Mexican Stuffed Shells

1 box large shells (if I can ever find them in Australia)
1/4 teaspoon Mexican chili powder
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups Mexican cheese blend
1 1/2 cups Marinara sauce   1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine ricotta, Parmesan, 3/4 cup Mexican cheese, egg, and chili powder. Set aside.

3. Cook noodles until just pliable.

4. Pour about 1/2 cup of sauce in the bottom of 9" x 13" baking dish; spread evenly.

5. Fill each shell with Ricotta mixture.

6. Top evenly with remaining sauce,

7. Sprinkle 3/4 cup Mexican cheese on top of sauce.


Original recipe from here

Chilled Avocado Soup

1 medium poblano chile*
1 small white onion, sliced
2-1/2 cups chicken broth
2 medium firm-ripe avocados pitted, peeled, and cut into large chunks
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 medium limes)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
Kosher salt
1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt or sour cream
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

* I won't be able to find the poblano chili in Australia so I will substitute with either a banana pepper or whole jalapenos as I like a bit of heat.

Turn a burner to high and set the poblano directly over the flame, turning it with tongs, until completely charred, 5 to 8 minutes. Put the poblano in a bowl, cover, and set aside to steam and loosen the skin. When cool enough to handle, peel, seed.
Cook onion until soft and browned in places, about 5 minutes.

In a blender, purée until smooth all the poblano, the onion, broth, avocado, cilantro, parsley, marjoram or oregano (if using), 2 Tbs. of the lime juice, cumin, coriander, and 1 tsp. salt. Blend in the yogurt. Season to taste with more salt. Chill well.

Season the soup to taste with salt and thin with broth if necessary. Divide among 6 cups or small bowls and a few pinches of chile powder.

Original recipe from finecooking.com. and can be found here.

Chilled Zucchini Soup

1/4 lb shallots, thinly sliced crosswise (1 cup)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 lb zucchini (3 to 4 medium), peeled chopped
2 (2- by 1 1/2-inch) strips fresh lemon zest
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 3/4 cups chicken broth (14 fl oz)
1 3/4 cups water
1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk or plain yogurt


1. Cook shallots in oil in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Add zucchini, zest, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is softened, about 5 minutes. Add broth and water and simmer until zucchini is tender, about 3 minutes.

3. Purée zucchini mixture, including zest, along with parsley and dill in a blender (in 2 batches if necessary) until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Transfer to a metal bowl, then set bowl into a larger bowl of ice and cold water (to quick-chill). Cool, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.

4. Stir in buttermilk and season with salt.


Recipe from epicurious, found here

Beef Pot Roast

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1  package dry onion soup mix (I use Korrs)
1 1/4 cups beef stock
900g - 1KG beef blade roast
3 carrots, peeled and cut into sticks
2 onions, halved
6 mushrooms, halved

5 potatoes

Salt and pepper the beef and brown on all sides.

In a slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and stock. Place pot roast in slow cooker and add veggies around the edges, making sure to dunk them in the soup mixture.
Cook on High setting for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low setting for 8 to 9 hours.
20 minutes before serving, peel and cook the potatoes for mashed potatoes.
 
The meat should fall apart and you will have a hard time not drinking the gravy!
 
Recipe adapted from here and tweaked to suit our taste.

Chef John's Macaroni and Cheese

1 (12 ounce) package elbow macaroni
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
3 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter, melted

 
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.


Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the macaroni, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked through but still slightly firm, about 8 minutes. Drain well.

Melt 1/4 cup butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the butter starts to foam and bubble, stir in the flour; cook on medium heat until flour just begins to turn pale yellow, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes and white pepper; cook and stir another minute, then whisk in 1 cup of milk until smooth. Pour in remaining milk and whisk again. Bring the sauce just to a simmer.

Stir in Worcestershire sauce and salt; simmer on medium-low heat until thickened, about 8 minutes, whisking often. Turn heat off, then add 2 1/4 cups of Cheddar cheese; stir until melted and combined. Add Dijon mustard.

Transfer the macaroni into a casserole dish, then pour in the cheese sauce; stir to thoroughly combine sauce with pasta. Mix panko bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon melted butter in a small bowl, and sprinkle crumbs on top of macaroni and cheese. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup of Cheddar cheese on top.

Bake in the preheated oven until bread crumbs and Cheddar cheese topping are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
 
**Optional - you could add some beer or alternative cheeses as long as it's still 3 cups.
 
Recipe adapted from here.

