... Crab Cakes ...

It is very hard for me to use the word or ingredient CRAB seriously.  Mostly because my darling Andrea and I have been calling eachother crab for the last few years after a brief obsession with hermit crabs.  This recipe and post is for her, obvs.

I needed a quick meal tonight and remembered I had a few cans of crab meat in my massive suburban pantry.  (Don't tell Ina Garten that I used canned crab meat.  She'll never forgive me.  We're best friends in my head, laughing as we pick fresh herbs from her Hamptons garden. Shut up. )

After a bit of internetting, I found the following recipe.  The original is a bit high on cholesterol and sodium.  You can omit the worcestshire if sodium is a concern and perhaps use egg alternative or two egg whites or vegan mayo in place of the regular to drop the cholesterol down.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Nutritional information on the bottom is for original recipe with all the high fat fixins. Substitute away, friends.  And do yourselves a favor, sautee these in coconut oil for a touch of added sweetness.  Thank you to Laura and Tim for turning me on to that wonderful stuff!

Maryland Style Crab Cakes!

18oz crab meat, picked through for shells and drained if in liquid
4 tsp mayonnaise
1 egg1 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp old bay seasoning
1 tbsp onion, grated
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp dried or 2 tbsp fresh parsley
6 tbsp crushed gluten free crackers or bread crumbs (aka 1 frozen waffle, toasted and processed)

Add egg to a large bowl.  Whisk until slightly frothy.

Whisk in mayo, worcestershire, old bay, onion, dijon and parsley until well combined.  Stir in crab meat.  Gently fold in bread crumbs/crackers.

Form crab mixture into 8 evenly sized, flat patties.  Think hockey puck sized.

Preheat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat.  Add 1 tbsp coconut oil to skillet.  Add crab cakes, cooking for 3 - 4 minutes on each side or until deep golden brown.  Try to only turn them once to lower the risk of cracking.

These were fantastic with a side of pasta (in lemon zest/juice, creme fraiche, veggie broth and green onions) and sauteed red and yellow peppers, also in coconut oil. Mmmmmm mmm.

Nutrition info (in 2 crab cakes) : 224 calories; 10g off at (5 saturated); 127mg cholesterol; 1131mg sodium; 13g carbohydrates; 2g fiber; 1g sugar; 18g protein

Turkey Greek Loaf, a food of compromise

This recipe came about after I wanted turkey burgers and greek food and my boyfriend wanted meatloaf.  So. freaking. good. 

Turkey Greek Loaf

• 1 lb ground turkey breast
• 4 oz light feta cheese
• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach
• 1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 egg
• 1 slice bread (I used Glutino's flax and brown rice bread)
• 1 1/2 tbsp skim milk
• 1 medium onion, diced (red or white/yellow is fine)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp oregano
• 1 tsp dill
• 1 tsp low sodium worcestershire Sauce
• 2 tbsp all spice (I LOVE this one)

Chop onion. Mince garlic. Thaw spinach.

Heat a skillet over medium high heat, adding EVOO after 30 seconds. Add chopped onion and 1 tbsp of oregano, crushing it in your hands before adding to skillet to release flavor. Add half of the dried dill. After onion is softened, about 2 - 3 minutes, add garlic, sauteing until fragrant and onions are translucent. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350.

Rip up bread into small pieces and put in the bottom of a medium mixing bowl. Beat egg and add to mixing bowl, along with milk and a dash of worcestershire sauce. Stir. Add cooled onions and garlic, turkey, thawed spinach and crumbled feta. Add 2 tbsp of all spice and remainder of oregano and dill. Mix with hands until well integrated and cohesive.

Grease a metal loaf pan with oil and add meat mixture, pressing down to form a tight loaf. Bake for 20 minutes at 350, and for 10 more at 400 until brown all the way through.

Serves 5.

 

Nutrition breakdown per serving:

204 Calories; 4.6 grams of Fat; 99mg Cholesterol;  816mg Sodium; 

12g Carbs; 3g Dietary Fiber; 3g Sugar; 27g Protein

Indian Latkas

So this recipe was born out of a total KITCHENFAIL!!11!! but the end result was amazing none the less.  I had started out trying to make samosas, but as I've previously chronicled, baking and I were not on speaking terms when this recipe came about.  Gotta get creative.  These were the filling for samosas, revamped.

I have been told by several of my chosen friends that calling these latkas is a stretch, mostly because of the peas.  Whatevs. I do what I want.

Indian Latkas

3 sweet potatoes
1 onion, thinly sliced and diced
1 1/2 cups of frozen peas
EVOO
1 tablespoon of butter
3 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon mustard seed (start with a tsp if you don't want these to be spicy and keep tasting/adding)
1 tablespoon coriander / cilantro

Chop potatoes into small cubes.  Cover with water and bring to a boil, checking every 5 - 10 minutes to see if you can spear the potato easily with a fork.  When you can and the potato is just about falling apart, pour potatoes into a strainer.  Mash with the back of a large fork. and set aside.

Add butter and onion to a large skillet. After about 2 minutes, add garlic and sautee until fragrant.  Add all your seasonings.

While the onion finishes cooking, add in the peas to defrost (which takes under a minute) and sear a bit. When peas are thawed and onion is sufficiently softened, add the contents of the pan (scraping the yummy bits off the bottom) to your potato mixture and blend well.  Taste and continue to season until you get it right.  I added more coriander and curry at this point.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Brush EVOO on two cookie sheets.  Add heaping (and I'm talking HEAPING) tablespoons to your greased cookie sheet. Flatten with the back of the spoon.  Drizzle with EVOO and bake until browning. Flip over to brown the other side, pushing down a bit with a spatula and drizzling again with EVOO when you flip.

Perfect global addition to any holiday party menu.  Serve with a blend of goat cheese and sour cream, sprinkled liberally with cilantro. Mmmmmmmm.

MORE SQUASH

I am legit obsessed.  I warned you. MORE SQUASH.  I have one more squash recipe that I'm going to throw at you all and then I'll lay off. I swear.

Squash Risotto

1 squash skinned and diced (acorn or butternut, 1 prepped package from the supermarket is a-okay)
1 cup arborio rice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon EVOO
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced and diced
1/2 cup dry white wine (though I used red the first time I made this and it tasted amazing)
1/2 cup grated parm + more for serving/garnish
4 - 6 cups of GF vegetable or chicken stock, room temperature or slightly warmed if possible
kosher salt
pepper
ground sage
thyme
nutmeg

Heat a medium sized saucepan over medium/high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon of EVOO and 1 tablespoon of butter.  When butter melts, sautee onion and squash for a few minutes, until onions are transluscent and squash are almost tender, poked easily with a fork.  Add rice and stir to coat in butter/oil.  Add a teaspoon of ground sage and wine and stir frequently until all liquid has evaporated (about 2 or 3 minutes). Reduce heat and add in stock, no more than a cup at a time.  As you begin to add stock, add a large pinch of nutmeg, another teaspoon of ground sage, a tablespoon of dried thyme and pepper per your taste. A pinch of salt is often needed to bring everything together. Stir frequently.  Add more stock once the rice has absorbed it all. After  about 25 minutes of this (aka when the rice is almost cooked), stir in parmesan.  All total, it should take the risotto 30 - 35 minutes of cooking.  Be sure to have extra stock on hand (water is fine if you run out), as arborio is some thirsty rice.

Serves 4.