A Fishy Recipe with a Horror Story (bones and skin included!)

Salmon Cakes with Dill Sauce

This recipe started out as a crab cake recipe from Jan's Sushi Bar, but since crab is more expensive than salmon we have switched and it is still equally as delicious! Maybe even more so!

I had originally tried this recipe from Whole Family Strong, but accidentally got the salmon with bones and skin included. I am not a fish eater. The flavor is fine. Let's just say that I have an incredibly sensitive gag reflex. I can't handle bones or gristle or any of that fun stuff. So I usually skip fish all together because I'm always afraid of getting a bone and it just basically ruins the eating experience for me if I'm in fear the whole time. I'm a baby. I know, lol.

So, when I got the cans opened and saw what looked like a little spine, I decided that I was not going to be eating salmon cakes for dinner. Hubby tried it and loved it, but I could barely eat what was on my plate while watching him shovel in bones and skin... yuck! Still get shivers just thinking about it.

So when I saw a recipe for crab cakes I was a little hesitant, but I do love crab cakes and so decided to be brave and try it. They were amazing. More than amazing. Maybe even better than chocolate. Almost.

The only problem is that I don't want to pay the price for crab. We tend to make very large batches and salmon is just cheaper. So I checked, double checked, and triple checked the can ... then triple checked inside the can when I got home to make sure that I did not get the kind with bones and skin. And I tried the crab cake recipe, substituting the crab with salmon.

I was not really all that anxious to try it, but decided to just go for it. I'm so happy that I did because I instantly fell in love. With no fear of bones I was able to enjoy the fishy cakes and they instantly became one of my new favorite recipes.

The crab cake recipe did not come with any kind of a sauce, but since I had just made a fresh batch of homemade mayo, I decided to use the dill sauce that came with the salmon cake recipe on the Whole Family Strong website and add it to the top. It is a match made in heaven, let me tell you. Each of them are yummy on their own, but oh-so-good together! : )

So we may or may not be having these crab salmon cakes once a week. I have decided to go back and try the original salmon recipe from WFS again and just make sure to get my boneless/skinless variety of salmon too. I'll let you know how that goes... if I can tear myself away from the tried and true recipe that is!

So if you want some mouth-wateringly delicious fishy cakes, try out the recipe yourself. I'm sure you won't be disappointed:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup celery, finely diced
• 1/4 cup onion, finely diced
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, preferably homemade
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk
• 6 ounces lump crab meat salmon
  
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 2 teaspoons dill pickle, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• few grinds black pepper
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

Instructions:

1. Gently combine all of the ingredients except the coconut oil in a medium mixing bowl. 
2. Carefully shape into three patties; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Heat the coconut oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the crab cakes until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.
4. Serve with fresh lemon and tartar or cocktail sauce.

Old Bay Seasoning

Ingredients: (Couldn't remember where I got this recipe, but here's what I have)

• 1/2 tsp celery seed
• 1 Tbsp pepper
• 1 tsp mustard seed
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp nutmet
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions:

 1. Mix all well with pestle & mortar (or Nutribullet). 

Homemade Mayo

Source

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups extra light tasting olive oil
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/3 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions:

1. If you have time, bring your eggs to room 

    temperature by leaving out for a couple of 

    hours.

2. In a blender, add the eggs, vinegar, and 

    mustard and blend together well .

3. Leave the blender running and slowly-slowly-slowly,. drop-by-drop, drizzle in the olive oil. (This 

    will take a while but it is worth the wait and really MUST be done slowly.)

4. Turn the blender off once all the olive oil is in.  Add the salt and cayenne pepper and blend again 

    for another few seconds.

Source

Dill Sauce

Ingredients:

Juice of half a lemon

1 tbsp lemon zest 

2 tbsp dill

10 spoonfuls of homemade mayo 

Instructions: 

 1. In small bowl combine mayo, lemon juice, lemon zest, and dill. Mix well.


P.S. I forgot to add. You're gonna want to triple this recipe if not quadruple it. It's THAT good! : ) 

Sweet Potato - Coconut Soup Recipe

When I'm looking for a nice, big recipe to make that will provide several lunches... I turn to this soup from Jan's Sushi Bar. It's a great comfort food without the guilt that typically tags along with those wonderful comfort foods. It is so delicious and the flavors are a perfect blend. 

I used to crave tomato soup or chili with beans, but this soup more than makes up for it. I did add some ground turkey to it, but in our house it's not considered a full meal unless there is some animal protein included. The soup is wonderful without it though too. Otherwise, I would not change a thing... except to maybe make two batches! 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 small celery stalks, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk (13.5 ounce can)
• salt and pepper to taste
• cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)

Instructions

1. Melt the coconut oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and sauté until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
2. Add sweet potatoes, chicken stock, cinnamon and nutmeg; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Working in batches, puree soup in blender or food processor until smooth; return to pot. Or use an immersion blender to puree directly in the soup pot.
4. Add coconut milk and stir over medium-low heat to heat through. Season soup to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne, if using. Ladle into bowls and garnish with unsweetened coconut flakes, if desired.

**Add in 1 - 2 pounds of your prepared meat of choice for extra protein! 

We're Halfway There! Meal Plans! And Camping!

We made it through Day 16 of our Whole30 challenge! We are half way done! And this week is supposed to be the time to start feeling that Tiger Blood!! We'll see what happens and I'll report back to let you know! 

I've got my meal plan figured out for this week and even went and bought all of the groceries and made a few prep items, but ... I forgot something. We're going camping this weekend with my parents. That means I have to figure out Whole30 in a cooler for 2 days. I found this great link on Whole30's webpage where they list several ideas for food choices when you have to eat on the go, in a hotel, or even camping and backpacking.

