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Fear of Frying

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Some foods are just fantastic when fried. Potatoes, mozzarella cheese, and even pickles can benefit from a roll in some batter and a dip in boiling oil.

Fish cakes, like the ones I made last night, are another food that, even when lightly pan fried, taste just a little bit better. Unfortunately, my fear of frying got the better of me, and I baked them.

It turns out that they didn’t need to be fried, even only slightly browned, they were fresh and healthy without all of that extra oil.

I started with a cup of teeny tiny potatoes, tossed into boiling water until they were nice and soft.

teeny tiny potatoes

small potatoes

I also got some water boiling to steam the last of the Alaskan cod from the Foodbuzz Alaska Seafood recipe contest. They sent me a serious amount of cod, and it lasted very well in the freezer over the months. I cooked all of the cod from frozen, as Alaska Seafood mentioned in the materials that they sent me, and I was always surprised how good frozen fish could taste. In this case, I used my steamer basket to cook the cod until it was flaky.

Alaskan cod

I whipped up the seasonings on the side, a cup of panko bread crumbs, some salt-free dill and lemon seasoning, and a few spoonfuls of Dijon mustard.

dijon mustard and dill seasoning

bread crumbs

When the fish and potatoes were tender, I added them to the bread crumb mixture, then mashed my heart out with a potato masher.

cod and potatoes

Once the mix was a bit cooler, I added two whole eggs and thoroughly stirred everything up. The cod cakes went into a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes and ended up nicely browned. They reminded me a lot of Morton’s crab cakes which are full of crab meat and not fried. It turns out some things are good fried, but they are even better baked Smile

dinner is served

Served with a simple side of roasted Brussels sprouts and mushrooms left over from my chicken dish the other night, this was a great meal for a night when I wanted something healthy and warm. Since we are going on vacation to Ireland soon, I am doing my best to get in lots of workouts, vegetables, and water. Once I get to Ireland. . . well, all bets are off. It’s called Supermac’s, it’s Ireland’s higher-quality answer to McDonald’s, and it is fabulous.

Random story and question: The other day, when I was running, I saw a Manwich can hanging out of someone’s busted open trash bag. It brought me back to childhood and the Manwich commercials. My mother would never buy Manwich despite my desperate requests for it. We also never ate Hamburger Helper or sugary cereals like Cookie Crisp.

What food/s did you really want to eat when you were younger but were prohibited by parents? Have you tried them as an adult, and if so, did they live up to expectations?

Tags: baked not fried, brussels sprouts, cod, cod cakes, cooking, easy recipes, fish, Food, healthy, healthy cooking, healthy recipe, mushrooms, protein, recipe, roasted vegetables

The title of this post alone makes me drool. Think creamy, warm risotto, dotted with nutty parmesan and bursting with the flavors of your favorite wine. For a comforting and elegant long-weekend meal at home, I can’t think of anything better.

Today’s Foodie Feature is Karen from Gourmet Recipes for One, a blog that combines beautiful photos, a clean, eye-pleasing design, and gourmet recipes that are truly mouthwatering. In addition to being a fan of her blog, I also had the pleasure of finally meeting Karen at the Red White Tasting Crew event last week. I am excited that she is sharing the gorgeous recipe below with us; you will likely be seeing it again on the blog when I make it!

Happy Friday! Do you have any plans for the long weekend?

red wine risotto

When I sat down to think about what to write for my guest blog for Travel, Wine, and Dine, I thought I’d create a new recipe just for the occasion, and one that included wine of course. Since risotto is one of my favorite things, I thought I’d make a version with wine as the main ingredient. Risotto is super easy to make, made all in one pot (love that!) and the hardest thing about it is the patience of stirring it for 20-25 minutes until it’s done. But when it is, you’ll adore this creamy, delicious Italian dish. This version is made with one of my favorite red wines for drinking so I thought I’d try it in the risotto. Phantom from Bogle Vineyards is a rich, luxurious blend of three unique varietals (Petite Syrah, Zinfandel and Mourvèdre) and I love the rich purple-ish red color that is gives the risotto. And it’s a perfect wine for this recipe (Barolo is another good option as well). So, grab your own favorite red wine (or try mine) and give this recipe a try, and let me know what you think. And thanks to Meghan for letting me share your blog. Cheers!

red wine risotto

This recipe is super simple and really highlights the wine that you use, so be sure to use a wine that you would drink as well. It’s perfect for one, or really easy to increase for entertaining.

