Zucchini Crab Cakes and Beef Satay with Peanut Sauce

We have family visiting this weekend, so I am happy to be able to cook a few big meals while they are here. The zucchini crab cake recipe is from allrecipes.com, and I have made them before- I bake them, instead of frying them, and will adjust the recipe to reflect this. The beef recipe is from foodnetwork.com. We visited friends in Atlanta 2 weeks ago, and Tony made this for us.

Zucchini Crab Cakes

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning TM
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

I swear sometimes I'm recipe retarded. I was just looking at the recipe, and I definitely didn't follow it, but here's what I did.

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray the bottom of a baking pan or casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Mix all ingredients together (the original recipe says to put the flour on the outside, but I missed this, and both times I made them, mixed it in). Shape into patties with your hands, and place on baking sheet.
3. Bake 15 mins, turn patties, and bake another 15 mins. If they do not seem browned, turn on the broiler for 3-4 mins at the end.

I also made a remoulade-ish sauce to go with these. I didn't measure the ingredients, but here's what I put in it: mayonnaise, whole grain mustard, sweet relish, ciracha hot sauce, and lime juice. It's super tasty!

And now for the super tasty beef!!!

Beef Satay with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds skirt, flank or sirloin tip steak, cut into thin wide strips against the grain
• 1 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger, plus 1 teaspoon
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic, plus 1 teaspoon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter, plus 1 tablespoon
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Thai fish sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon toasted chopped peanuts

Directions:

Place the beef strips in a medium-sized bowl and pour the teriyaki sauce over them. Add 1 tablespoon of ginger, 1 tablespoon garlic and the salt to the bowl and stir to combine. Marinate, refrigerated, while you make the dipping sauce. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ginger, peanut butter and coconut milk in a small bowl and whisk together. Add the sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, cayenne pepper and 1 teaspoon garlic to the bowl and whisk to combine. Place the sauce in a serving bowl and garnish with the cilantro and chopped peanuts. Remove the beef strips from the refrigerator and use skewers to thread the meat. Have your guests grill the satays themselves over the grill, about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side for medium-rare. Serve, with the dipping sauce on the side.


Dan made a fennel salad that had mixed greens, almonds, oranges and a honey lemon vinaigrette, which was awesome!

The result: One word...YUM!! Such a good description, right?? I think next time I'll bake the zucchini cakes for a little bit longer to dry them out some. I know that I will make both of these recipes again and again.

Old People Fruit Salad

So, one of the few people who I know reads this blog is my sister in law Jen...which explains why she sends me recipes, and I make them! However, I've had the impression that she thinks I spend my days slaving over the stove creating these "gourmet" meals. Some days, I do, and I truly enjoy doing it...other days I'd rather eat out, or we scrounge together a meal out of the freezer and pantry. In an effort to prove this fact, I'm now going to try to blog about ALL my dinners- regardless of their tastiness! I make no promises. Yesterday was one of the scrounging days. I hadn't been to the commissary in a week and a half, so the fridge was pretty bare. We had Bubba Burgers (frozen), Lipton parmesan noodles and "Old People Fruit Salad." To give Dan credit, he did jazz up the burgers. Each one had a different seasoning-cajun, middle eastern and italian. They were pretty tasty! The noodles were stuck to the bottom of the pan. How for the fruit salad...

As a teenager, I worked in the kitchen at an assisted living facility. One of the "desserts" they served was sliced bananas with orange juice poured over them. I remember thinking it was pretty bizarre, but then I tried it, and it was tasty- the flavors complimented each other so well! These days, when I make this, I add whatever fruit I have available. Last night it was bananas (always include these), cherries (sliced) and grapes (sliced). You mix all these together, and then pour about a cup of orange juice over them. Let it sit in the fridge for about an hour...this isn't necessary, but I think makes it tastier! Scoop it out with a big spoon (serving the juice with it) and enjoy! You could even eat it with your dentures out, I suppose :oP

EASY Chicken Pot Pie

I have my friend Lindsay to thank for this recipe. She never actually made it for me, but I watched her make it about 4 years ago, and have made it many times since. You can make it with two pie crusts, or one. This time I just had one. I use the Pillsbury ones that you roll out (they come in a red box). Since I just had one, I didn't make it in a pie pan this time, I just used a cookie cutter to cut out circles for the top crust, and did not use a bottom crust.

