A Good Dish

making food simpler

My New Favorite Breakfast – Add Greens!

Scrambled eggs with arugula
Terra Cotta plate by Mary Briggs

You may not ordinarily think of making a vegetable for breakfast, but tossing a couple of handfuls of quick cooking greens in your pan a minute before adding your scrambled eggs takes a ordinary breakfast up a nutritional notch. If you are vegetarian or vegan, simply add the greens to your tofu scramble or beans. If you like savory oatmeal, corn grits, congee or another porridge rather than sweet to start your day, adding greens is a no-brainier. Keeping some fresh arugula or spinach in your refrigerator is an easy way to insure you always have greens to cook. You can get one or two servings of veggies out of the way before you leave home in the morning.

Keep fresh quick cooking greens on hand in the fridge
Frozen vegetables can have more vitamins than fresh!

You could make a sandwich out of your scramble or eat it straight up. (If you don’t eat bread, adding vegetables is a way to bulk up your breakfast). If you wanted to enrich your eggs even more, you could sauté an onion before adding your greens or simply toss in some leftover vegetables from your previous meal. Peas, asparagus, sautéed or steamed greens, mushrooms and even zucchini all work well. I never use broccoli or cauliflower because I can’t handle the aroma early in the day but if you are careful not to overcook and the smell doesn’t bother you, go for it. Full disclosure – someone (who shall remain unmentioned) went through a broccoli in the morning phase and since she often overcooked it, we’ve had trouble even thinking about using it ever since! Keeping some vegetables in your freezer means you’ll have a veggie on hand to add. Frozen peas, green beans, artichoke hearts and mixed vegetables all work well. Just heat them in a little butter or oil to take the cold edge off (they are already cooked) and add your eggs to scramble. Grating in some fresh (or a pinch of dried) turmeric makes it healthier (anti-inflammatory/antioxidant) and spicier. Or try a handful of chopped fresh herbs (dill is especially good but even parsley works) to your scramble – already an improvement!

Sautéed arugula only takes a minute to prepare
Scrambled eggs with mushrooms, baby kale and turmeric

Another possibility, if you prefer fried or poached eggs, is simply to cook or warm your vegetables (with arugula or spinach it only takes a minute) and top the greens with your eggs or put it all on a piece of whole grain toast. If you don’t eat bread but do eat grains, topping leftover quinoa, grits or kasha with greens and poached or fried eggs is delicious and quite filling. Whichever way, you’ve bettered your breakfast without much effort. Without the effort of an omelet or frittata, adding greens easily ups both the nutritional profile and satiety level of your breakfast. It is eye pleasing and, best of all, tasty!

Green Breakfast Sandwich

Cold Salmon Salad with Dill

Salmon Salad plates by Andrew Martin
Salmon Salad
plates by Andrew Martin

Canned salmon may not be in your pantry but it has become a staple in mine. A few weeks ago, I wrote about cooked salmon cakes made with canned salmon. Since this is a series on no-cook dishes, I am offering an easier, quicker and much cooler preparation –  a salmon salad. It is a terrific substitute for tuna salad since it doesn’t have a high mercury content, is made with mustard, not mayo, so it picnics well and makes a substantial sandwich filling.

The benefits of wild salmon are many – high in omega-3’s, lean protein, good tasting and well-sourced. The ease of having it on your shelf in a can means you aren’t limited to a season plus it is much more economical – from about $4 – $6 per 14.75 oz can. (If price were no issue, you could make this salad with leftover cooked fresh salmon and it would be delicious in a different way). Tinned wild salmon comes with bones, which are high in calcium, and just mash up into the salmon so you don’t even notice them. I discard the skin since I don’t like the texture (it only takes a moment to scrape it off). Plus, I read recently that the skin is where most chemical residue resides so I prefer not to ingest it. 

