Cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.

• Tip: To make fresh breadcrumbs: Trim crusts from firm sandwich bread. Tear the bread into pieces and process in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. One slice makes about 1/3 cup.

Nutrition

Per serving: 324 calories; 10 g fat ( 1 g sat , 3 g mono ); 129 mg cholesterol; 21 g carbohydrates; 31 g protein; 7 g fiber; 585 mg sodium; 97 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: 27% dv fiber, 171 mg calcium (15% dv)

Creamy Dill Sauce

• 1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill, or parsley
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Chilaquiles Casserole

From EatingWell:  June/July 2006
This enchilada-style chilaquiles casserole is packed with nutritious beans and vegetables. Canned prepared enchilada sauce has great flavor and keeps the prep time quick. It can vary in heat level so find one that suits your taste. If you want to eliminate the heat altogether, try a green enchilada sauce (which is often milder than red) or substitute two 8-ounce cans of plain tomato sauce. 

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium zucchini, grated
1 19-ounce can black beans, rinsed
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 cups corn, frozen (thawed) or fresh
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 corn tortillas, quartered
1 19-ounce can mild red or green enchilada sauce

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in zucchini, beans, tomatoes, corn, cumin and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are heated through, about 3 minutes.
3. Scatter half the tortilla pieces in the pan. Top with half the vegetable mixture, half the enchilada sauce and half the cheese. Repeat with one more layer of tortillas, vegetables, sauce and cheese. Cover with foil.
4. Bake the casserole for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the casserole is bubbling around the edges and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes more.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 3 and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

Nutrition

Per serving: 243 calories; 10 g fat ( 5 g sat , 4 g mono ); 23 mg cholesterol; 30 g carbohydrates; 9 g protein; 5 g fiber; 338 mg sodium; 267 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (23% daily value), Fiber (22% dv).

Szechuan Tofu & Green Bean Stir-Fry

From EatingWell:  September/October 2010 This spicy vegetarian stir-fry is a great way to use green beans when they’re bountiful and inexpensive at the supermarket. You can also try it with other vegetables, such as broccoli or peppers, just make sure to cut them into small pieces so that they cook quickly. Coating the tofu in cornstarch before you cook it gives it a light crust.

4 servings, 1 1/2 cups each

• 1/2 cup water, divided
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons Chinkiang vinegar (see Note) or balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
• 1 14-ounce package extra-firm tofu, drained
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 4 cups green beans, trimmed and cut in half
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
  
  
  1. Whisk 1/4 cup water, soy sauce, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, crushed red pepper to taste and 1 teaspoon cornstarch in a small bowl. Set aside. Cut tofu into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes and pat dry. Toss the tofu in a bowl with the remaining 2 tablespoons cornstarch to coat.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and spread out across the surface of the pan. Let cook undisturbed for 2 minutes. Gently turn and stir. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.
  3. Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add green beans, garlic and ginger; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the remaining 1/4 cup water, cover and cook until the beans are crisp-tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir the reserved soy sauce mixture and pour it over the green beans. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 1 minute. Add the tofu and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 1 minute more.

Tips & Notes

• Ingredient note: Chinkiang is a dark, slightly sweet vinegar. It is available in many Asian specialty markets. If unavailable, balsamic vinegar is an acceptable substitute.

Nutrition

Per serving: 218 calories; 11 g fat ( 1 g sat , 6 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 20 g carbohydrates; 2 g added sugars; 12 g protein; 5 g fiber; 672 mg sodium; 364 mg potassium.

4 servings, 1 1/2 cups each

Limoncello

So, my first attempt at making Limoncello is half way through the process. I read through many, many recipes and reviews and settled on one that I thought I'd try.  Tough decisions: to use 100 proof,  grain alcohol, or everclear! I settled on 100 proof absolut.  Then, how much sugar to add to make the simple syrup. Heard too many people say that results were too sweet so I chose a 3/1 ratio of water/sugar.  Oh, and I added some of the juice from a lemon to get a more lemony flavor.  So many recommended using organic lemons, but the only ones I could find were in Stop and Shop and some in the bag were moldy. Ended up with lemons from Expect!

Today I add the simple syrup to the vodka/lemon blend, will let it "brew" for another few weeks and keep my fingers crossed.  Keep you posted!

1 750 bottle of 100 proof vodka (absolut)
10 lemons
6 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 large glass jar with stopper/tight lid

Use a vegetable peeler to remove the peels, being careful not to take any of the white pith. Add to large glass jar. Pour vodka over peels and store in cool, dark place (winter has it's advantages!) Swirl the mixture often. After the lemon oils have done their thing, strain liquid.  Boil the water, add sugar and simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved. Cool completely. Add to strained liquid. Put this into the glass jar and store again in a cool, dark place. After 3 weeks (longer if you can) pour into smaller bottles and store in freezer.

Pierogi

courtesy of Carol Aylward

see Pinterest (Christmas board) for my preferred potato and cabbage fillings.  Also KA flour site comments had some good ones. KA dough recipe is similar - 2 C flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 whole egg, 1/2 c sour cream, 4T butter.  Old school Polish cooks swear they never heard of using sour cream or butter. I had better luck with Carol's recipe than those without sour cream so i might consider using a whole egg instead of 2 yolks - end up with lots of whites otherwise!  The one i tried last year had a cup of hot water with butter melted in it - not good!

2 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 egg yolks
1 cup sour cream

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Mix above ingredients together in a large bowl. With dough hook, knead till soft.  Roll out thin.  Using a glass or can, cut circles (2 - 3") or cut into cubes with ravioli cutter.  Add 1 tsp filling to each cube. Fold and seal.  Place in boiling water and cook for 8 minutes (ready when they float to top.) Remove from water, drain, saute in butter.
Note: if freezing, place on parchment covered tray (do not boil) and flash freeze; store in ziploc.

Cabbage filling:
1 large can sauerkraut, drained
1 onion, diced
salt pork or bacon
Fry salt pork/bacon and onion until crisp.  Cook sauerkraut for about 5 minutes. Combine.

Potato filling:
8 medium potatoes, cooked, drained, mashed
salt and pepper
cheese (shredded cheddar or farmers cheese)
Combine; season. Use 1 tsp in each pillow

Ham and Cheese Rollups

12 oz cream cheese, softened
3 T finely chopped chives or green onions
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 cups finely grated Swiss cheese
1/2 pound smoked ham, or turkey, or RB
6 lettuce leaves
6 flour torillas (8 - 10")

Combine cream cheese, chives, mustard, and cheese until well blended. (I might even chop the ham and add here.) spread mixture on tortilla, leaving 1/4 " border. Cover cream cheese mixture with ham/turkey, followed by lettuce. Roll up tightly and wrap individually in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 3 hours but no longer than 24.  Cut into 1" slices. About 42 appetizers.