Leftover Wild RIce

Friday night I had two friends over for dinner. I made Salmon, Rosemary Chicken Breasts and Wild Rice. Yummy. We had a lot of fun and opened two bottles of wine! But Saturday meant leftover salmon, chicken and rice.

I shredded the piece of salmon that was left, added that to half of the rice (about 1 cup) I had leftover , along with one beaten egg, and some dried dill. I made this mixture into little patties and fried them in a little olive oil until they were super crispy. They were wonderful!

Sunday there was still a batch of rice leftover and the rosemary chicken. I did the same with the chicken. Diced it up, added some more rosemary, a beaten egg and a little salt and cracked black pepper. Patties in the skillet until very crispy. Yummy! I'll have these for breakfast tomorrow!

RAIDING THE PANTRY AND THE FRIDGE

It's not the first time I didn't know what to make for dinner. And it won't be the last. But that's when I turn to going into the fridge, freezer and pantry and try to get creative. I promised myself I wouldn't buy anything at the grocery until I started using up what I already have on hand. So here are three dishes I made with whatever I had on hand.

I used my usual recipe for salmon patties, but I added about 3/4 c. shredded mozzarella. What a difference it made! They were so much better than I'd ever made them before. The low fat mozzarella added a depth of flavor that can't be beat. Just bread crumbs, an egg, salt and pepper, with a dash of dill.

I love using canned salmon for patties and for things like casseroles that have salmon in them. A nice salmon steak deserves to be prepared and served on its own, not smooshed up into a casserole. Some people say you can eat the bones, skin and all in the canned salmon. I don't like to do that so I remove most of the skin and all the bones I can find. They ARE soft enough to eat. The canning process really breaks them down and they are said to have tons of calcium. I tried to eat them once by smooshing up the bones into the salmon, and although the taste was fine, I couldn't get past the "gritty" texture the bones left in the dish. So I always remove them now. Here's how I make them.

Salmon Patties (makes 4 patties)

1 14 oz. can of pink salmon
1 c unseasoned bread crumbs
2 eggs - beaten
1 c. shredded mozzarella
1 T chopped parsley
1 t. dried dill
1 t salt
1 t pepper
more breadcrumbs for coating
1 T olive oil for sauteing.

Clean the salmon of all the skin (or not) and of the bones (or not). That is up to you.

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients gently until mixed well, but not turned into mush. I used a large ice cream scooper to make the patties. This is a good size and makes them all the same size. You can make them smaller if you like and get 8 patties out of the batch. Form each scoop into a fairly tight pattie, and coat with bread crumbs.

Heat a large skillet to medium with just a little olive oil. Put all the patties into the skillet and brown each side slowly. Cooking on heat too high will only burn the cheese in the patties, so be sure to keep the heat evenly medium. These are really good on a sandwich bun with a little tartar sauce. You could also make a white sauce seasoned with salt and pepper and add a big handful of peas to the sauce, and serve over the patties.

My next raid had to do with my serious craving for pasta earlier this week. Since I try to avoid eating a lot of pasta, I used wheat pasta which actually has some nutritional value and I've read is good for you in moderation. I found some frozen spinach, some stems I saved in the freezer from some swiss chard I cooked this past summer. (I think I've mentioned in a previous blog that I am quite thrifty. I don't throw anything away if I know I can use it and now I had a use for the swiss chard stems I trimmed. They were a little too "woody" to eat as is, but they were great in the pesto.) I made a fairly typical pesto with garlic, pecorino, parmesan, salt, pepper and toasted walnuts. Basil pesto has a much stronger flavor than this pesto does so it's one kind of coating I don't mind using with wheat pasta. I happen dislike wheat pasta with red sauce - I just don't like the way they taste together. A smidge of tobasco sauce and enough salt and pepper and maybe a little extra pecorino to adjust the seasoning. Some sauteed shrimp with only salt and lemon on top.

Chard and Spinach Pesto on Whole Wheat Linguine
Makes 4 - 6 servings

First, I'll go ahead and admit I forgot to take a picture of my finished pasta. I lifted this picture from the internet, but it looks just like my pasta did!! Really, it does! I was so hungry I just dove right in and ate all the evidence! I served it with some sauteed shrimp on top, seasoned with just a little salt and pepper. Here's how I made it.

