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).

THE WELL STOCKED PANTRY/CUPBOARD

February 28, 2010

In today's environment when everyone seems to have to pinch pennies, it makes sense to try and use up whatever is in the house instead of going out to buy something that's convenient like pizza or Chinese take out. Most people who love to cook, also love to shop for food. So when the pennies are so tight, I tend to buy things that will keep in the pantry or cupboard for a long time. We could probably live out of the pantry/freezers for a few months if we had to.

For example, today I cleaned out my spice cupboard. Everything was mixed up and turned the wrong way. (I'm a little bit of a neat freak, but not freakishly so). When everything is in order, it's much easier to find what you want when you go to cook something. Anyway, while I was making room for some things that should have been in there, I noticed there were also a lot of things in the cupboard above that I'd had in there for a while. I found three cans of smoked salmon. I bought them at Sam's a while back because the price was so good and I thought I'd just figure out what to make with it some time or another. Well today is that day. You would think I found a bag of money! I knew what I would make with it, and it appealed to my taste buds immediately.

I'd never used canned salmon like this before. I've used the kind that comes with the whole bone down the back and skin on to make salmon cakes. We love those. But this salmon comes packed just like a can of tuna. Clean. No bones, no skin, just nice hunks of moist smoked salmon.

I wanted to make salmon salad. You know, just like tuna salad. I got everything together and realized I didn't have enough mayonnaise! Well, I didn't want to run out to the store. I didn't even get dressed yet today. I'd seen mayonnaise made on television before and it just didn't look that hard. 10 minutes later, I am proud to say, I had two cups of pretty darn good mayonnaise! I used this recipe from RecipeZaar.
http://www.recipezaar.com/Homemade-Mayonnaise-71967

So now that I could make my salad, here's how I did it. This makes enough salad for 5 or 6 ample sandwiches.

SALMON SANDWICHES WITH EGG ON WHOLE GRAIN

3 7 oz cans of smoked salmon (no bones, no skin),drained of liquid
1/2 c cup mayonnaise
2 stalks of celery, diced very small
1 tsp dried onion flakes
salt/pepper to taste
4 slices whole grain bread of your choice
2 hard cooked eggs, sliced
lettuce

Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix gently until well blended. Try not to mush up the salmon too much. Re-season as necessary.

Toast the bread and top with about 1/2 c to 3/4 c salmon salad, depending on the size of the bread and how much salad you like on your sandwich.

Arrange the sliced egg on top of the salmon, and top with lettuce.


This is a really good sandwich and we both liked it better than tuna salad.

When I make tuna salad, I usually put some finely chopped fresh rosemary in, and even dice the eggs right into the salad. But I don't think that works for the salmon. The salmon would overwhelm the flavor of the eggs too much. And I really prefer the salmon without the herbs. (Although on second thought, I'll bet some dill might taste good in there). I'll try it one of the sandwiches.) I also don't think I would have liked fresh onion in here -- too strong.

So having extras in the pantry can mean that whenever you don't know what to make, and you don't want to spend more money or go out, just root around those cupboards and see what you have. Some other things I ALWAYS keep around:

Canned beans (several kinds; if it's on sale I buy a few for the pantry)
Canned olives
Various kinds of pasta (I buy what's on sale)
Canned tomatoes
Chicken Broth
Canned Mushroom and Chicken soup (low sodium/low fat)
Canned water chestnuts
Sauces - I'm a huge junkie when it comes to sauces in jars - my fridge is full of them and they keep a long time - peanut sauce, chili sauce, hoison, plum sauce, all kinds of grilling sauces, and bottled marinades, etc.

My freezer always has several kinds of frozen veggies, individually wrapped fish fillets, and citrus zest. I never use a lemon or a lime before I zest it to freeze the zest. I keep puff pastry in there, frozen pizza crust (raw) and I keep my sesame seeds in the freezer too.

QUICK CASSEROLE
With just the few ingredients I've listed, you could make a pasta and mushroom casserole. Cook up some pasta, throw in a can of mushroom soup, a little chicken broth, some herbs, a little garlic, and you could even throw in some of the chopped water chestnuts. If you've got some veggies in the fridge or freezer, throw those in too. If you have some mushrooms, slice those and add them to the mix. Toss in a handful of Parmesan cheese if you have it. Bake the whole thing for 20 – 25 minutes and you’ve got a yummy, comforting meal that even the kids will love!

If you have a can of beans and some garlic and olive oil, you can almost instantly make a really good BEAN DIP. Just blend a can of drained/rinsed canellini beans, a clove of garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor. Whiz it while you drizzle in some olive oil until it turns into a nice smooth consistency for dipping. That’s it! This also tastes great with some dried thyme or rosemary in it.

I think you get the point. It may sound like a lot to keep around, but If you love to cook, then you’ll find that keeping these things around is essential to creativity. Keep things in the house that last a long time with a mind that you can zip up something, anything, almost right away! And, it's always cheaper to make from scratch. That pasta casserole could feed 4, 5 or even 6 people for just a dollar or two per person. If you go out, you're going to spend at least $5 - $6 or more for each person to eat at a restaurant.

In another post, I'll share some more throw together meals that started out totally unplanned, made from a search of the pantry and the freezer. In the meantime, let me know if you try this salmon salad and how you liked it!