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.

Salmon Tacos with Caramelized Onions and Cilantro Yogurt

Make this dish. Tonight if at all possible. So incredibly delicious and concrete proof that we all need more fish tacos in our lives to be a happier people. I came across this recipe on Pinterest and, having a bit of salmon in the freezer, decided to use one 8 oz portion to prepare this recipe. (Check out the gorgeous pics on the site - I'm particularly jealous of the text recipe inset on the photos in her blog). 

Below is the half-sized version of the recipe, which yields 6 respectable corn tacos. THE FULL AMOUNT OF CARAMELIZED RED ONION is shown below because you will eat them ALL. Also, despite the recipe calling the salmon "blackened" I did not get any blackening on my salmon. Perhaps one is supposed to broil right at the very end of the cooking period? I imagine this would be equally delicious cooked on a grill.


Ingredients
8 oz piece of salmon (deboned, skin okay)
6 corn tortillas
1/2 lime, juiced
blackened seasoning (ingredients below)
   - 1 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cayenne, 1/2 tsp cayenne, 1/4 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp  salt.

1. To prepare the fish, place the fish in a foil packet. Pour the juice of half a lime over the fish and sprinkle the blackened seasoning evenly over the top of the fish. Optional: let fish marinate for an hour in the fridge.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place the fish in a glass roasting pan and cook for 8-10 minutes just until done (if not slightly under done). Flake salmon into chunks. Serve with warm corn tortillas and toppings.
 
Toppings: (make while the fish is cooking)
cilantro yogurt
  - mix 1/2 c. yogurt, juice of 1/2 lime, and 1/4- 1/3 c. minced cilantro

balsamic caramelized onions (ingredients above and directions to follow)
 - chop 1 red onion into thin slivers. Fry in 2 Tbs olive oil over med high heat, stirring occasionally until the onion  starts to brown and caramelize. Near the end add in 2 Tbs balsamic vinegar and 1 - 2tsp brown sugar. Cook to taste, then remove from heat.

additional suggested toppings: chopped avocado, fresh salsa, fresh greens or a cabbage/pickled carrot slaw

Photo to come

Asian Salmon Cakes

In addition to the wide selection of UGO's that I inherited from my last friend who moved, there was also a can of salmon, which has lingered on our shelf for the last 9 months. Today I resolved to clear it off the shelf by making some asian influenced salmon cakes. Little did I know what awaited me by opening the can... apparently I have only dealt with canned tuna up until now. Salmon in a can is so frightening! Full of bones and skin that is supposed all soft and chewy ...  umm no. So after picking out about half of the contents of the can and deeming them suitably satisfactory to be consumed, I whipped up some fast & easy salmon cakes! The cat was very happy to help out with the other half of the can.

Asian Salmon Cakes  
1- 213g - can of salmon (or fresh if you're lucky)
1 green onion finely chopped (white and green bits)
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1/4-1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt (?)
1/4-1/2 c. panko (or breadcrumbs)
1 egg, beaten well
sesame oil (or canola oil)
flour
sweet chili sauce

Stir salmon, green onion, ginger, garlic and salt together. Mix in egg and panko. I added panko until it was a consistency that I could shape into a burger, then pat the outsides with a bit of flour to help get a crispy edge. Form 3 salmon cakes. Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat. Place salmon cakes in the skillet and cook until browned/crispy on one side, flip, and repeat. Serve with sweet chili sauce.

Tofino and Ucluelet

Well, we had a wonderful weekend in Ucluelet and Tofino: absolutely incredible coastal scenery and no tourists to compete with. Even the drive between Port Alberni and the Ucluelet/Tofino junction was breath-taking: snow covered peaks hemming you in, and along the side of the road, a carpet of snow studded with paper-white barked birches and scarlet tipped bare shrubs with a blue green river alternately rushing and meandering over beds of smooth, gray rocks! Our time in Ucluelet reminded me of how much I love fog-soaked pine trees, the varied hues of gray stone upon ocean upon sky, and the sound of the ocean lulling me to sleep. We couldn't have asked for a better place to stay than the place I found online: the cabins. Simple but warm wood interiors, a kitchen to prepare meals in, a tiny electric fireplace, a giant two person soaker tub, and stairs right down to Terrace Beach and part of the Wild Pacific Trail! We even barbequed a salmon once the furious winds died down a bit!