1 cup thawed and drained spinach
about 1/2 c. cooked chard (use all spinach if you don't have any chard)
3/4 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 c. pecorino cheese (use all of one kind if you don't have both)
1 Big handful of toasted walnuts (use pine nuts if you like)
1/2 c. olive oil
3 - 4 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
2 - 3 drops of tobasco (optional)

chicken broth (low fat, low sodium)
1 lb. whole wheat pasta (linguine, fettuccine, spaghetti, any kind you like)

In a large pot, put up water to boil to cook the pasta. Add a good tablespoon of salt to the water and cook pasta to your liking. I like mine with just a little bite left in it. In the meantime:

Put all the ingredients except the chick broth and the pasta into a food processor. Whiz until smooth. I've kept the olive oil to a minimum so it may turn out pretty thick. If it is too thick, add a little chicken
stock , or you can add a little of the pasta cooking water. It should be the consistency of a thick spaghetti sauce. Taste the pesto and re-season with more salt and/or pepper if necessary.

When the pasta is cooked, drain and put back into the cooking pot. Now add the pesto and toss to coat well. If the pesto is still too thick to mix in, add a little more chicken stock. You can serve this just like it is, or add some sauteed shrimp, grilled chicken breast or a nice piece of grilled tilapia or other white fish.

This morning I raided the refrigerator yet again since we're leaving for vacation. We needed to use up the leftovers so they wouldn't turn into science projects while we are gone. And besides, I didn't want to leave all my odds and ends in the refrigerator for the house sitters.

I had a bowl of rice, and a bag full of veggies which contained a lot of green and red peppers. I was going to make a veggie and rice frittata. Then a recipe I saw on line the other day came to mind for rice balls. I really like those but I decided to make rice cakes instead. (The rest of the veggies in that bag will turn into a vegetable stew later this afternoon - carrots, celery, cucumbers. I'll add some potatoes and mushrooms to it along with a can of diced tomatoes and a whole bunch of herbs and spices..)

Rice Cakes with Sweet Peppers and Cumin

3 cups of cooked rice
1 1/2 c. chopped green and red sweet peppers
1/4 of a large sweet onion, chopped or 1 small onion, chopped
3/4 c. grated swiss cheese
3/4 c. grated cheddar
1 c. bread unseasoned crumbs
3 t. chopped parsley
2 t. cumin
2 eggs
1 T Olive Oil

In a large skillet saute on low heat, the chopped peppers and onions until they are soft, about 5 minutes. While they cook, put all the other ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Add the cooked peppers and mix well again. Form the rice cakes in your hands using about 1/2 c. to 3/4 c. of the mixture for each cake. Now, in the same skillet that you used to cook the peppers, place the rice cakes in the skillet on med low heat. No extra oil is needed to cook them. Cook them slowly like this until they are very brown on both sides. Don't try to turn them until the first side is really brown or they will just fall apart when you try to turn them. Flip and cook for another 5 - 10 minutes, as brown as you like. I like mine nice and brown. The rice gets crispy and has a wonderful nutty flavor while the inside is creamy and cheesy. We just ate them plain for breakfast. They would make a great side dish. If you make them smaller, about the size of a golf ball, they would be great appetizers too.

When we're back from vacation, we'll probably want to eat light so I'll raid the freezer. It's full of vegetables from the summer harvest. It's only two months until we start seeds out in the greenhouse again, so we need to eat up whatever we've got out there! I have a lot of squash in the freezer - I think I'll make a bisque out of it with some curry and flaked fish or crab meat.
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SALMON WITH CREAMY SUCCOTASH

Home from work last night and digging through the fridge and freezer to figure out what to make. Half a bag of home grown, frozen lima beans. Half a bag of frozen corn. Frozen salmon steaks. Wasn't sure what I'd do with it, but at first it was just going to be sauteed salmon with steamed veggies. I wanted something a little more .... comforting. I looked in the frig again and found about two cups of leftover rice. It came to me.

Let's start right off by saying that if you don't like lima beans, substitute green beans or peas. If you don't like salmon, substitute a nice meaty white fish like cod, tilapia or even catfish. If you don't like any of these ingredients, well, just click away and go to your e-mail or Facebook Page and check in on what's going on. We happen to love vegetables of all kinds and we love salmon. This was surprisingly yummy, and easy peasy!

