Category Archives: Seafood

Open-Face Crab Burgers with Red Pepper Dressing and Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Red Bell Pepper

Looking at the title I was obviously in a red bell pepper mood eh? I have to say I have been looking forward to these two recipes all week from the May Bon Appetit and they did not disappoint.

First, the Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Red Bell Pepper had some interesting flavor combinations of roasted sweet potatoes, cilantro, shallots, jalapeno, rice wine vinegar, green onions and obviously red bell pepper. I did not have a fresh red bell pepper on hand so used a roasted red pepper from the jar. The recipe doesn’t call for it but I kind of mashed this all together when it was still warm and the flavor was excellent and sooooo easy to make.
The Open-Face Crab Burgers with Red Pepper Dressing were just as easy to make. You will see in the recipe the sauce mimics what goes into the actual burger so you can easily set out two bowls and dump the same ingredient into each bowl as you go. While they melded in the fridge I made the salad and simply grilled and served.
 Give them a try, I think you will looooove these two!

Scallophobia? No Way!

I have to confess, I love scallops…when they are cooked at a restaurant. I have had a fear of cooking them at mi casa because if you overcook them they get too chewy and if they are undercooked well, let’s just not go there. SO, I was brave last night and tried the Seared Scallops with Roasted Tomatoes from Cooking Light and I did good for my first attempt!

This recipe was so fast I barely had time to do anything else (i.e. pour a glass of wine) until it was done. I wasn’t feeling pasta last night so instead I sauteed some fresh broccoli and served with the scallops and roasted tomatoes with just a smidge of fresh lemon juice.
Give this dish a try if you are looking to experiment easily with scallops – it was a very enjoyable. Do you think I’ve earned the right to wear a “Top Scallop” t-shirt now?
Also, in honor of April Fool’s Day I really enjoyed this story on Great Food Pranks. I cannot believe people really thought you could grow spaghetti trees.

Crab Cakes and Cooking Light

The weather is getting a little warmer here in Austin and I have to say after all this rich comfort food craze that’s been going on I felt like something a little lighter and spring-ish. My first thought was a delicious crispy crab cake and what better source to turn to than Cooking Light for something light and more nutritionally sound for you? For the record, I love Cooking Light, when a new issue arrives I spend at least an hour on my couch with some tea thumbing through it lovingly and marking recipe after recipe to try.

This lovely Crab Cakes with Roasted Vegetables and Tangy Butter Sauce recipe was on the cover in the spring last year and it does not disappoint. What I love about Cooking Light is that even when you follow their recipes exactly you do not miss any of the flavor or fat in the dish, sure it’s a little more measuring and pairing back on fats, salt etc but I do not mind or miss it.

When I first saw this recipe I thought it was a bit much for a weeknight meal but actually it all worked out pretty quickly. While the crab cake mixture chills/melds in the fridge you can easily get your veggies ready to roast and the sauce takes four minutes on the stove! I followed the recipe exactly as said and the crab cakes were crispy and golden, the vegetables were roasted perfectly and the sauce is amazing and tangy and buttery. I did add sliced red bell peppers when I put the haricot verts in just for good nutrient measure.

I do have one note here and I’m saying this from personal experience, please, please use the good, and yes a little more expensive, real crab meat, you cannot substitute with imitation crab. I did this one time because I was trying to save a few dollars and it was a real untasty disaster.

On a scale of 1 – 10, I would give this recipe a 7.5.

Enjoy!