  

 Salmon a la West Coast

One salmon fillet (deboned, skin on one side)
Maple syrup
Garlic
Cracked black pepper
Salt

Chop or mince about 3-5 cloves of garlic depending on the size of your fillet and your affinity for the taste of garlic. Put the salmon in a pan and pour over enough maple syrup to marinate the fish. Sprinkle the garlic on top of the fillet with fresh cracked black pepper and salt to taste. Let sit for 30 min. Barbeque on a sheet of foil, and flip the fish once. Serve when done.

Of the food we did not prepare ourselves, we ended up eating at Goats on the Roof Old Country Market,   Norwoods, and Wildside Grill.

Much to my child-like disappointment, the goats were not on the roof in Coombes, perhaps because it was still winter so the goats were hanging out in the tree house in the back. The Market was incredible: the many colored lanterns decorating the ceiling, the food on the shelves, the childrens' toys, and the kitchen wares. It has both a cafe and restaurant. From the cafe, I think I would stick with the desserts after trying a selection of the flatbreads and pizzas. We tried a "beesting" - which omg - a danish cut in half and filled with bavarian cream, then slathered on top with a caramel sauce and almonds?! Proceed with caution: at least one other person to help and a strong americano to go with it.  I would have gone back for seconds if I could have fit them.
 

 Norwoods is an upscale restaurant for the area, Pacific-northwest style of cuisine, locally made ingredients and some emphasis on sustainable seafood. The interior is cozy and intimate with maybe 8 - 9 tables and the bar. The kitchen is totally exposed, which I love. Watching the chefs cook and plate is an additional perk! Very attentive service. The food was sadly a mix of ups and downs. We had a seafood trio appetizer : dungeness crab chowder, tempura prawns, and grilled octopus and Dad had the mussels. The mussel broth was superb - spicy, tomato broth richness. Of the trio, the grilled octopus blew us all away.

The octopus was topped with watercress and served with truffle oil pureed potatoes and a sweet chili sauce. The combo was perfect in every way, and never having had octopus before, I am now a convert. The mains were hit and miss - the braised lamb shank was sous-vided and served with sauteed spinach, mushrooms and a potato cake. Well-received by two of our table. The other two went with the seared albacore tuna, tempura prawns, ponzu sauce, noodles and bok choi. Unfortunately the best part of that dish was the bok choi and prawns. The tuna, although seared, was mostly cold, which I have never experienced before with a fish dish, and the breading on the outside was not crisped at all. It was also slightly fishy tasting. They were kind enough to try a second time and completely remade the dish, managed the get the breading crispy but the tuna was still mysteriously cold and slightly fish tasting.  This dish swam in ponzu sauce, and there were so many noodles which  while great with the sauce and bok choi were too much texture contrast for what should have been a delicate fish. Chambar has ruined me in terms of restaurant fish experience: every single piece of fish I have had there is perfectly cooked and fresh-tasting, paired with amazing sides.

Dessert was a thankful redemption and provided new inspiration for my next cheesecake creation: goat cheese cheese-cake topped with poached sour cherries and a crust of hazelnut crumble. The crust was spectacular - the roasted hazelnut flavor paired so well with the goat cheese of the cheesecake and the crumble was much lighter and less buttery tasting than a traditional graham cracker crust. Must try!

Wildside Grill located off the highway to Tofino and nestled in a little enclave of surf shops was the highlight of my eating out trip. I had been hoping to compare its fish tacos to those of Tacofino which was sadly closed due to it being low tourist season. But these tacos did not disappoint! $13 for 3 corn tortillas filled with chipotle mayo, guacamole, fresh salsa, cilantro, and a tempura battered piece of cod. They were mostly inhaled :)  My one tiny complaint is that the chipotle mayo was a little excessive and while I loved all the veggies/condiments, it would have been nice to taste a bit more fish! Their fish and chips were also delightful - wonderfully crunchy panko exterior on the cod, perfectly salted thick chips, lots of tartar sauce and cole slaw. The cole slaw got points for using julienned green apple, but still tasted too much of mayonaisse for my liking. I am completely in the vinegar slaw camp.The hilarious part was sitting outside eating fish & chips and fish tacos, while dressed in fleece, rain jackets, hiking boots, and toques! That's some northwest spring time for you!