Sunday, November 18, 2007

Crab Cakes

I made these for Amy's birthday party. I've never made crab cakes before and have only very rarely used crab at all, but these came out really well. Plus they were super easy.

Crab Cakes

3/4 cup breadcrumbs (I used seasoned, but you could go with plain)
1 lb. fresh crab meat, drained well, picked over
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp hot sauce
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil

1- Line baking sheet with waxed paper. Place 1/2 cup breadcrumbs in a shallow dish.
2- Mix crab, mayonnaise, chives, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, hot sauce and remaining 1/4 cup breadcrumbs in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in egg.
3- Using 2 Tbsp for each, form crab mixture into twenty 1 1/2" diameter cakes. Coat cakes with breadcrumbs in dish, pressing to adhere. Transfer cakes to prepared baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.
4- Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, add cakes to the skillet and cook till golden and heated through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer cakes to paper towel to drain.

Lemon Pepper Garden Saute

I made this for Amy's birthday party and made some grilled chicken also sauteed with lemon pepper as well to go along with it.

Lemon Pepper Garden Saute

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 cup red bell pepper strips
1/2 cup sliced onion, separated into rings
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 3/4 cups sliced zucchini
1 1/2 cups sliced yellow squash
1 3/4 cups chopped plum tomato
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1 tsp lemon pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (optional)

1- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, onion and garlic, then saute 2 minutes. Add zucchini and yellow squash then saute 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add tomato, basil, lemon pepper and salt then saute 1 minute or until heated through.
2- Remove from heat and sprinkle with cheese.

Beef Sirloin With Coffee And Chili Rub

I actually made this with flank steak for Amy's birthday party. It worked out pretty well for a large group instead of individual steaks. I might tinker with the rub if I ever make it again, but it was tasty nonetheless. I think I'd add onion powder and maybe ground coriander and use espresso powder instead of the instant coffee.

Beef Sirloin With Coffee And Chili Rub

1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp instant coffee
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ancho chili powder (or other chili powder if you can't find the ancho)
2 (1 1/2 lb) boneless beef sirloins, cut 1 1/2" thick

1- Combine the first six ingredients in a bowl.
2- Rub both sides of the steaks and then let them sit for 30 minutes.
3- Grill steaks (or broil if you do not have a grill) on medium high until cooked to desired temperature.

Grilled Corn Salad

I made this as a side dish for my baked flautas. I can't eat it, but have been told that it is quite tasty. Since you use the broiler to grill the corn, you don't have to wait till summer, though the corn will probably be better then. Next time I'll try the George Foreman grill to see how well the corn turns out on there.

Grilled Corn Salad

4 large ears of corn, husked
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and minced
2 stalks celery, minced
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp cumin seed (not ground cumin)
1/2 tsp salt
3 dashes hot sauce (or to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

1- Spray broiler rack with cooking spray and preheat broiler.
2- Spray the corn with cooking spray and broil, turning once, until corn is golden in spots, about 12 minutes (it may take longer depending on your broiler). Cool for 20 minutes.
3- Cut corn kernels off the cobs and place them in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss well.

Cauliflower Poppers

I also added brussel sprouts to this, but it makes the dish more complicated since the sprouts have to be rinsed, soaked and baked a bit before mixed with the cauliflower. Apparently this makes a lot more than I had intended. I doubled the recipe and it was way more than needed. When cooked right, these are tender, but not mushy. Not quite the same as the battered and fried version, but tasty all the same.

Cauliflower Poppers

1 small head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets (about 4 cups)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

1- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking pan or jelly roll pan with cooking spray.
2- Place cauliflower in a small bowl or ziploc bag. Add remaining ingredients and toss well to coat.
3- Spread the cauliflower in prepared pan so the florets are mostly in one layer. Bake until tender but not mushy, about 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Mint Chip Chocolate Cookies

I made these for Rachel's party since I was out of town. I also took some into work since the recipe made a good amount of cookies. The real inspiration for them was that I had some of the Nestle Mint/Chocolate Swirled Chips in my pantry that I needed to use otherwise I was going to eat them. So I worked out this recipe. The mint flavor is pretty strong, so be sure to add the mini chocolate chips to help cut the mint and increase the chocolate. It also helps keep the cookies from drying out.

Mint Chip Chocolate Cookies

2 1/4 cups flour
2/3 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs
1 10 oz. pkg of Nestle Mint/Chocolate Swirled Chips
2 oz. mini chocolate chips

1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2- Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
3- Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time beating well. Add the flour mixture gradually then stir in both types of chips.
4- Drop by well-rounded teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.
5- Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until centers are set. Do not overbake. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes then remove to wire racks to cool completely.