Onion, Shiitakes, Greens, and BACON!

In case you missed it, I once confessed how much I love bacon. If given the chance, I'd eat it everyday. Maybe even at every meal.

But, alas, the expense and time it takes for bacon prep, not to mention the clean-up, prevent me from enjoying it very often.

Or so I thought.

Then Smoky Bacon Grapeseed Oil* walked into my kitchen.

I am forever changed.

While this oil carries with it all the benefits of grapeseed oil (high flash point, cholesterol free, expansive properties so you use less, extremely low in saturated fat, lite taste, etc.), IT TASTES LIKE BACON!!!

So, now when I'm home alone for lunch, it's a whole lot easier to whip up this little recipe just for me.

Ingredients/Directions
Drizzle Bacon GSO in skillet and warm on medium heat.
Add diced red onion and saute until translucent (3-4 minutes).
Add chopped, fresh shiitake mushrooms and continue to saute a couple of minutes.
Add chopped, fresh greens (I used collards) and saute a couple more minutes.
Add leftover brown rice (optional) and warm through.
Top with sea salt to taste

*Want a bottle of your own? Email here by NOON Monday, September 26th, and order yourself a bottle or two. And while you're ordering, you might as well pick up a couple of other things. Check out more good stuff online here.
Proceeds from this order will benefit disaster response for The American Red Cross.

Salmon Croquettes with Avocado Yogurt Dip

I had to post this recipe, because I've tried croquettes in the past without much luck keeping them together. I don't know what sort of magic was swirling in my kitchen, but this time around they stuck together beautifully. Boy am I grateful!

Now I can't decide which of these two I like better--they are both off the charts outstanding. I had a leftover croquette over salad greens with the remaining dip, and I think it may have been even better the second day.

The carrots don't cook down very much, which leaves a nice crunch in every bite. I would have thrown in greens, too, but only had salad on hand. Next time, I'll add some kale or collards. That's another great thing about the croquettes--I can "hide" all kinds of veggies in them. Not to mention it's main ingredient--wild, Alaskan salmon--the heart healthy stuff. Since "heart month" is upon us, it seems only natural to cook these up. So love on your heart with these yummy croquettes.

Ingredients
15 oz can wild, Alaskan salmon (bones included & packed in water is best), drained or 1-2 cups leftover salmon fillets
1/2-1 cup leftover cooked brown rice
2-3 carrots, grated or chopped finely
1 small red onion (or green onions or sweet onion)
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 egg
1 t Dijon mustard
as much fresh or dried parsley as you can stand (start with a Tablespoon)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
some bread crumbs (maybe 1/4-1/2 cup)
1/4-1/2 cup high heat cooking oil (I used Grapeseed oil, but Coconut oil or butter would be good, too)

Directions

1. Combine everything through salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well.
2. Add enough bread crumbs to help hold things together, but too many, which will dry the mixture out.
3. Pour bread crumbs onto work surface or plate.
4. Form mixture into patties (you decide what size you'd like--I got 7 largish patties out of this recipe) and coat well with bread crumbs.
5. Place on wire rack (best option) or plate and put in refrigerator for 15-30 minutes (or more--I made these ahead of time, picked up at school, ran a couple of errands, then came home to cook them).
6. Heat a skillet on medium high heat for 2-3 minutes.
7. Add oil enough to generously cover bottom of skillet and reduce heat to medium.
8. Cook croquettes until brown on both sides--about 3-5 minutes per side--I actually set a timer and prepared the avocado yogurt dip while the croquettes cooked.
9. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels.
10. Serve with Avocado Yogurt Dip or lemon wedges and get ready for a delightful taste explosion in your mouth!

 Avocado Yogurt Dip
This is so tasty on top of the croquettes, but is good with chips or cut up fresh veggies, too. It doesn't keep extremely well, so try to consume it within 24 hours.

Ingredients
1 avocado
juice of 1 orange
juice of 1-2 lemons (to your particular taste)
1/2 cup Greek style yogurt
some minced up red onion (maybe a heaping Tablespoon?--again to taste)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place flesh of avocado and juices in bowl of a food processor or blender and process/blend until liquid.
2. In a bowl, mix with yogurt, onion, and salt and pepper.
3. Adjust seasoning to taste and enjoy!

Layered Tomato Pie

We have 2 birthdays in the month of July in our family. We celebrated one with this, and last night I made a tomato pie I want to remember, because it might just be the summer recipe triumph.

Here's what I used:

• a little leftover ground sausage (maybe 1/2 pound?)
• an onion, large slices
• 3 garlic cloves, finely cut
• deep dish pie crust from the freezer section (couldn't manage making my own!)
• a little leftover cooked brown rice
• a handful of fresh spinach leaves, chopped
• 3-4 ripe tomatoes, sliced into circles
• goat cheese to taste
• fresh basil, cut into strips 

Here's what I did:

• browned the sausage, then turned the heat down and threw in the onions followed by the garlic and let them cook a LONG time (maybe close to 30 minutes?)
• preheated oven to 400, put fork marks all over the pie crust, and baked it for about 7-10 minutes
• took pie crust out of oven, then layered brown rice on the bottom (it absorbs all the tomato liquid!), chopped spinach, and tomatoes.
• put it back in the oven for about 15 minutes.
• add goat cheese and bake until barely browned on pie crust and cheese.
• add fresh basil strips and serve

Savor every bite, because there will be no leftovers!

Mung Mash

OK, I have to admit upfront that this recipe is not the prettiest dish I've ever made, but on the flip side, it might be one of the easiest, and it's really tasty. It's actually a variation on this recipe.

Mung beans are relatively new to me, but not the health store where I shop--they have them in the bulk section, which rocks my world, because that means it's a cheap meal. I have since discovered that mung beans contain high levels of protein, potassium, fiber, magnesium, and B vitamins (which help boost your mood during this gray time of year). The best part, especially after the holidays, is that they have only 30 calories for a whole cup.

Here's what you need:

• Crock pot
• 4 cups water
  
• 2 cups Mung Beans washed and picked over
• 1 medium sized sweet onion, chopped finely
• 2-3 medium sized carrots, chopped into small pieces(optional)
• 2 cups cooked brown rice (optional)
  
• 1-2 hand fulls of fresh, raw spinach (or other green)
  
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tablespoon Coconut oil or butter (optional)
  

Here's what to do:

• Wash and pick through the beans to remove anything that doesn't look like a bean.
  
• Chop the onion and set it aside while you...
  
• Put the beans in the crock pot with 4 cups of fresh water.
• Turn on the pot to cook at least 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low (actual cooking time will depend on your pot, of course. I cooked on high for 3 hours, then turned them off for an additional hour).
• Throw in the onion.
• Walk away.
• When beans are getting to the soft stage, add salt and pepper to taste and the oil. This is when I also added the carrots and turned off the pot ( I don't like my carrots too mushy!).
• Chop up some fresh spinach while warming up brown rice.
• Serve as a stacker...
• Brown Rice on bottom
• Chopped spinach in the middle
• Mung Mash on top
  
• Option: top it all off with a little sour cream or grated cheese.
• Enjoy with 4 or 5 of your favorite people!
  

Leftover love--throw some of the mash straight out of the fridge into a wrap with some fresh spinach leaves and Voila! You have an easy lunch for home or on the go.