Chicken Lazone

1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 tsp cayenne pepper
4 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup heavy cream


Combine the seasonings in a small dish then sprinkle over chicken in a large ziplock baggie. Mix well.
In large saute pan cook chicken in olive oil over medium heat for about 7 to 8 minutes, turning once.

Pour the cream into the skillet and lower the heat. Simmer for several minutes (it's ok to let it bubble), stirring until the sauce thickens then add the butter.

When butter is melted place chicken breasts on a bed of white rice and top with sauce.

This recipe doesn't sound like much but it is delicious, trust me, go make it!!

Moroccan Spiced Salmon

Marinade/rub for the fish: 1 teaspoon paprika
: 1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
: 2 teaspoons ground cumin
: 2 garlic cloves
: 1 tablespoon lemon juice
: 1/4 cup fresh coriander
: 1/4 olive oil

Lemon dressing
: 1/2 cup whole egg mayo
: 2 tablespoons sour cream
: chopped coriander
: Juice of lemon & zest

Blitz the marinade ingredients in the food processor until finely chopped.

Rub onto the salmon and set aside covered in the fridge for 30 mins. (or overnight)

In a separate bowl combine the dressing ingredients. (I used Paul Newman's aioli and added a bit of lemon juice and fresh chopped corriander) Mix and set aside.

After 30 mins cook the salmon in a pan with a little bit of oil. Depending on the thickness of the fish, cook about 4 minutes each side.


Recipe from BabyMac here

Cauliflower soup

1 tbs oil
1 leek white part only
1 clove garlic chopped
400 g cauliflower
1 potato chopped
250ml (1 cup) chicken stock
250ml (1 cup) milk
1 1/4 cup pouring cream
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs horseradish cream
1 tbs chives

Heat oil in large pot and add leek and garlic. Cook 6-8 min. Increase heat to high add cauliflower, potato, stock and milk and bring just to the boil.

Reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 min. Blend until smooth. Add cream, lemon and horseradish. Top with chives and serve with croutons.

Serves 4.

Recipe from Australian Family Favourites.

Breakfast Burrito Ingredients

sliced green capsicum
onion
mushrooms
cumin
salt
garlic
eggs
tortillas
salsa
cheese
chopped tomato
sliced green onion
sour cream
coriander
jalapenos
Nandos peri peri sauce

Quinoa Salad

2 cups quinoa
6 cups water
Handful baby spinach
Handful baby rocket
Mint, shredded (to taste)
1 Lemon, zested and juiced
1 jar of char-grilled vegetables (or grill your own), diced
4 cubes of marinated goat’s cheese
Drizzle of olive oil from goat’s cheese jar

Prepare quinoa via absorption method. I use my Thermomix, you could use a rice cooker or saucepan (bring water to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes).
In large salad bowl toss baby spinach, rocket, mint, lemon zest, char-grilled vegetables or antipasto vegetables.

Add warm or cool quinoa (I like warm as I like how it melts the goat’s cheese). Crumble in the goat’s cheese, pour on lemon juice and drizzle oil to taste and desired consistency.


Toss in bowl and serve.


Serves 8 as a side dish; 6 as a meal.

Photo and recipe from here

Warm cauliflower and quinoa salad

1/2 lg cauliflower
1/2 cup quinoa
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 bunch chives, finely chopped
lg handful bocconcini, in bite size pieces

1. Preheat oven to 200 C. Cut cauliflower into bite size pieces, place on baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season. Bake until golden.

2. Rinse quinoa well. Place in saucepan with 1 cup water and tomato paste. Simmer 10-15 min until water has been absorbed.

3. Divide cauliflower over two plates, top with quinoa, cheese and chives.

Recipe and photo from here

Mexican Quinoa Salad

1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup corn, thawed
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 red onion, slivered
2 tablespoons pickled jalapeño, diced
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 – 1 chipotle chilie in adobo sauce (The dish will be HOT if you use 1)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey or agave nectar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 avocado, diced

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.In a large bowl, combine cooked quinoa, corn, tomato, red onion and pickled jalapeño.

3. In a blender or food processor, combine lime juice, chipotle Chile, garlic, cilantro, olive oil, honey or agave nectar, cumin and sea salt. Process until mixture is smooth. Toss with quinoa mixture.

5.Plate quinoa and top with avocado and tortilla strips.

Recipe from here

Lasagna Soup

This recipe and photo is from Paula Dean on the food network. Sounds delicious!