3 T. Butter
2 T. all purpose flour or rice flour
1 c. low fat milk
1 c. low sodium, low fat chicken broth (you can use water, just add more seasoning to the finished sauce.)
1 T. oyster sauce
about 2 c. frozen lima beans
about 2 c. of frozen corn
about 2 c. cooked rice

4 - 4 oz. pieces of salmon (you could substitute a nice meaty white fish like cod)
salt pepper
4 T. flour or rice flour
3 T. olive or canola oil for frying

For the sauce: In a microwave proof container, mix the milk and chicken broth. Warm until just steaming. Not too hot. You need this liquid to be warm or the sauce you will make has a good chance of being lumpy. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for a minute or two. Now quickly whisk in the warm milk. Let the mixture come back to a boil, when it will reach its full thickness. Add more liquid if its too thick. If too thin, don't worry about it, it'll be fine. You have just made a Bechemel Sauce (basic white sauce).

Add the oyster sauce. If you don't have any oyster sauce, I suppose a little soy sauce might work. But oyster sauce has such a wonderful, complex flavor, you should invest in a bottle. I keep one in the fridge all the time. Great in soups, stews and stir fries. It keeps practically forever. You can use it in lots of dishes to add a depth of flavor that you won't believe!

OK, now that the sauce is made, it should be about the same thickness as creamed corn from a can. Add the frozen corn and lima beans and let them simmer over low heat in the sauce while you prepare the salmon.

Place a large skillet on medium high heat with the olive or canola oil. Make sure the salmon is thawed well if it was frozen, and dry. Pat them well with paper towels. Now sprinkle with salt and pepper, and dredge them in the flour. Lay each one on a paper plate or paper towel while you prepare all the pieces. When they have all been seasoned and dredged, test the oil in the skillet. Dust a little flour into the oil. It should foam right up. If it does, add the salmon and sautee for about 2 minutes on each side. A little longer if your pieces are thicker or bigger. They should get a little browned, and will cook quickly.

While they are cooking, add the rice to the sauce with the lima beans and corn. Continue cooking the sauce long enough to warm the rice. When the fish is done. Turn off the heat on everything and remove the fish to a plate.

Place a nice serving of the creamy succotash on a plate and place a piece of salmon on top.

Makes 4 servings (with leftover Creamy Succotash).

CHINESE TAKEOUT INTO MEXICAN RICE SALAD?

When I got home one day last week, my husband said we could do whatever I wanted to for dinner. So I said, " you pick for a change." So he said he would take me to the little Country Deli down the street. It's a little place I just discovered a few days ago after being here for nearly 5 years. Don't know how I missed it. A little tiny place that makes decent food. I don't know how this photo was taken, it's kind of weird - very wide angle lens I guess. I got it off the internet. It's tucked behind this gas station at the corner of Main and Old Ocean City Road. Don't blink if you are driving by, you won't see it. But, if we want to get something quick, we don't have to go all the way to Salisbury. Burgers, Philly cheese steaks, pizza, wings and all kinds of sandwiches and subs. And REAL milkshakes that are as chocolaty and creamy as can be. And call your order in ahead of time - it was really crowded with takeout customers the first time we stopped. We won't eat there often, but it'll be handy when we're in a hurry. I didn't feel like eating burgers or Philly cheese steaks or pizza shop pizza or wings. These are not on my menu 99% of the time - too "unhealthy".

So I said "Nah, I'll make something." It occurred to me that on the way home I thought of something I would like to make, so I decided to do that. I often spend time thinking about what I'll make for dinner on the way home. Especially if the talk show I'm listening to is a little off the wall that day. Uggh. I love talk radio, but when a host has on a very interesting guest and all this guy does is talk the whole time while his interesting guest listens to HIM on the other end of the phone. What a jerk he can be sometimes. Anyway. I digress - that is an entirely different subject. But it gave me time that evening to think about what I have at home and what I can do with it.

I remembered I had some rice leftover from Chinese takeout a couple of nights ago. We almost never eat the rice that comes with the meal, but I never throw it out either. I use it for rice pudding, or another home made stir fry, or even for soup. Tonight I wanted to make a cold rice salad. I love rice salad. I had some fresh veggies in the refrigerator so I started gathering everything I had that I thought would be good in it.