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 shallot, finely minced

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup Arborio rice

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good red wine

2 – 2 1/2 cups low-sodium beef stock

1 tablespoon cold, unsalted butter

2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated, plus extra for garnish

1. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add shallot and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add rice and cook until slightly toasted, 1-2 minutes. Add wine and cook until evaporated. Add broth, a 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly. Continue adding stock, a 1/2 cup at a time, until rice is tender, 20-25 minutes. 2. Remove from heat and stir in butter until completely incorporated, followed by Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve warm with additional Parmigiano-Reggiano over top.

Serves 1, or 2 appetizer-sized servings.

Tags: cooking, Food, guest post, red wine, risotto

One of the best meals I have ever cooked, hands down, last night’s vegetable Korma was a healthy blend of vegetables, spices, and most importantly, textures.

I have made various coconut curries in the past; my love for ingredients from the East is definitely evident in my favorite cuisines, Thai, Vietnamese, and Indian. Yesterday, however, I decided to actually follow a recipe. Well, sort of.

Basmati rice

One thing that I did do was make sure that I had as many of the ingredients from the recipe as possible, including fragrant Basmati rice and golden raisins. I don’t like any rice, other than Basmati rice, and the rice that we bought at Trader Joe’s did not disappoint.

golden raisins

I had a very special sous chef, the normally way-too-busy mister, to help me chop the veggies. I ended up going off of the recipe, which called for nine different vegetables, and went with cauliflower, red peppers, green beans, and potatoes.

cauliflower and red pepper

The flavorful base of the meal was one of the most important features though. I made a homemade clarified butter (also made here during my Saag Paneer post) using a lump of Kerrygold, heating it until foamy and then skimming off of the white solids. To the clarified butter, I added a diced white onion and a ton of chopped garlic.

chopped garlic

Mmmmm garlic.

To the garlic and onions, I added about half a can of tomato paste and the chopped red bliss potatoes. And then the layering of spices began.

There was powdered ginger (because Trader Joe’s was out of fresh ginger), cinnamon, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and curry powder. The smells from this pot were incredible.

potatoes

I let the potatoes cook with the garlic and onions and spices for awhile before adding in a whole can of tomatoes, pureed in the food processor, liquid and all. Once all of that was mixed and had simmered for about 15 more minutes to let the potatoes cook, I added the rest of the vegetables, about a cup of golden raisins, and the finishing touch, 1/4 cup of heavy cream.

Vegetable Korma

I put a lid on the Korma and watched it bubble away as we prepped the rice and other toppings, yogurt and toasted almonds.

image

Once we were ready to eat, I scooped Basmati rice into bowls and topped it with the Korma, making sure to grab a lot of the liquid. I topped each bowl with toasted almonds and plain yogurt.

Vegetable Korma

I ate FOUR bowls of this! That is far more than I ever eat at dinner, but the blend of spices, the contrast between the soft, sweet raisins with the crunchy vegetables, soft fragrant rice, and crunchy almonds was almost too much. While we were eating we exclaimed many times how good the meal was. Luckily there were plenty of leftovers for our lunches today.

In addition to an amazing home cooked meal, it was so nice to spend the evening in the kitchen with my husband, listening to James Taylor and cooking together. I almost fell asleep after, I was so relaxed.

Today I have some serious brainstorming to do for the blog and other projects, along with a spinning workout and a seasonal Guinness dinner at Landsdowne Pub. I am hoping to get all of my major marathon workouts in early in the week, some say there is another nor’easter headed our way!

I will be announcing the winner of the restaurant gift card a little later today, so make sure to check my next post! Smile Happy Monday!

We love cooking at home on Sunday nights; do you have any special rituals or traditions for Sundays (or any other day of the week)?

Tags: cooking, Food, Indian Food, recipe, vegetables, Vegetarian

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