Fantastic Freezer Fridays

Every Friday until the end of summer, I decided to do "Fantastic Freezer Fridays." Two things brought me to do this fun event: 1) this is definitely the "Preserving Season." Everywhere you turn, there are recipes and products for saving the bounty of summer's harvest. Canning, freezing, dehydrating - all ways to make sure not a bit of the fresh summer's produce goes to waste. AND 2) my job sometimes has long hours, which means I get home, famished, and no time to make a huge meal.Both of these things got me thinking about what I could have on hand, in the freezer, for days just like that.

And I'm asking you to join me - if you'd like to be included in the week's roundup, simply post a recipe, suitable for freezing, on your blog, along with a link to my original post. Send me your link by the preceding Thursday at Noon EST, and your blog and recipe will be included in Friday's post. It can be whatever you want - provided it lasts well in your freezer. Show us your favorite freezer salsa, your easy jam recipe, the best taquito recipe - there's really no rules!

I thought I'd kick things off with this recipe that I just created. The last time I had Jamaican food before I became a vegetarian, I had THE best beef patties. Sadly, when I left meat behind, I thought I had left these as well. And for some reason, I've been avoiding the vegetarian ground beef options available in the grocery store. It wasn't until a few weeks ago when my friend Wendy made some vegetarian tacos that I realized it wasn't bad at all. Since then, I've been trying to find ways to use it, and these patties were born.

Wow, are these tasty! Spicy and flavorful, and truth be told, easy to make. I made these with the ready-made Goya Discos, but feel free to make your own dough. These freeze well and can be reheated in an oven. Perfect to have on hand for a quick dinner or snack.

And don't forget to send me your links to your own Freezer's best recipes!



Vegetarian Jamaican Beef Patties
Makes 10

1 pkg Goya Discos, thawed
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, diced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, diced
1 pkg Boca Crumbles
3/4 c water
2 tbsp vegetarian beef broth powder (optional)
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp jerk seasoning
1 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
2 T fresh cilantro, minced

Set thawed discos aside. In medium saucepan, heat a few tablespoons olive oil. Add onion, garlic, and ginger, and saute until tender. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Simmer until most of the moisture has evaporated. Turn heat off and cool meat slightly.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove one disc from plastic wrap. Place 2-3 tbsp filling in the center and fold dough over, sealing the edges with a fork. Place on slightly oiled cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
Bake in oven for 20 minutes, until dough is crispy. Remove from oven. If serving immediately, cool slightly and serve.
For freezing: Cool completely. Package well in freezer bags. To reheat, place frozen patties on cookie sheet and reheat in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!

Balti Fish Curry

Longtime readers of this blog will tell you that Mexican and Indian are definitely 2 of my very favorite foods. I am confident that I could live a happy life eating anything from either of these 2 wonderful cuisines.

My local Wegmans was having a sale on catfish this past weekend. Although I usually gravitate towards tilapia or salmon in the Seafood department, the price was almost too good to pass up. I grabbed a few filets without really thinking through what I wanted to do.

I recently checked a book, 660 Curries, out of my local library. I must admit that I have yet to crack the cover, but the idea of some sort of curried fish immediately sprang into my mind. I started pulling out things I thought would be lovely in curry - fresh ginger, garlic, onion, crushed tomatoes, and cilantro. I also found a lone can of coconut milk and added that to the pile.

Out of that pile, this recipe was born. It's easy and relatively quick. You could literally have this recipe on the table in about 30 minutes. And again, you're looking at another budget recipe, especially if most of this is already in your pantry. I guarantee this is a curry recipe you won't want to miss. And be sure to check out some of the other curry recipes in the main dish section.



Balti Fish Curry
Serves 4-6

1 pound catfish (or other firm-fleshed fish)
3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 cups vidalia onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 serrano pepper, chopped (optional)
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes in thick puree
1 (15 oz) can coconut milk
1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped

Cut fish into 2" pieces. Set aside. In large pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic, and ginger, and saute for 2 minutes. Add serrano pepper, curry powder, paprika, cumin, and salt. Stir and saute for another 2 minutes. Add contents of tomato can and stir well. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Lower heat, leave uncovered, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add coconut milk, stir well, increase heat, and bring back to a boil. Add fish and stir. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until fish is cooked through. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Serve over basmati rice and enjoy!

West Indies Salmon Cakes
(or "How I learned to read the label of a can")

My mother was, and still is, a fantastic cook. One of my favorite meals as a child that she would make were her salmon cakes. It was definitely an odd choice to have as a favorite kid's meal, but we always loved when she made them.

I was thinking about making something different, yet relatively simple, when her salmon cakes came to mind. I immediately jotted down a list of what I "thought" may be good in them and headed off to the store.