This recipe is quick and can stay in the refrigerator for a day or so. I like to add lots of celery, scallions and chopped celery leaves but you may prefer green peppers, red onion and parsley. I add a little chopped sweet pickles and some pickle juice if I am in the mood for something sweeter but I always add plenty of dill – fresh, if I have it, or dried, if I don’t. If you hate dill, use a different herb, like tarragon or basil, for example. If you don’t like mustard, you could use plain yogurt or mayonnaise. Or use a flavored mustard with herbs or horseradish. You could add finely diced carrots, jicama, jalapeño or cucumber for crunch. If I were making this for company, I would add a couple of chopped hard-boiled eggs and a big handful of chopped almonds. It is pretty served on a bed of greens with whole grain crackers or carrot, celery and pepper strips. We sometimes pile it on Wasa or Finn Crisp crackers and eat it like an open face sandwich. It is fun to embellish with thin cucumber slices, grated carrots, sunflower sprouts or whatever you like – an easy, cold meal on a hot day.

COLD SALMON SALAD

Mix together:

  • 1 14.75 oz can wild salmon, rinsed, drained, skin removed and mashed with a fork
  • 2-3 stalks celery, with leaves if you like them, chopped finely
  • 3 scallions, chopped finely
  • 1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped or 1-1 1/2 TBs dried dill weed – or more if you like it
  • 3 TBs Dijon mustard
  • 1 TBs fresh lemon juice (or pickle juice, if you like)
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 5-6 slices sweet pickles or 3-4 gherkins, chopped finely (optional)
  • 2 medium to hard-boiled eggs, chopped or mashed with a fork (optional)
  • 1/2 cup raw, roasted or Marcona almonds, chopped (optional)

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Feeds 4 people with a green salad or 2 with enough leftover for 2 sandwiches.

Salmon Salad Sandwich with grated carrots, lettuce and cucumber on whole grain bread
Salmon Salad Sandwich with grated carrots, lettuce and cucumber on whole grain bread

No Cook Meals for Hot Summer Days

Cool summer salad Bowl by Scott Chamberlin
Cool summer salad
Bowl by Scott Chamberlin

Now that it is summer and it’s hot, the last thing you want to do is prepare a cooked meal that will heat up your kitchen. Over the next few weeks, while temperatures are high, I will post some suggestions for cold, easy to assemble recipes that don’t require turning on your oven or stove at all. The first is a simple, refreshing salad. It has only a handful of ingredients but is surprisingly tasty and cooling, just what you want on a hot summer day. It travels well for lunch or a picnic and is easily multiplied for a large group.

Cucumber and Pineapple Salad

  • 1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored and diced, with any juice that collects when you cut it
  • 4 Kirby cucumbers, sliced (1 hothouse or 2 regular cukes would work)
  • Large handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped
  • 1/4 cup of fresh lime juice
  • Pinch salt

Toss all ingredients together and refrigerate until cold. If leaving in the refrigerator overnight, don’t add the mint until about an hour before plating, if you don’t want it wilted. Serves 4 people.

If you want to add some protein, chopped leftover chicken, ham, roast pork, fried tofu, Marcona almonds or cooked shrimp would make a complete dinner salad, nicely served in lettuce leaves or with tortilla chips or crackers. Sprinkle with a couple of chopped scallion or some diced red onion and a sprinkle of cayenne to zest it all up.

Cool summer salad Bowl by Scott Chamberlin
Cool summer salad
Bowl by Scott Chamberlin

 

Salmon Burgers Make an Easy and Economical Meal

Salmon burgers plate by Chandra DeBuse
Salmon burgers
plate by Chandra DeBuse

Salmon burgers, patties, cakes, croquettes, or whatever you prefer to call them, probably aren’t the first thing you think of when compiling a grocery list. You should keep them in mind, however, because salmon burgers are easy to make, economical, healthy and can be eaten hot or cold, giving you flexibility in timing when you make and serve them. They fit into all but vegetarian and vegan diets yet there is probably some seasoning blend, perhaps with Italian herbs or curry, that would make a meatless soy version acceptable.

I try to make fish or seafood at least 3 times a week, especially fish rich in desirable omega-3 fatty acids like wild salmon, sardines and Arctic char. In winter, I bake fish simply with a little white wine and herbs but as the weather turns warmer, I try not to turn on the oven.

