Leftovers Reimagined--Salmon Cakes

I am not a snob about leftovers. At all. In fact, there are several things like chili and soup and stew that I think taste better the second time around. But not fish. Reheated fish is not my jam. It needs a little extra lovin' to be delicious a second time. And this is one of my favorite ways to give it that extra love.

Salmon Cakes

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups cooked salmon, skin and bones removed

1/4 cup almond meal

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup sour cream (I used light.)

1 tablespoon of your favorite spicy mustard (I used horseradish.)

1 egg, beaten

1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles, drained

Instructions:

1. Flake salmon into large bowl. Add all other ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for a few minutes to allow mixture to firm slightly.

2. Shape mixture into patties, about 3-4 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick.

3. Spray nonstick or cast iron skillet with nonstick spray or use just enough coconut oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Over medium-high heat, cook patties 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown on the surface and warmed through.

4. My favorite way to serve these is with leftover eel sauce and sriracha mayo from this recipe.


Leftovers Re-Imagined 7-9-15

Do any of you have the same sickness I have that will not allow you to throw away perfectly delicious food even if there is only a teaspoon of it left? I confess that I have this sickness in spades. It's ridiculous. I package it all up in my refrigerator, fully aware that I will likely just end up throwing it away later once it has cozied into the corner of the fridge forgotten for so long that it becomes a fun little game of "Guess what this used to be!" I'm trying to get much better at that. And I have some really fun ways to help you do so too. Over time, we'll talk about lots of ways to become much more deliberate (and much less wasteful) with our leftovers.

Tonight's topic: Leftover-Stuffed Mini-Frittatas. My 2 favorite things about these is that they are so perfect for using very small amounts of items, and they are a great way to allow variety for the family's picky eaters without adding extra work for the cook.

Here's the plan. Collect all of your small amounts of leftovers. This can be almost anything. Meats, veggies, cheeses, quinoa, herbs, etc. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray, and invite everyone in the family to fill their designated tins with the ingredients of their choice. Once this is done, pour over an egg mixture, and bake until golden brown and firm. This can be a complete family meal all by itself, especially if you make sure everyone adds some healthy veggies to their tin. ;-) Personally, I think it even makes for a fun and interactive company meal, and you can elevate it easily by adding a fruit platter and/or a simple salad of mixed greens with a tangy vinaigrette and maybe some dried fruit, nuts and crumbled feta.

Pay no attention to my extremely used muffin tin. It has been very frequently loved on in our house. Meaning we eat a lot. Don't worry about it. We're fine. ;-)

Here is the recipe and some suggestions for filler:

Ingredients:

10 eggs (this should be plenty for a 12-cup muffin tin depending on how many other ingredients are added)

generous splash of cream, half and half, or milk

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and invite everyone to fill their designated tins with whatever leftover ingredients they choose.

3. Whisk together eggs, cream, mustard powder, salt and pepper and pour into each muffin tin.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes until golden brown on top and firm all the way through.

Tonight we used all of the following ingredients (not in the same tin): salmon, Italian sausage, bacon, spinach, caramelized onions, sauteed shallots and red peppers, black olives, tomatoes, green onions and 3 different kinds of cheese. Everyone used different combinations, and some of us even made 2 (or 3) with completely different combinations just for ourselves. Pretty fun and so yummy and satisfying!

There really aren't any rules to this. Any combination of items that work well together as pizza toppings, salad ingredients, sandwich stuffings, etc. will also work well here. Experiment and see what you enjoy most. You might find yourself doubling recipes so that you have leftovers on purpose. ;-)

Roasted Garlic/Garlic Paste

This isn't so much a recipe as it is a suggestion. I suggest that you never not have roasted garlic and/or garlic paste in your refrigerator. Preferably both. It is such a flavorful addition to literally almost any savory meal.

Ingredients:

Whole garlic bunch (or several)

Olive oil

Sea Salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Remove loose skin, slice off the top of a whole head of garlic (or several), and nestle it (cut side up) into a piece of foil. Drizzle with olive oil and close up completely in the foil. (Make sure none of the garlic is exposed, or it will burn.)

3. Bake in the oven for at least an hour, but keep it in there (checking every 15 minutes or so) until it is a deep, rich caramel color. I have baked mine for up to 2 hours before without burning it. The longer it stays in the oven, the more mellow and rich and creamy the flavor. It can burn, but it doesn't happen quickly wrapped in the foil, so just keep an eye on it.

4. At this point, you can just let it cool and then store it in the fridge. Pop out a few cloves as needed to drop into a soup, stew or sauce. It adds so much depth and richness to even the simplest recipes.

5. If you want to take it one more step to create paste, simply sprinkle a few cloves with sea salt just like you would do with raw minced garlic. You can either crush with a mortar and pestle or just mash up with the edge of a chef's knife or even a fork. This can be added to most of the same things as the roasted garlic cloves, and it will incorporate a little easier, but it is also magical stirred into things like quinoa, pasta, butter (to create compound butter for topping steaks, bread, etc.) or even eggs or grits. Honestly, you could spread this onto bread or crackers just as it is, and it would be delicious.