Ingredients:
1 or 2 pie crusts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 15 oz can mixed vegetables (I use Veg-all)
1 12.5 oz can chicken
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
1. Line pie pan with one pie crust, if desired.
2. Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon ingredients into bottom crust, or round casserole, if not using a bottom crust. Top with other crust, or cut crust into shapes for top.
3. Bake, uncovered for 40 mins, or until crust is well browned.

The result: you seriously can't mess this one up. My 3 year old AND my 8 month old both enjoyed it! My husband and I both added a little hot sauce to spice it up.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

I'm not Italian, but I do think I make a pretty good marinara sauce! This is my first time making meatballs like this- it's a modified version of a recipe from cooksillustrated.com.

Sauce:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
2 15 ounce cans unseasoned tomato sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large sweet onion, minced
handful of fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tsp black pepper
salt, if desired/needed

Directions:

In a large sauce pan, or dutch oven, heat olive oil. Add onions and saute until just soft. Add garlic and saute another 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce, basil, salt and pepper. Heat on medium heat about 10 mins. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for at least an hour, but the longer it simmer, the more the flavors meld and the better it tastes!

Meatballs

Ingredients:

1/2	cup breadcrumbs (I used italian seasoned)
1/2	cup sour cream (can't get this thing to stop underlining!)
1/4	cup fresh parsley leaves , chopped
2	medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1	large egg yolk
1/2	teaspoon table salt (I did not add salt b/c I used the seasoned bread crumbs)
1/4	teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1	pound ground beef
1	ounce parmesan or Romano cheese , grated (about 1/2 cup)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your hands. Shape into 12-16 balls, per your size preference. Bake on a cookie sheet for 20 mins.


About 20 mins before you want to eat, add the meatballs to the sauce, and increase heat to med/low. Continue cooking til meatballs are cooked through.

The result: YUMMY! These were quite possibly the best meatballs I've ever had! I decided to use sour cream b/c the recipe called for buttermilk, and I didn't have any. I used light sour cream. They were so moist and delish. The sauce was tasty, as usual. Next, I think I want to try making my own pasta, to complete the "home made" dish.

Carrot Ginger Cookies??!!

When I first started this blog, I posted Ginger Cookies to Gobble Up. Today I made them, with a twist. I substituted 1/4 cup of baby food carrots for 1/4 cup of butter. I also used Smart Balance for baking, instead of regular butter. Other than that I followed the recipe (no splenda or whole wheat flour this time). The cookies turned out really tasty! I would never have guessed they had veggies in them. I think next time I make these I'm going to go back to regular butter, with whole wheat flour and splenda blend. I miss the gooeyness of cookies made with butter!

Baked Chicken with Dijon and Lime

I love that my sister in law, Jen, keeps sending me more recipes! This one she said she hasn't mad yet, but she found it in People magazine....I had no clue that People had recipes, but here goes...

Baked Chicken with Dijon and Lime

Ingredients:

0ne 3 and a half pound chicken (or precut chicken), 8 pieces
3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
3/4 tsp. pepper
Salt
Chopped parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Rinse the chicken and pat dry; place in a large
bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, mayo, garlic, lime zest
and juice and pepper. Season the chicken generously with salt. Pour the
mustard and mayo mixture over the chicken, tossing well to coat.

2. In a large baking pan, arrange chicken to fit in a single layer. Bake until
it is cooked through; breasts will take about 30 minutes, legs will need 5
to 10 minutes more.

3. Serve the chicken with the pan juices drizzled over the top and garnish w/
chopped parsley. If desired, sprinkle a little more lime zest on chicken as
garnish.