More and more, it is difficult to stay informed on which fish are not contaminated, wild or sustainably farmed and therefore safe to eat. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a new app –  Seafood Watch – which makes this much easier. They do the work to keep up with the best choices for fish and other seafood, good alternatives when your favorite is tainted and what to avoid based on sustainability issues. It’s free to download and makes shopping for fish much simpler.

On days when what is available at the grocery seafood counter doesn’t look appealing or prices are astronomical, I look for other ways to serve fish to my family. Sometimes I make a canned salmon salad (recipe coming this summer). Other times, I sauté frozen scallops or make pasta with fresh or tinned clams. I’ve even been known to serve fish sticks on occasion (from deep water fish) or simply open and plate a can of sprats (smoked sardines) when it is really to hot to do anything else.

Canned salmon is easy to buy and store
Canned salmon is easy to buy and store

A few weeks my sister told me her family loves the salmon patties she makes them for dinner. I make frozen, pre-made wild salmon burgers (from Costco) as a back up when I don’t have a better dinner option, but why not make them myself? How hard could it be? Lots of recipes for salmon burgers call for chopping up fresh fish but with the price of wild salmon hovering between 20 and 30 dollars per pound, I am not about to use it for a burger. I followed my sister’s lead and used canned wild salmon: much more economical (between $4-6 per can), shelf stable and available year round. She learned the recipe from a mother at her daughter’s pre-school and adapted it to fit her current gluten-free diet by substituting almond flour for bread crumbs. Smart. Just as I added my own twist with fresh herbs, pickles and mustard, you can adjust it to suit your tastes.

cooked salmon burgers
cooked salmon burgers

Traditional salmon croquettes contain about half potatoes. Because this recipe substitutes vegetables and a small amount of almond flour for the potatoes, the fish is the main event. I added some chopped sweet pickles to a batch with tasty results. If you use a cast iron pan for its heat retaining quality, the patties cook quickly so they won’t overheat your kitchen. Broiling is even faster (but make sure to oil your pan to avoid sticking) if you are willing to turn on the oven. I serve them with some horseradish mustard (half Dijon mustard, half horseradish with a dash of pickle juice). Susie said her family likes them with a crunchy cabbage salad. We thought they were good both warm with mashed potatoes and cooked greens and cold on a green salad. You will want to double the recipe and have a few leftovers – they are even better the next day.

Susie’s Salmon Burgers

  • 1 14.75 oz can of wild red or pink salmon, rinsed, drained and mashed (I leave the bones-for the calcium and they just blend in if you mash well – but I remove the skin for aesthetic reasons although it isn’t necessary. Do as you like).
  • 3 TBs olive, avocado or coconut oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3-5 stalks celery, depending on size, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup almond flour, breadcrumbs or ground oats
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp salt

The following are optional but, I think, make a big difference in flavor:

  • 1/2 cup chopped dill (optional)
  • 1/4 chopped chives (optional)
  • 1 TB chopped sweet pickles
  • 1 TB Dijon mustard (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper (optional)
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (optional)

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 TBs oil and sauté onion until becoming clear. Add the celery and cook until it starts to soften. Add the garlic and cook one more minute.

Add the cooked vegetables to the mashed salmon and mix to combine. Add the eggs and crumbs, oats or almond flour, herbs, mustard, seasonings and the cheese, if you are using it. Mix just enough to combine. If the mixture isn’t holding together, add one more egg.

Form into medium sized burgers (I find this recipe makes 6-7 patties). Wipe out the pan you used to sauté the vegetables, add another tablespoon or 2 of oil, heat and pan fry the salmon cakes for a couple of minutes until nicely browned. Flip and cook until both sides have a nicely browned crust. Pile on a plate and continue cooking the rest, adding oil as necessary. I tried broiling the patties and they worked just fine. They had a little less crunch but a lot less fat. If you broil, definitely oil the pan.

Serve the cooked salmon burgers unadorned (or on buns, rolls or brioche), with plain or horseradish mustard if you like. These patties refrigerate very well and are quite good in a lunchbox with a salad or in a sandwich with mustard, lettuce and pickles. Makes 6-7 medium or 4 large burgers.