From an old camping trip.

My goal was to find foods that would be easy enough to make that I wouldn't be tempted to just give up and eat something convenient out of my parents' tent. They are going to have all of the traditional camping foods: hot dogs, marshmallows, biscuits and gravy, etc... so I need to be prepared. But, I don't want them to be so simple that they are just items thrown together and we get bored, nor do I want to have us going hungry. So I checked out this site and came up with a game plan! 

 

 

Here's the Meal Plan for Week 3 of the Whole30 challenge and my meal plan for our first camping trip eating Whole30 style!

Breakfasts: Lagniappe Casserole (WFS)

Snacks: Salmon Devilled Eggs (NW&W) with Homemade Mayo

Monday: Sweet Potato Chili (POAB)

Tuesday: Enchiladas (WFS) w/ Cauliflower Rice (NNP) seasoned with my own blend

Wednesday: Chicken Tenders (ELGP) w/ Parsnip-Sweet Potato Casserole (JSB) and veggies

Thursday: Garlic Mayo Roasted Chicken and Indian Spiced Sweet Potatoes (JSB) , Sauteed  

                 Asparagus (EM)

Friday: Lazy Man's Sheppard Pie (POAB)

Saturday:

      Breakfast: Lagniappe Casserole

      Lunch: Leftovers from the week

      Dinner:  Canned Salmon and a potato/veggie foil package to roast over the fire

Sunday: 

      Breakfast: Eggs with spinach, leftover beef from a roast, handful cashews and 1/2 apple

      Lunch: Tuna with guacamole, boiled egg, and raw veggies (celery, cucumber, carrots, bell pepper

      Dinner: Frozen leftover soup that we can heat up on the camp stove

I'll pack some cashews, unsweetened applesauce, olives, and kale chips for snacks if we feel the urge while sitting with my parents by the fire. We'll have to bring a lot of water too because they typically bring juice packets and beer ... which we can't have ... along with their water. But we want to make sure we don't run out. So, I feel like we've got a good plan of attack ... I'll let you know how it goes!! 

Typically, I start to feel a bit run down and ready to quit after week 2, but I am still feeling as strong as ever. I think that the whole idea behind ditching the scale has really been helping. I am taking notice of things that I probably wouldn't have if I had only been focusing on a number. I feel like I am on one steady ride of energy throughout the day instead of the roller coaster with a crash at 3 PM. I don't get the cravings at 3 PM like I used to either. My skin is still nice and clear and soft. I have no more headaches. I have an overall feeling of happiness, even though I feel my life is still plenty undecided and can be stressful at times. And I'm noticing that my shoulders seem to be slimming down, my stomach seems to be flattening a bit, and I am feeling more muscle tone. It's great!

I know we can make it through week 3!! 

Week 2 Meal Plan!

BBQ Pork on Plantain "bun"

If you missed my previous post on how I make my meal plans, feel free to click HERE and check it out. 

Meal planning makes cooking so much easier, especially if you are still learning. We're in that position right now; we kind of have an idea of what we can eat, but still fine tuning. So for now it's been easier to just follow other peoples' recipes. Eventually I would like to get to where I can start creating my own recipes again. And I'd really like to take some decent pictures to post with the recipes too. Maybe in time. Until then, here's the Meal Plan for Week 2 on the Whole30 program based on recipes I've compiled from a few different blogs and sources.

Breakfast: Lagniappe Casserole (WFS)
Always a favorite in our household! This typically will get us through until Thursday and we just have leftovers for Friday morning, then I'll cook on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
 

Filler: Easy Chicken Salad (WFS)
I wasn't sure I would like this as I am not typically fond of the stuff you buy at the deli. The homemade version is MUCH better and it has become one of my favorites. I love the touch of pepper. Just the right amount!

Monday: Gluten-Free Crab Cakes (JSB) with Dill Sauce (WFS) , asparagus and sweet potato
I was a bit timid to try this one because of my issues with bones in fish and seafood, but the crab did not come with any so I gave it a try and was surprised at how delicious it was. The dill sauce was perfect with it. 

Tuesday: Sweet Potato-Coconut Soup (JSB) with chicken
As I had guess, my husband heard what we were having and asked if there was any meat in it. He doesn't consider it a full meal unless there is some kind of animal protein involved, lol. The original recipe does not include chicken, but the chicken really made it perfect for us. And the sweet potato-coconut flavor is out of this world!

Wednesday: Pulled Pork with homemade BBQ sauce (TFF) on a plantain "bun" (TR), sweet potato, 

                      and veggies
We ended up running short on time for this recipe, which actually kind of worked because the pork was already done in the crock pot. The BBQ sauce only cooked for about 30 minutes but was still great! We'd never tried plantains before either, but they soon became another family favorite! So good!

Thursday: Sausage and Cabbage (WFS) with Sweet Mashed Potatoes (POAB) and spinach salad
I've never been a huge fan of cabbage, but this recipe works for me. I still can't say that cabbage will be my first choice, but hubby loved it so I guess if you enjoy cabbage you should take his opinion over mine in this case. The sweet mashed potatoes were great also, but I can't say no to anything sweet potato! : ) 

Friday: Spi-Garlicy Chicken (WFS) with Cauliflower Rice (NNP) and mixed veggies

Saturday: Pork chops with sweet potato-veggie medley (EGR: recipe coming soon)

Sunday: Moroccan Zucchini Boats (WIG) with veggies and spinach salad

We haven't made it through all of the recipes yet. We've still got a couple of days to go but, so far, none of them have let us down! They are delicious and filling!  I hope you get a chance to try them out!