I got to the canned meat section, which can be a little scary to a vegetarian, and noticed the salmon shelf. There were a few different kinds at a few different price points. I instinctively knew the bottom tier probably wasn't what I wanted, and I grabbed 2 cans of a Wild Alaskan salmon. The label was so pretty and gourmet-looking, I just knew I couldn't be wrong.

Well, I got home and started pulling out what I needed for the recipe. I grabbed the can opener and just as I was about to open the can, I thought, "Huh - I guess I just open this like a can of tuna and go from there." I gave another quick look to the label when I read the phrase "contains skin and bones." What?!??! Why would the can contain skin and bones? I popped those bad boys open, and sure enough, there was plenty of skin and plenty of bones. I'm not lying - had I not already had the wheels in motion, I would have tossed those two cans and just gotten the cans where it's already deboned and skinned. Instead, I spent about 30 minutes, picking out the bones and skin and salvaging as much meat as I could.

All that to say, do yourself a favor and buy the other stuff - you know, the stuff that doesn't look like they just hacked up a fish and shoved it into a can. You'll thank me later. (as an aside, I just spoke with the Mama herself, and she says that she always got the skin and bone kind and just picked around the bone bits)

That aside, these cakes are very tasty. There's not much too them, yet they really deliver the flavors. They also freeze exceptionally well uncooked, so this is something you can make ahead of time and keep on hand in the freezer. They're lovely served with tartar sauce, or I made an easy cilantro aioli by tossing some minced cilantro in some mayo.

This recipe is also a very cheap option for a filling main dish. Total cost of ingredients was under $10.



West Indies Salmon Cakes
Makes 6

2 cups flaked salmon
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 c onion, minced
1/2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 large egg, whisked
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well combined. With hands, form 6 patties and set aside. In a frying pan, pour a tbsp or two of oil. Heat over medium high heat. Fry patties for 2-3 minutes each side until done. If freezing, place between layers of wax/parchment paper in freezer bags and freeze. Thaw and cook as above.

Tilapia Poached in a Chipotle Mushroom Broth

Listen, I like gourmet foods. I really do. I love eating at fancy restaurants, I love truffles, I love anything foodie. But the thing is, that's about 8% of what I cook at home on a regular basis.

Money is tight for everyone these days. Everyone's talking about budgets and cutting back and doing without some of those luxuries we once indulged in. Even I am looking at ways on cutting back, especially moving from an apartment with a roommate, splitting expenses, to my own abode.

That's why I love this recipe. It's fancy enough to serve to guests, yet cheap enough that you can serve it without feeling guilty about blowing your food budget. This recipe serves 4 and cost less than $10!

And not only is it cost effective, but it's also dead-easy to make. I love poached fish recipes, because they really are almost foolproof! Since the fish is simmering in a flavorful broth, you'd really have to almost go completely out of your way to overcook it. The 2 chipotles give it a bit of a kick, so if you're sensitive to spicy foods, I'd use 1/2 to 1 pepper. Now go ahead and give this simple recipe a try - you'll have dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes!



Tilapia Poached in a Chipotle Mushroom Broth
Serves 4

Broth
2 chipotle peppers (I used the canned ones in adobo sauce)
1/4 c heavy cream
2 cups vegetable stock
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder

4 tilapia fillets
A bit of flour, salt, and pepper
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/4 c fresh cilantro, minced

In food processor, process chipotle peppers and heavy cream until well combined. Add stock, garlic, cumin, and onion powder, and pulse until mixed. Meanwhile, lightly coat tilapia fillets with flour, seasoned with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In large flat skillet, heat a few tbsp of oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes. Push mushrooms to the side of the pan and add fillets. Allow to
brown for a minute on each side. Then pour broth over mushrooms and fish and cover pan. Allow to simmer 8-10 minutes, until fish is tender and cooked. Sprinkle fresh cilantro over dish and serve immediately. This would be excellent over rice so not a drop of the broth is wasted.

My kind of bracket competition!

I've never been one for March Madness. I mean, I can sit through a basketball game here or there, but I've never gotten into the frenzy of it all.

During my hiatus from this blog, I received an email from a reader who concocted a bracket out of all of the 28 Cooks' hummus recipes they wanted to try. What a fantastic idea! I'm curious to see who takes the entire thing - I know I would definitely have a hard time picking a winner out of a few of those listed.

And if you're a hummus lover and have yet to check out the 18 hummus recipes on this site, I'd suggest you stroll immediately over to the sidebar and give a few a try.

The First Meal

Wow - where have I been, right? It's been over 2 months since I've last blogged, and to me, it seems like much more than that. But it's not because I haven't wanted to get into the kitchen - I just haven't had the time. In short, in the past 2 months I:
*Finally graduated from college with a new degree
*Started a new job in a brand-new city
*Packed up and moved to new apartment in said city

I'm finally starting to get settled in my new home and am loving the quietness of the woods that my dining room and living room windows face. Although I still have to adjust to the lighting and windows for my photos, I thought I'd post a picture of the first meal I made tonight in my new home.