Same dinner, different meal: Taming the Flavor-Seeking Beast

While our son was away at college this year, Brooks and I ate mostly vegetables, beans, whole grains, fruit and some fish and seafood with an occasional grass-fed burger or free-range turkey or chicken, piece of cheese or yogurt and lots and lots of salad. It suited us just fine and we were feeling pretty virtuous. When Alex came home and snapped out of his exam-induced, lack of sleep stupor and finished his seemingly endless loads of laundry, he looked up one day and asked “Couldn’t we eat something fun for a change?” My heart sank but I put on a smile and replied “sure!”

Lobster roll from Luke's was a temporary solution
Lobster roll from Luke’s was a temporary solution

I actually enjoy cooking for my family, especially when they enjoy what I make. I thought I was making appealing meals but they were not satisfying my flavor-craving son. We don’t want to eat the salty, fatty, white flour way he wishes, but could I find a compromise? Our boy had thrown down the gauntlet and I wanted to rise to the challenge. I needed time to think so when it was time for lunch, we walked down Amsterdam Avenue and got a lobster roll at Luke’s – delicious every time but a temporary fix that didn’t solve the problem.

I knew seasoning and spice factored into his ideas of flavor so I began there. I bought some fresh black pepper linguini with the zip already in the pasta and added some veggies Alex likes – peas and arugula – with some garlic in olive oil. Pretty simple and a hit – Hoorah! Next I pulled out the chicken and apple sausage, an old standby for him, and coupled it with seasoned rice and broccoli, 2 sides he eats without complaining. When I heard “boring”, I curbed my instinctual reaction to tell him where he could go and tried to think how these ingredients could be better combined. As I was thinking fried rice, Alex asked why I didn’t make a stir-fry. There it was – we had come to the same idea at the same time and I knew how to go forward. I wouldn’t have to completely change our diet, just rearrange the parts and add a little zing. I could stir fry some onion and celery with plenty of ginger and garlic, toss in the broccoli, rice, sausage and some sesame soy combo to satisfy his taste. Yes, he would have been happier with white rice but he would have to settle for brown as that was where I drew the line of compromise. (If you are not eating grains, add more veggies and cut down the amount of sauce). When I tried it again the next day with leftover chicken and more ginger and garlic, we all liked it even better. (I did notice he was picking out the celery!)

garlic

Even though I was insulted by his comments at first, Alex helped me realize I was not being as adventurous with food as I imagined. I still like pretty simple cooking but now I am making an effort to add a little zest and more seasoning to shake up my routine. The real bonus to his involvement is that our son is discovering what goes into food prep and stands on the edge of cooking for himself.

Stir Fried Rice with Whatever You Like

2 TBs neutral oil, like canola or avocado

1 medium onion, sliced and chopped

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

3″ piece of ginger, peeled and minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 cups cooked and cut up protein (sausages, ham, chicken, shrimp or tofu)

1-2 cups lightly steamed broccoli (or whatever green veg you like or have leftover)

3 cups cooked rice (I used brown but use any kind you like)

Sauce:

2 TBs soy sauce

2 TBs water

1 TB rice vinegar

1 TB toasted sesame oil

Big pinch cayenne

Heat oil in a large sauté pan, add onion and cook 2 minutes. Add celery and cook another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and ginger and cook another 30 seconds. Add cut up sausage (or whatever protein you are using), rice and broccoli and stir until combined well. Add sauce and cook one more minute, stirring to mix completely. Taste and add more sauce ingredients as you choose. This would be good sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds and scallions. Serves 2-4 people or one hungry 20 year old.

Stir Fried Leftovers Plate by Anthony Phillips
Stir Fried Leftovers
Plate by Anthony Phillips

A few other solutions I think will suffice: Sriracha-glazed lamb chops on garlic mashed potatoes with sautéed greens, brown rice nori rolls (lots of wasabi) with watercress salad, leftover chicken doused in green sauce and made into tacos, and rice and beans with salsa and guacamole wrapped into a burrito. It may not be Eleven Madison or Amada but it sure beats what he will get back at school!