COLD RICE SALAD WITH CUMIN LIME DRESSING

1 container of cooked rice - probably about 2 cups
1 med zucchini, large dice (cucumber would be great too)
1 or 2 roma tomatoes, large dice
4 - 6 large crimini mushrooms, large dice(regular white button are fine too)
1 cup of frozen corn
2 - 3 T finely chopped cilantro
10 shrimp (optional) raw or already cooked. Freshly cooked would be the tastiest.
1 avocado, cut into cubes or slices (optional)
Dice red onion (optional) I didn't use any tonight, but it would be good in here
Cumin Dressing (recipes follows)

Cumin Dressing
1 T. Lime juice
2 T. canola or other light oil (I used sunflower oil)
1/2 t cumin
1 t salt
1/2 chili powder
1 T mayonnaise
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T dried onion flakes
1 large clove of garlic very finely mined or run through a garlic press

Chop all the veggies into cubes about the size of a small grape. Then just put all the salad ingredients except the shrimp in a bowl and stir well. You will top the salad with the shrimp.

Now place all the salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk vigorously until creamy. The mayonnaise isn't there so much for flavor as it is to emulsify your salad dressing. Otherwise the oil and lemon juice and vinegar would separate. The dressing is creamy now and coats everything very nicely. Pour the dressing over everything and mix well.

Cut each shrimp into 3 pieces if they are large, leave them whole if they are small. If you are using raw, saute in a little tiny bit of oil until they are done. No seasoning necessary since the dressing is quite tasty.

Spoon some of the salad on a plate and top each serving with some of the cooked shrimp.

Ten shrimp is enough for 2 servings, but the whole recipe of rice salad is enough for 4 -6 servings.

I wasn't really sure how this salad would taste, but I knew I liked all the ingredients. It turned out better than I thought it would! It's good without the shrimp, (I had the leftovers without shrimp for lunch the next day) but the shrimp made it all the more delicious! I wanted to put avocado in it too, but when I cut open the avocado I had on the counter, it was too old to use (arggghh!!!!!) So I had to add it to the compost pile. If you like avocados, I know it would have been wonderful sliced on top of this salad. You could even add a can of rinsed black beans to the mix.

I think I will make this one for the family reunion picnic this year (minus the shrimp because it will be too hot outside to keep a salad sitting around with shrimp in it).

I guess I always knew this little tidbit, but I relearned it several years ago while reading my A-Z Cooking from the California Culinary Academy cookbook.
You may already know , but did you know that:
1 T. minced cilantro means mince the cilantro first, then measure it.
1 T. cilantro, finely minced, means first measure 1 T. of cilantro leaves, and then chop it.

The second way of measuring would yield much less cilantro, so when you are measuring things, be sure to notice how they are worded in a recipe. But of course, you can always alter quantities of ingredients to your taste no matter what a recipe says. I happen to love cilantro so I use a little more than is called for. Same with garlic. I tend to use a little more than is called for.



Did you know that crimini mushrooms are simply baby Portabellos? As they grow larger the top spreads out to be quite large. I've seen them up to 8 inches across. They have a much more earthy/meaty flavor than regular white mushrooms and are somewhat more firm. I have taken to using them almost exclusively. Portabellos are a great steak substitute for vegetarian recipes. Simply use the big portabellos in place of the steak -- top with blue cheese, splash A-1, grill and slice into a "steak" salad, even put them into a "beef" vegetable soup. Just use seasonings that would add to the flavor like McCormick's steak seasoning, A-1 sauce, or Worcestershire sauce. Maybe I'll experiment with a pot of that soup and post it in a future blog. They are also great stuffed with anything you like! A sausage or vegetable stuffing, your favorite crouton bread stuffing, crab stuffing, cornbread stuffing. They would make a great light meal or appetizer. As I write here, it occurs to me that I should do a whole blog on portabellos. If you are a mushroom lover, they are enormously versatile and delicious. These two photos are not mine, but how beautiful and tasty do these dishes look! The salad is from a site called www.pomwonderful.com. POM being pomegranates. Lots of great recipes. The panini is from the the McCormick site.

Here's a shopping tip for mushrooms. If you shop at a store where you can buy your mushrooms loose, in bulk, that is to say you can take two in a bag or you can take 20, they are MUCH cheaper. A 12 oz. container of prepackaged mushrooms is nearly $.90 more than the same weight of loose ones. And when you buy as many mushrooms as I do, that adds up.

I'll have to go shopping for some portabellos to try some dishes to share with you. Sam's Club has a pack of 4 really large ones for a very good price. Next time I'm there, I'll get some.