1 pound ground chuck
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
1 (32-ounce) box chicken broth
2 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups broken lasagna noodles
1 (5-ounce) package grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
red chili flakes
dollop of ricotta, add directly before serving

Garlic Crostini:
1 thin French baguette
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves smashed garlic

Directions
In a large Dutch oven, combine ground chuck, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is browned and crumbles. Drain well.

Stir in thyme, brown sugar, broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add noodles, and simmer until noodles are tender. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Preheat broiler. Ladle soup into 8 to 10 ovenproof bowls. Evenly sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Broil soups, 6-inches from heat, 3 to 4 minutes, until cheese is browned and bubbly. Add a garlic crostini slice on top. Serve immediately. Top with dollop of ricotta.


For the garlic crostini:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut bread into 1/4-inch round slices. Place on baking sheet and brush each slice with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper; place in oven and bake until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Rub each side with smashed garlic cloves.

Marinades

Lucy from Diminishing Lucy posted these easy marinade recipes. She suggests chicken but I think some (if not all) would work with beef as well. Go check out her blog to read more!

Lemon and Herb: juice and zest of fresh lemons, Olive oil, fresh thyme and oregano, and black pepper

Teriyaki: juice and zest of fresh oranges, sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce

Chinese: White vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, ground five-spice, garlic, soy sauce, and ground pimento

Mexican: juice and zest of fresh limes, canola oil, garlic, chilli, and Cajun seasoning

BBQ: White vinegar, vegetable oil, brown sugar, tomato ketchup, mustard, salt and paprika

Indian: natural yogurt, vegetable oil, tandoori curry paste, tomato puree

Thai fish

2 fillets coral trout (or other white fish)

Chili paste
Lime juice from half a lime
Fish sauce
ginger
garlic
corriander

Combine all ingredients and spoon over the washed and dried fish fillets. Cover dish with aluminium foil and bake at 180 C for 25 minutes.

Chicken Tikka

• Lots of hot chili paste
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• Squeeze of ginger paste (little less than the chili)
• a pinch of paprika
• ½ tablespoon garam masala
• 4 tbps diced tomatoes
• 3 sprigs of fresh coriander

• Chicken breast cut into medium size chunks
• 1 small onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 green capsican, cut into chunks
• 1 punnet cherry tomatoes
• couple scoops of plain yoghurt
• fresh corriander, chopped, for topping

1. Combine first list of ingredients in the blender. Add more tomatoes if required.

2. Place chicken in bowl and add the blended mixture and yogurt. Mix thoroughly and marinate overnight if possible. Soak wooden skewers in water.

3. Heat the webber for 30 minutes. Thread meat onto the skewers, saving the mixture. Cook 10-15 each side over the open flame.

4. In a pan combine the onions, capsican and tomatoes with remaining blended mixture. Cook until soft and top with corriander. Serve on the side.

Vanilla Pound Cake for Nordic Ware Classic Car Cake

My toddler's birthday is coming up and in preparation I bought the nordic ware classic car cake pan, you can see it here.

It appears only a 'firm' cake will produce the fine detail of the cars so I went searching for the recommended recipe and found this one from here It has great detailed directions for a baking novice like me.

This was a success although not exactly a kid cake. The loved how it looked but not many ate the actual cake.

I separated the cake mixture into three bowls and added blue, red and green food colouring. Enough drops to make the mixture fairly bright (although slightly less on the red since I think it makes kids go crazy). I think this really added to the appeal of the cars and let me get away with less candy decorations.

Ingredients

A cake recipe from Nordic Ware that is suitable for most Nordic Ware standard 10 cup cake tins. Look underneath the rim to check the capacity of your tin.

Ingredients

•370g / 13oz butter, softened
•370g / 13oz caster sugar
•370g / 13oz plain flour
•2 tsp vanilla extract
•6 medium eggs (at room temperature)
•4fl oz / 110ml milk or plain yogurt (at room temperature)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160°C / fan 130º / gas 3. Oven temperatures vary, so you'll need to experiment to get the perfect temperature. Don't be afraid to bring the cake out of the oven halfway through baking to check its progress.

2. Use a pastry brush to brush melted butter (not margarine) all over the interior. Make sure you butter all the corners and grooves of the pan. You can use a spray oil as an alternative too, and dust with flour if you wish depending on what type of cake you are making, but Nordicware says the best results are achieved with just butter.

3. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric whisk or in a food processor, until pale and creamy. Add the vanilla extract

4. Add the eggs one at a time with a tablespoon of the flour, beating until just combined after each addition.

5. Add the flour in two or three batches until well combined.

6. Add in the milk or yogurt while the electric whisk is in motion. The mixture should look like a fairly wet batter and easily drop off a spoon in folds.

7. To prevent air bubbles in the cake, slowly pour the cake mix into one corner of the pan and allow the mixture to ‘flow’ in and around the cake tin. Gently tap the filled cake tin on the work top for a while; this will make the air bubbles/pockets rise up and away from the outside of the cake, and allow the cake mix to settle into all the details - the mixture should fill the tin to about ¾ full.

8. Use a spatula to push the mixture up the sides of the pan, pushing up the walls to the top; this will help the cake ‘climb’ up the sides during cooking, giving you greater detail on the outside of the cake.

9. Tap the tin on the worktop to release as many air bubbles as possible. The longer you tap for the more air bubbles you’ll get out, and the better the detail you’ll achieve.

10. Place the pan on the centre shelf of the oven and bake for 40 – 50 mins or until a skewer poked into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

11. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes (no less, no longer). This will allow a moisture barrier to build up between the pan and the cake. Use oven gloves to pick up the cake pan and gently shake the pan from side to side listening for a ‘thud’. (This indicates the cake is loose and ready to invert.) If sticking persists around the edges a plastic knife may be used to carefully loosen the cake - NEVER use metal utensils in any non-stick cake tin or it will scratch!

12. Turn the cake out on to a plate or cooling rack and leave to cool. Dust with icing sugar using a sifter, drizzle your favourite sauce on top or use icing pens to highlight the detail and add decorations.

I decorated the cars with the following candy:

Fruit rolls ups
Licorice all sorts (cut in half width wise)
Jelly beans (just the tip cut off the end for head lights)
Mini oreos as wheels
Licorice straps as the road

I "glued" the candy on using gel icing pens in pink. (the lightest colour I could find)

I outlined the windows and license plates in gel black icing.

Other candy would work but some things that were too heavy, like M&Ms, kept falling off.

Beef Kebabs

You will need 8 skewers
1 packet Diced lamb
50ml (2fl oz) low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp cider vinegar
A little thyme
Dash of vegetable oil
50ml (2fl oz) fresh lemon juice.

Mix all the ingredients together and marinate the beef for 2 to 4 hours in the refrigerator. Discard the marinade. place the chunks of beef on the skewers (if using wooden skewers, make sure you soak them in water first to prevent burning).

Grill until cooked to your liking.
During the cruise phase you may add tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, zucchini and onions.


Photo and original recipe from here

Hot Spinach Dip

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more for baking dish
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds spinach, cleaned, trimmed, and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup milk
6 ounces reduced-fat bar cream cheese
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
3 dashes hot sauce, such as Tabasco
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Baguette slices, breadsticks, or crackers, for serving

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion and garlic; cook until lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes.

2.Add spinach in two additions, letting the first batch wilt before adding the next; cook until completely wilted, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a colander; drain, pressing to release all excess liquid.

3.In the same pot, warm milk over high heat. Whisk in cream cheese until melted, about 3 minutes. Add spinach, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and 1/4 cup mozzarella; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into a lightly oiled 1 1/2-quart shallow baking dish; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.

4.Bake until bubbly and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot with accompaniments, as desired.

Photo and recipe from Martha Stewart here

Onion Rings

Ingredients:


½ cup all-purpose flour, divided
1 large egg, at room temperature
½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
30 saltine crackers
4 cups kettle-cooked potato chips
2 large yellow onions, sliced into 24 rings (½-inch thick rounds)
6 tbsp. vegetable oil

Directions:

Adjust oven racks to lower- and upper-middle positions. Preheat the oven to 450˚ F. Place ¼ cup of the flour in a shallow baking dish. Beat the egg and buttermilk together in a bowl. Whisk the remaining flour, cayenne, salt and pepper into the buttermilk mixture. Combine the saltines and potato chips together in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Place half of the crumb mixture in a second shallow baking dish; reserve the other half.

Working one at a time, dredge each onion ring in flour, shaking off the excess. Dip the onion rings in the buttermilk mixture, allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl, and then dredging in the crumb coating, turning to coat evenly. When the crumb mixture is low, add the reserved crumb mixture to the dish for dredging the remaining onion rings. Transfer the coated rings to a large plate or platter.

