Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Eggscellent Egg Salad

6 hard cooked eggs , go here for instructions
6 slices crispy cooked bacon
2 Tablespoons sliced green onions
salt, pepper  to taste
1/3 cup sweet pickle relish                     
1 Tablespoon dill relish
1/2 tsp. dry mustard powder
3 Tablespoons lo fat mayo
1/2 tsp. dried dill weed (optional)
few dashes hot sauce (optional)

The key to great eggs is to  really cook them properly. Click link above for that.
Cool and dice the eggs. Mix all ingredients gently. That's it!

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Pan Interpretations

My neighbor Michael is a very funny, witty man. His humor is dry. I love to chat with him because I never go away without a chuckle. There were some french exchange students visiting and working with him over the summer. One day they brought a dessert to work. Michael was trying to describe the kind of pan they brought it in. He says to his wife Dee, " It came in one of those girdle pans".  Of course Dee fell out in laughter and could not wait to tell me. I immediately knew he was talking about a springform pan. Ha!



Pan InterpretationsPan Interpertations

Crab Cakes with Roasted Bell Pepper Vinaigrette

This is one of my very favorite dishes to ever enter my mouth. I love them so much, but when ordered out, they are fried and very heavy. Here is a lightened up yet very flavorful version.

1 lb. fresh  white crab meat (pick out all shell fragments)
2 Tablespoons light mayo
1/4 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup sliced green onions
2 Tbsp. finely diced red bell pepper
1 Tbsp. finely diced celery
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
Juice of half a lemon
Paul Prudhomme's  Seafood Magic (to taste-about 1/2 tsp)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a nonstick pan or griddle on medium heat. While heating, combine all ingredients in large bowl and mix well . Form into small patties-you should get about 8 cakes. Spray griddle with with cooking spray. Cook patties until they are golden brown on each side being careful to adjust heat as needed as to not burn them. Make sure to let the patties  brown well on the first side before flipping to avoid having them fall apart. Use a very thin spatula to turn them.  Serve immediately with vinaigrette.

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Vinaigrette

1 large red  bell pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. sliced green onion
Juice of 1.5 lemons (add less or more to your taste)
2 tsp. creole mustard
salt and pepper to taste


Oil the bell pepper and roast at 400 in oven until soft--about 30 min. Remove from oven and wrap in foil until cool . Peel off outer skin. Remove stem and seeds. Place in blender with all but the oil. Process until smooth and then add oil slowly. Serve with crab cakes.

Note: if you have any leftover, you can crumble into an omelet the next morning. To die for.
Crab Cakes