No recipes just yet, but I promise as soon as I complete the final move this weekend, I'll be back to share some recipes for all of that summer produce that is so plentiful.

For my first meal, I just had to use something fresh, so I decided to grab some lovely green beans and sauteed them in sesame oil with onion, garlic, and a few pinches of salt. I also tried this recipe for a vegetarian meatloaf option, adding more horseradish, as well as crushed red pepper, montreal steak seasoning, chopped fresh serrano peppers, and plenty of fresh garlic. It's not too bad, although I'll have to post my most favorite vegetarian meat loaf recipe sometime soon. Here's a look at the entire meal:



(please excuse the quality of the picture - my real camera is packed somewhere and I had to use my everyday one)

Enjoy the rest of your day and I'll see you on the flipside of the weekend!

Where have I been??

So it's been a crazy few weeks. I am about 3 weeks away from finally graduating from college, and I couldn't be more excited. I haven't spent more than a few minutes in my kitchen lately, so no new recipes or pictures today, but I promise some in the very near future.

I did, however, have a lovely experience at Pure Food and Wine, a raw restaurant in NYC. It was absolutely fantastic! I went with a group of friends, and all 6 of us decided to get the chef's tasting. I have pictures, so look for that post, along with a recipe from their cookbook that I've made.

But today's post is about the Kreativ Blogger award I was nominated for a few weeks ago and completely overlooked. I was nominated by the very lovely Raw Vegan Foodie, a blog that I admire and read frequently. She's got some lovely recipes, so take a minute to peruse her pictures and recipes.

Anyway, being nominated means:
1. I must share with you seven things that I love.
2. I must nominate seven other bloggers for the Award.

So...things I love.

First is definitely my family. I have the most incredible parents, who are always there to provide support and love me consistently, no matter what I'm doing or going through. They also inspire me by their knowledge and also their constant committment to be the best caring individuals they can be.

Second is my friends. I truly think I have some of the greatest friends in the world. Most of us have been friends since we graduated from high school some odd 12 years ago, and they always manage to entertain me and keep me laughing.

Thirdly, I love food. I love everything to do with food. I love to eat it, I love to cook it, I love to photograph it - I just love it. I could literally spend hours combing through cookbooks and recipes, jotting down notes and ideas for new recipes. If I'm feeling incredibly stressed, nothing calms me down quite like cooking.

Fourth, I love my job. I've been working in Child Welfare in the abuse unit, and I haven't loved a job quite like this. There are days that I wonder why I like it so much, but for the most part, I enjoy my part in keeping kids safe.

The fifth thing I love is sun and warm weather. Seriously. I don't know if it's because I was born in California or if I'm just a sun baby, but I absolutely adore the sunshine. I even love those hot muggy days when you walk outside and you almost can't catch you're breath, it's that hot.

Sixth on my list is probably traveling. Having grown up as a missionary kid, I had some wonderful opportunities to live and travel in different countries. As an adult, I still try to use my passport as often as possible.

And the seventh thing that I love is honestly just my life. I turned 31 this year, which wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it may be. I'm blessed with so many different opportunites, and I'm surrounded by some of the greatest people in the world. I don't think I've ever felt as comfortable with myself as I have these past few years.

Alright, and now that I've been sappy enough, it's time to nominate 7 bloggers that inspire me, and this task was probably harder than the 7 things I love! I just checked my bloglines and my food blogs list totals almost 250! So picking out just 7 that inspire me was a tough job.

A blog I've been reading for quite some time is Green and Crunchy. Her family has finally transitioned to all raw vegan, which is incredible given that she has 5 lovely children she also homeschools. She's got some great kid-friendly ideas for feeding your children raw-style.

Raw Epicurean is a beautiful website, and not only has some great recipes, but is also chock-full of great information.

Everybody Likes Sandwiches is a blog that's been on my list for years. She's spunky and has great style and I love reading her blog for fantastic ideas.

Another great blog is Straight from the Farm. It's a blog after my own heart, eating fresh and local produce. Her photography is awesome and it's very inspiring to read.

I must have dozens of recipes printed out from Adventures of Raw Goddess Heathy. Even if you're not a raw foodist, as I aspire to be at some point, she's got some great healthy raw recipes that you shouldn't miss out on.

Rawmazing is another great blog from a raw foodist. She's got some really tasty cracker and bread recipes that are on my list of things to try.

And finally, the Urban Vegan is another one of my must clicks. Great recipes, but also lots of great information about saving money and being green-friendly.

Well, that's all she wrote! This post was supposed to have pictures in it, but my photo software wasn't working at the moment, so I skipped them.

Have a great rest of the weekend!