Pour 3 tablespoons of the oil onto each of 2 rimmed baking sheets. Place the baking sheets in the oven and heat just until smoking, about 8 minutes. Tilt the heated sheets to coat evenly with the oil. Lay the onion rings out in a single layer on the oiled baking sheets. Bake, flipping the onion rings and rotating the pans halfway through baking, until golden brown on both sides, about 15 minutes total. Transfer to a paper towel-lined rack briefly before serving.

Recipe from here: http://annies-eats.net/

I'm going to try something new - making the recipe exactly as directed! This one looks so good I don't think I want to change a thing.

Spicy asian salmon

2 pieces fresh salmon
2 Tbp olive oil
1 Tbp minced garlic
2 Tbp ginger paste
2 Tbp soy sauce
1 Tbp hot chili paste

1. Mix the olive oil, garlic, ginger, soy and chili in a small bowl. Stir thoroughly.

2. Wash and pat dry the salmon. Place in a baking dish.

3. Pour sauce onto salmon, coating well.

4. Cover with al-foil and bake at 180 C for 25 minutes.

Serve with cheesey broccoli and baked potato or rice.

Chinese minced pork in lettuce cups

1 tbsp sesame oil
ginger paste
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp hot chili paste
500g minced pork
1/2 onion finely diced
1/2 celery stalk finely diced
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
iceberg lettuce
ramen noodles

1. Wash and cut lettuce leaves into cup shapes. Use leaves from the centre if possible. Chill in fridge while preparing the rest of the meal.

2. Cook one packet of ramen noodles, without the seasoning. Place aside when done.

3. Fry ginger, garlic and chilis in the sesame oil for 1 minute. Add in the minced pork, breaking up into fine pieces. Add the onion and celery, cook until tender.

4. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar and cook for 5 minutes.

5. Place some of the noodles into each lettuce cup and spoon pork mixture on top. Roll up and enjoy!

Balsamic & Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

8 cups 1-inch-thick slices cauliflower florets
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1.Preheat oven to 450°F.


2.Toss cauliflower, oil, marjoram, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread on a large rimmed baking sheet and roast until starting to soften and brown on the bottom, 15 to 20 minutes. Toss the cauliflower with vinegar and sprinkle with cheese. Return to the oven and roast until the cheese is melted and any moisture has evaporated, 5 to 10 minutes more
 
recipe from here

Salmon Cakes

3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
15 ounces canned salmon, drained, or 1 1/2 cups cooked salmon
2 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 3/4 cups fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs (or finely chop bread crusts)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Creamy Dill Sauce:
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon horseradish sauce
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill, or parsley
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.


2. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in parsley; remove from the heat.

3. Place salmon in a medium bowl. Flake apart with a fork; remove any bones and skin. Add egg and mustard; mix well. Add the onion mixture, breadcrumbs and pepper; mix well. Shape the mixture into 8 patties, about 2 1/2 inches wide.

4. Heat remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in the pan over medium heat. Add 4 patties and cook until the undersides are golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a wide spatula, turn them over onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining patties.

5. Bake the salmon cakes until golden on top and heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare Creamy Dill Sauce by mixing well in a small bowl. Serve salmon cakes with sauce and lemon wedges.

recipe from here

Pork Spring Rolls

1/2 KG ground pork (or one packet or pork sausages with the skins taken off)

1/2 head of cabbage finely shredded
2 carrots finely shredded using peeler
1 onion finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (corriander)
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoons ginger paste
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon chili sauce
1 teaspoon lime juice

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
12 (7 inch square) spring roll wrappers
4 teaspoons vegetable oil

1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).


2.Place pork in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Remove from heat and drain.

3. Mix oyster sauce, ginger, garlic and chile sauce. Cook cabbage, carrot, and onion in sesame oil over low heat for 5 minutes until veggies are soft.

4. Combine pork and veggies with ginger, garlic, chili, oyster sauce and cilantro in a large bowl. Mix well.

4.Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl.

5.Place approximately 1 tablespoon of the pork mixture in the center of spring roll wrappers. Roll wrappers around the mixture, folding edges inward to close. Moisten fingers in the cornstarch and water mixture, and brush wrapper seams to seal.

6.Arrange spring rolls in a single layer on a medium baking sheet. Brush with vegetable oil. Bake in the preheated oven 20 minutes, until hot and lightly browned. For crispier spring rolls, turn after 10 minutes,