The result: This one is definitely a keeper! I used chicken breasts that I cut into tenderloins, b/c it was what I had. I forgot about the parsley, so I didn't use that (even though I have it growing fresh in my back yard!). I served it over rice, with corn on the cob. I will definitely be making this again, without any changes!

Chicken Piccata and Pasta Salad with Arugula and Sundried Tomatoes

I'm running a little behind on here! I made this last week! The recipes are off of cooksillustrated.com.

Lighter Chicken Piccata

Serves 4.

One cutlet per person makes a skimpy serving, so we call for a total of eight cutlets for serve four people. We prefer the flavor of whole milk in the sauce; however, 2 percent milk or half-and-half will also work. Do not use 1 percent or skim milk. This recipe was published in our cookbook The Best Light Recipe.

Ingredients

Cutlets
1/2	cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4	boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each), trimmed of excess fat, tenderloins removed, and sliced into cutlets (see illustrations below)
	Table salt and ground black pepper
2	tablespoons vegetable oil
Piccata Sauce
1	medium shallot , minced (about 3 tablespoons)
	Salt
2	medium garlic cloves , minced (about 2 teaspoons)
1 1/2	cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2	lemon , ends trimmed, sliced thin
2	tablespoons whole milk
1	teaspoon cornstarch
2	tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2	tablespoons capers , rinsed and patted dry
1	tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
	Ground black pepper

Instructions

1. For the cutlets: Spread the flour in a shallow dish. Pat the cutlets dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge the cutlets in the flour and shake off the excess; set aside.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Lay half of the cutlets in the skillet and cook until lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Flip the cutlets over and continue to cook until the meat is no longer pink in the center and feels firm when pressed with a finger, about 2 minutes. Transfer the cutlets to a plate and cover with foil; set aside. Repeat with the remaining oil and cutlets.

3. For the sauce: Add the shallot and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the oil left in the skillet, return to medium-low heat, and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth and lemon slices (I DO NOT RECOMMEND ADDING THE LEMON SLICES!!!), scraping up the browned bits. Bring to a simmer and cook until the mixture measures 1 cup, about 5 minutes.

4. Pour any accumulated chicken juices into the simmering sauce. Whisk the milk and cornstarch together, then whisk into the simmering sauce. Continue to simmer the sauce until it has thickened, about 1 minute. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice, capers, and parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the sauce over the chicken before serving.

Pasta Salad with Arugula and Sundried Tomatoes

Serves 6.

We like the sweet flavor and pliable texture of oil-cured sun-dried tomatoes. Rinse them well to remove any excess oil. This recipe was published in our cookbook The Best Light Recipe.

Ingredients

1/4	cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes , rinsed, patted dry, and minced
2	tablespoons minced red onion
3	tablespoons red wine vinegar
	Salt
8	ounces penne pasta (about 2 1/2 cups)
2	cups arugula (lightly packed)
1	tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
2	tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2	teaspoons Dijon mustard
1	small garlic clove , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1/8	teaspoon red pepper flakes
1	ounce grated provolone cheese (about 1/3 cup)
	Ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Toss the sun-dried tomatoes, onion, 1 tablespoon of the vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt together; set aside. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta; cook until the pasta is al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water until cool. Drain the pasta well and transfer it to the bowl with the vegetables. Add the arugula and parsley; toss to combine.

2. Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar, the oil, mustard, garlic, and pepper flakes together in a small bowl, then toss with pasta and vegetables until combined. Stir in the provolone and season with salt and pepper to taste.

The result: The chicken picatta was SOOO bitter from the lemons being cooked with the sauce. When I make this again- I will b/c it had so much potential, I will NOT cook the lemon slices in the sauce. Definitely the first recipe I've found on cooks illustrated that needs to be changed. The pasta salad was really light and tasty. I will definitely make this again, and not make any changes to it! Don't be afraid to add the pepper flakes- they added zing and flavor, but not too much heat.