Corn and Crab Cakes

Cakes:
1/2 cup fresh yellow corn kernels
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
3 tablespoons chopped green onions
3 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
8 ounces crab claw meat, shell pieces removed
1 large egg, lightly beaten $
1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided
Cooking spray $
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided

Sauce:
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped green onions
3 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Dash of kosher salt
1 drop hot pepper sauce

Preparation
1. To prepare cakes, combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring until well blended. Stir in 3/4 cup panko. Divide mixture into 8 equal portions; shape each into a 1-inch-thick patty. Arrange patties in a single layer on a small baking sheet. Place patties in freezer for 20 minutes or until firm.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add remaining 3/4 cup panko to pan; coat panko lightly with cooking spray. Cook 2 minutes or until toasted, stirring frequently. Place toasted panko in a shallow dish; dredge crab cakes in toasted crumbs. Wipe pan clean with paper towels.
3. Melt 2 1/4 teaspoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; swirl to coat. Coat both sides of 4 cakes with cooking spray. Add coated cakes to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from pan, and keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining butter, cooking spray, and crab cakes.
4. To prepare sauce, combine parsley and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well. Serve with cakes.


Feedback:

YUMMMM! There's not much else to say! This was so easy, I had them whipped together within 10 minutes. I ate them without the sauce, so I can only imagine how much better they are going to be when I make that for the leftovers. For sure a make again recipe, and I'll be using it for dinner parties in the future!

Cooking Light Hashbrown Casserole

Wow, it's been awhile! Between work and life my cooking became mostly nonexistant. However, now that I am a stay at home Mom (a lovely way to say I was laid off) I'm back in the kitchen! I am also currently in a weight loss competition because held by Koli Palu and Ashley Johnston - former Biggest Loser contestants!

This means I've been looking for some healthier recipes to cook or try and lighten up. I found this in the Cooking Light magazine and it was AMAZING. I'm not a big breakfast fan but it's such an important meal, especially in a weight loss journey. If I'd known about this recipe I would have been eating breakfast everyday!



Ingredients
6 bacon slices
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (32-ounce) package frozen Southern-style hash brown potatoes
1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded Classic Melts Four Cheese blend, divided
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed 30% reduced-sodium, 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
Cooking spray

Directions
Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, and crumble. Discard drippings in pan. Add 1 cup onion and garlic to pan; cook for 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the potatoes; cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Combine crumbled bacon, 1/4 cup cheese, green onions, sour cream, salt, pepper, and soup in a large bowl. Add potato mixture; toss gently to combine. Spoon mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°. Remove casserole from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature 15 minutes. Bake casserole, covered, at 350º for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until bubbly around edges and cheese begins to brown.

Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs

12 Eggs
1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
4 Slices Bacon
2 Tbsp shredded cheddar cheese
1 Tsbp mustard

Directions:

1. Place eggs in a saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, and cool. To cool more quickly, rinse eggs under cold running water.

2. Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Alternatively, wrap bacon in paper towels and cook in the microwave for about 1 minute per slice. Crumble and set aside.

3. Peel the hard-cooked eggs, and cut in half lengthwise. Remove yolks to a small bowl. Mash egg yolks with mayonnaise, crumbled bacon and cheese. Stir in mustard. Fill egg white halves with the yolk mixture and refrigerate until serving.

Feedback:

These were GREAT! I made them for Mother's Day for something a little different than our usual and they were a hit. The plate cleared in no time and I've now been designated the holiday deviled egg maker!

Hungry Girl Mini Pizzas

I saw these both on the Hungry Girl website, and also in her cookbook. They were a great little treat and still on our Weight Watcher's diet. While her recipe called for using English Muffins, I opted for Sandwich Thins.

1 Sandwich Thin, Opened to create 2 Flats
2 Oz Candadian Bacon, cubed
Store Bought Marinara
1 Stick Mozzerella String Cheese (I sliced into rounds)
Pineapple

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the sandwich thins flat, and place desired amount of marinara on top. Place half of the cheese onto each flat. Place half of the candian bacon onto each round (1oz each) and then top with desired amount of pineapple.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and toppings are heated thru.

Feedback: I would make these again for sure! The only variation I would make is I probably would follow the Hungry Girl instructions and use english muffins. The sandwich thins, while more pizza crust like, didn't hold up well to the marinara.

Santa Fe Chicken

I saw this recipe on another blog which I read (www.thesouthernbellebaby.com), and she got it from www.skinytaste.com. As I've stated before I LOVE my crockpot - but being on Weight Watchers I always fear making things up as I go along because I'm afraid I will calculate the points wrong. Skinny Taste does all of that for me - I love her site!



Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
14 ounce can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
15 oz can of black beans
8 oz frozen corn
1/4 Cup chopped fresh cilantro
14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth
3 scallions, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
salt to taste

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients but the chicken. Place the mixture into your crock pot. Season the chicken with salt and lay on top of mixture. Cook on low heat for 10 hours, or high for 6 hours. Half an hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker, stir in. Serve over rice.

Feedback:

I loved this recipe, though I did make some adjustments. I never removed the chicken to shred it, and we ate it whole. Next time however, I will follow the shredding durections because I think this would make a great taco mixture. I cooked the recipe on high for 6 hours, using frozen chicken breasts, and I didn't use any cayenne pepper. I don't like things very hot and I felt that my ROTEL tomatoes would add enough spice to the dish. For myself and my taste, I was right.

Husband liked it, I am so pleased that it was WW friendly, and I can't wait to make it again!

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Ingredients:

12 oz uncooked potato(es), fingerling, well-scrubbed, sliced in half lengthwise
1 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
1/2 cup(s) canned chicken broth, divided
1 Tbsp rosemary, fresh (plus extra sprigs for garnish)
1/8 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a small roasting pan, combine potatoes, garlic, 1/4 cup of broth, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Roast for 15 minutes (broth will evaporate); add remaining broth, flip potatoes and roast for 15 minutes more. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.

Feedback:
This went with the salmon in my last post on Father's day. They were simple, easy, and a nice change from just rice or mashed potatoes with dinner.

Grilled Salmon with Mustard Herb Crust

My husband and I have been doing Weight Watchers and this recipe actually came off of their site. I made it for my husband and my brother for Father's Day.



Ingredients:

3 Tbsp rosemary, leaves, fresh, chopped
3 Tbsp thyme, fresh, leaves, stemmed
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
2 spray(s) cooking spray
1 1/4 pound(s) salmon fillet(s), with or without skin, though skinless recommended, Atlantic-variety (four 5-ounce pieces)
4 Tbsp Dijon Mustard, regular or grainy-variety

Instructions:

Prepare the grill for direct, medium-heat cooking.


Mix the rosemary, thyme and pepper in a small bowl.


Spray the bottom of the fish fillets with cooking spray (that is, spray the piece of the fillet where the skin would have been, usually with some gray or brown mottling on it).


Spread 1 tablespoon mustard on the top of each fillet. Sprinkle about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the herb mixture on top of each.


Place fish herb-side up on the grate directly over the heat. Cover the grill and cook until the fish flakes when gently scraped with a fork, about 12 minutes. Transfer to plates with a wide spatula.



Feedback:

Very, very good! As it turns out my grill was out of propane so I ended up baking it in the oven but this fish was so good. I think next time I might use slightly more mustard but overall it is a recipe that I will do again for certain.