Quinoa Bites, Caramelized Salmon, & Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

For some reason, May and June were like a speedy blur this year. I blinked and May was gone and now I find myself halfway through June already with few posts to show for it. This is not all a sign that I have not been cooking - I just haven't been blogging about it. So a couple of recipes to share - though there are no photos to entice you, I promise the recipes are worth making. I am so proud of my salmon cooking - for once I made a tasty dish where the fish was perfectly cooked! I followed Judith's advice on pan-searing salmon.

Appetizer: Quinoa Bites (great to make in advance and freeze, also a healthy kid snack! vegan)

Main: Pan Seared Salmon with a Hoisin-Chili-Ginger Glaze
Sides: Steamed rice and sesame ginger bok choy

Dessert: Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler (Extra VeganZa cookbook) - excellent vegan dessert with very little sugar in any form!


Quinoa Bites (makes ~20-21 bites using full sized muffin tins or 36 mini bites)

2 c. cooked quinoa (I cooked mine in leftover chickpea broth, could also use veggie stock - you will need 1 c. raw quinoa to prepare)
2 eggs
1 c. diced carrots
1/2 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/4 c. green onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic minced
2 Tbs flour
a dash or two of soy sauce, tamari or Worcestershire

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Saute the carrots, onions, garlic, and celery in a pan until golden brown - about 8-10 minutes. Add seasoning (sauce, salt and pepper to taste) and stir in green onions at the end.
4. Mix quinoa with flour, eggs, and veggie mixture in a large bowl. The mixture should seem to stick together.
5. Line mini muffin pans with little baking cups  (or regular sized) OR used silicone muffin tray coated with oil (I did this and it worked pretty well).
6. For mini muffin tins - fill cups almost to the top and bake for about 25 minutes, until golden brown. For regular sized muffin tins - fill cups about 1/4-1/3 of the way full. Bake about 25 minutes until golden brown on top. Let cool in pan for about 5-10 minutes and remove to tray to cool.
7. Excellent wrapped in lettuce leaves with sweet chili sauce. Likely also good with ketchup, salad dressing, or honey mustard for dipping! I reheated these by broiling for about 5 minutes to get a crispy underside.

Pan Seared Salmon 
24 oz of salmon fillet, with skin - cut into four pieces (note it may be useful to get your fish monger to cut the fillet into four pieces for you!)

1 1/2 Tbs honey
2-3 Tbs soy sauce
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 c. hoisin sauce
1 1/2  - 2 Tbs minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp garlic chili sauce (or 1-2 tsp chipotle chili sauce)

1. Stir all the sauce ingredients together. Taste the glaze to make sure you like it!
2. Heat a heavy skillet (cast iron) over high heat for 2-3 minutes. Brush the flesh side of the salmon with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Add a bit of oil to the pan and tilt to coat.
3. Add the salmon flesh side down to the pan and let sear for 3 minutes. You can watch the flesh of the fish becoming opaque.
4. Flip the fish over skin side down, lower the heat to medium-high, and brush or spoon glaze over the flesh side of the fish. Let cook for 4-7 minutes until fish is almost done. (You can gently poke the middle of the thickest part of the fillets.) It also helps to fold over the thin parts of the fillets so they don't overcook.
5. Apply the glaze 2-3 times during the cooking, this will form a nice caramelized skin on the bottom of the salmon.
6. Eat immediately!

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler (adapated from Extra VeganZa!)

Filling:
3 c. chopped rhubarb, half inch pieces
1 1/2 c. chopped strawberries
1/3 c. soy milk (or almond milk)
2 Tbs cornstarch
1/4 tsp cinnamon + some freshly grated nutmeg
1/2-1 tsp grated orange zest
1 Tbs canola oil or grapeseed oil
3 Tbs maple syrup


Cobbler Dough:  (I actually doubled my cobbler dough recipe because I love the topping and used an oval casserole dish)
1 c. whole wheat or spelt flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 c. canola oil
2 Tbs maple syrup
1/4 c. soy milk
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place all filling ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring for a few minutes. Make sure cornstarch is dissolved. Pour the filling into an 8 inch round baking (casserole) dish or an oval.
3. Stir the dry ingredients for the dough together. Make a well in the centre and add the wet ingredients. Mix gently until all ingredients are moistened. Spoon six even mounds of dough on top of the filling.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool ~10 minutes before serving.
5. For additional decadence serving this with coconut whipped cream would be awesome. Or coconut bliss ice cream.