Curried Crab Cakes

This was a prefect meal for Ash Wednesday. It was light and quick to put together. The curry gave the crab cakes a nice little kick. I served the crab cakes on a bed of field greens drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and lime juice. I got this recipe from Running with Tweezers
http://www.runningwithtweezers.com/runningwithtweezers/2009/02/love-cakes.html

Curried Crab Cakes-with my changes
1 egg
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. mild Madras curry
1 tbsp. hot Madras curry
2 scallions, chopped
1 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 pound crab meat, jumbo lump
Salt and pepper

Mix above ingredients except crab and bread crumbs.
Gently add in crab and bread crumbs.
Form mixture into patties, and place on a greased baking sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 13-15 minutes.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I have been seeing brussel sprout recipes lately, and was curious what they tasted like. I had always heard stories of how terrible they tasted. These were delicious!! This recipe comes from A cookie a day http://briannalee.wordpress.com/2008/11/27/shallot-and-balsamic-roasted-brussel-sprouts/
I added 4 slices of turkey bacon after removing the brussel sprouts from the pan.

Shallot and Balsamic Roasted Brussel Sprouts

16 oz brussel sprouts
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
salt/pepper to taste
2 shallots, chopped
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (used dried)
4 slices turkey bacon

Preheat oven to 425.

Combine brussel sprouts, onion, garlic, shallots and 3 tbsp olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper and spread out on a greased cookie sheet.
Roast 25-30 minutes until tender.
Combined balsamic vinegar and fresh rosemary in a small bowl, when brussel sprouts are done roasting pour vinegar over brussel sprouts.
Serve immediately.

Tilapia and Spinach with Hoisin Sauce

This is a quick and healthy way to give fish lots of flavor. Any mild fish can be used for this dish. We were trying to find ways to incorporate spinach into as many meals as possible and this was a great addition to this dish. I didn't cook the spinach at all for this dish so it was still nice and crisp.

Tilapia and Spinach with Hoisin Sauce
4 tilapia fillets (ours were frozen)
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 tbsp red chili flakes
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
2 scallions
2 cups fresh spinach
steamed white rice

Place frozen fish fillets in a George Foreman grill for 8 minutes (feel free to cook fish any way-on a grill, bake in the oven, or saute in a pan).
Add hoisin, soy, ginger, chili flakes, honey, and vinegar to a small sauce pan on medium heat.
Dice the scallion and add half to the sauce and reserve the other half.
Simmer sauce until warm and slightly thickens about 5 minutes.
To assemble dish, place steamed rice on plate with a generous handful of fresh spinach, 2 tilapia fillets, drizzle with the sauce, and sprinkle some scallion on top.

Chicken Jalfrezi

I hate Sandra Lee from the food network (think tablescapes, matching kitchen decorations and her clothing to the food for some elaborate theme). She has a program that uses store bought ingredients and she adds something to make them more special. I had to post this recipe because it is something that I can throw together quickly for a weeknight meal when I am craving Indian food (which is almost anytime).

Chicken Jalfrezi
1 tbsp oil
1 lb chicken breast
1 green bell pepper
2 roma tomatoes
2 scallions ( I normally use 1/2 of a large red onion)
1 15oz jar Patak's Jalfrezi cooking sauce
pinch of cumin
pinch of coriander
pinch of tumeric
pinch of garlic powder
5-6 red chilies (we like things spicy)
salt and pepper
steamed white rice

Heat large skillet or wok on medium heat.
Dice chicken into bite size chunks and season with salt and pepper.
Add oil and chicken to the pan and cook for 5 minutes.
Dice green pepper, tomato, and onion and add to the pan.
Cook for 3-4 more minutes.
Add cooking sauce, spices, and chilies to pan.
Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Serve with steamed white rice.

Macaroni and Cheese

Mac and cheese is one of my favorite comfort foods!! Every winter I make macaroni and cheese at least twice to get us through the cold dreary climate in Ohio. This is a quick stove top mac and cheese that goes into the oven for about 15 minutes for a nice crust on top.

Macaroni and Cheese
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
3 cups skim milk, heated
6 oz mild shredded cheddar cheese
6 oz sharp shredded cheddar cheese
4 oz 6 cheese Italian blend (mozz, provolone, Asiago, Fontina, & Romano)
16 oz elbow macaroni
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions.
Heat oil and butter in dutch oven until melted.
Stir in flour and let cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
Heat the milk until warm.
Whisk the milk into the flour mixture.
Bring milk to a boil and cook for 4-5 minutes until sauce thickens.
Add cayenne pepper, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Add cheddar cheeses, and Italian cheese mixture until melted.
Drain the pasta well, and add to the cheese sauce.
Pour macaroni into a 9x13 baking dish, and sprinkle with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes until the top gets slightly brown.