Recipe #21, #22, #23

The day after St. Patty's Day, everyone was still in town, so I wanted to cook something for them. It was the second Friday in lent, so it needed to be fish. Using one of the rules I started this project out on, I'm allowed to revisit a recipe once and it count if I change it up enough. My father kept saying how his favorite so far was the Salmon Cakes "it would have been a 10 if there wasn't any corn in them!".

So Recipe #21 is Salmon Cakes Revisited. I needed a couple sides so Recipe #22 is Roasted Red Potatoes and Recipe #23 is Green Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette,

Recipe #21 - Salmon Cakes with Lemon-Caper Yogurt Sauce Revisited

Three things I wanted to change: no corn, the last batch was a little runny, and I didn't like the extra crackers sprinkled on top (the cakes only browned on one side). 

I also had to triple the recipe because of all the extra people. So, no corn (it made for one happy father). I used up the rest of the salmon from Seattle and bought an extra 1.5 pounds at the Whole Foods Market. To solve the runny cakes issue, I initially thought about using less mayo, but then realized I might be able to kill two birds with one stone. Instead of crumbling up half the crackers in the cakes and using half on top, I just put them all in the cakes. It absorbed a little more of the moisture and solved the crackers on top problem.

They held together so much better this time! And I have to admit, they did taste a little better without the corn. I still def think that the yogurt sauce is what makes the recipe so  successful.

Recipe #22 - Roasted Red Potatoes

Can't go wrong with a side of potatoes! And these turned out really well if I do say so myself.

Pre-heat oven to 400 F. Cut the potatoes in to 1-inch pieces. In a gallon size zip lock, combine potatoes, thyme, oil, salt, pepper, Parmesan and Tony's seasoning. Shake until evenly coated. Then spread on a cookie sheet pan and place in the oven for 45-50 minutes, stirring once or twice to brown all of the edges.  

Simple enough. And friggin' yummy. Oh this is a recipe I made up, I've been making roasted potatoes for years, and this is just the easiest, best tasting way that I've found.

Recipe #23 - Green Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette 

Now this one was originally named "Green Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette" but I went to three stores and no one had fresh cranberries. So, refusing to get discouraged for this amazing meal I was trying to prepare, yet also extremely tired of shopping (I know, me, who'da thunk it?), I grabbed the next closest thing: raspberries. 

In a blender or food processor, combine the raspberries, vinegar, oil, mustard, garlic, salt, pepper and water. Process until smooth. 

In a large bowl, toss onions, blue cheese, and greens with the vinegar mixture until evenly coated. 

The recipe called for toasted almonds, but I ran out of time and, honestly, I wasn't too upset bc I dislike almonds. However, everyone else at the table was sad bc they apparently love almonds. Lol.

I really enjoyed cooking for a large number of people. It made it a little more challenging (esp bc I was sipping on a brew or two throughout the day), but it was nice to have extra company in the kitchen. They were all a big help, pitching in and helping me cut everything up. I think that the meal turned out very well.

As did, the entire week, bc at some point Teresa lost a game of paper, rock, scissors to Brady and I ended up with a boyfriend. Lol.

Recipe #21 - Salmon Cakes with Lemon-Caper Yogurt Sauce Revisited 

Time: Accumatively - 1 hour 30 mins.

Rating: 10

Ingredients:

Salmon:

1 pound skinless salmon fillet 

Olive oil, for drizzling

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Patties:

1 large egg, beaten

1/3 cup (1/2 counce) chopped fresh chives

26 saltine crackers, crushed, divided

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 

2 tablespoons mayonnaise, plus more, as needed

1 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Sauce:

1/2 cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt

1 1/2 tablespoons capers, rinsed, drained and chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

Recipe #22 - Roasted Red Potatoes 
Time: 15 mins prep, 45-50 to cook
Rating: 9 
Ingredients:

2 pounds medium red potatoes, cut in to 1-inch pieces 

8 springs of fresh thyme

1 cup grated parmesan (4 ounces)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Tony's seasoning, to taste

Recipe #23 - Green Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette 

Time: 20 mins

Rating: 6

Ingredients:

Vinaigrette:

1 cup sliced almonds (yuck!)

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup fresh raspberries (or cranberries for original recipe)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon black ground pepper

2 tablespoons water

Salad:

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

4 ounces crumbled blue cheese

1 pound mixed salad greens