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Baked Spiced Salmon Cakes

These Baked Spiced Salmon Cakes are something that I’ve had up my sleeve for a while. It’s one of those simple, no-brainer types of dinners that are perfect for your typical Tuesday night. The leftovers might be my favourite part of making these salmon cakes for dinner. because as much as I love cooking, sometimes I just don’t feel like making dinner, especially when I’m taking some time off.

I finished exams last week (finally!) and since last Tuesday at 10pm, I have been taking a much needed break from everything. I’m not the best at taking breaks, I feel like it’s a skill that has to be learned. I, like many others, tend to feel really guilty when I’m not doing something. I always feel like I need to be crossing things off my to-do list, and moving forward and improving. But during this week off (OK, so I did post last week…baby steps), I realized just how nice it can be to take a step back and look at everything you’ve done and enjoy it.

Baked Spiced Salmon Cakes (serves 4-6)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

14 oz (2 213g cans) canned salmon
1 med. sweet potato, peeled, boiled and mashed
1/4 cup flour
1 egg, whisked
1 green onion, sliced
zest of 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tbsp chopped capers
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
Cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large bowl, using a fork, combine all ingredients except for breadcrumbs.

Use an ice cream scoop to scoop salmon mixture. Using your hands form into patties. Carefully dredge in panko.

Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Spray patties with cooking spray.

Bake for 5-7 minutes in the oven, before flipping patties over and cooking for another 5 minutes. Finally, turn on the broiler and broil patties for 2 minutes – this helps to get them nice and crunchy.

These Baked Spiced Salmon Cakes make a great dinner with ingredients that are probably already in your pantry.

- Lou

Thyme Chicken Drumsticks

Chicken is something that can become boring over time, it’s such a staple food in most households that it just never seems to be something special. Well ladies and gentlemen, let me present you Thyme Chicken Drumsticks. I’m like all of you, always on the hunt for new chicken recipes, I can’t even begin to tell you the amount of times I’ve looked through Martha Stewart’s 100 Chicken Recipes, it’s too embarrassing.

Now, here’s where I think a lot of people go wrong, myself included, please stop always buying the boneless, skinless chicken breasts. They are in no way, shape or form the best way to enjoy chicken. It’s like going to the movies and deciding between seeing the newest 5 star reviewed drama and the half star rom-com. Ok, I’ll admit that I’ve chosen the half star rom-com before, but it’s never better than the drama. Sometimes go for the chicken breasts, but 9 times out of ten go for chicken legs, or chicken wings or chicken thighs. Unless you’re planning on making Shredded Chicken Tacos, in that case run for the chicken breasts, it’s worth it.

These drumsticks have a slight crunchy skin and the meat just falls off the bone. They are so extremely easy to make that you won’t believe how good they taste. These are definitely a new staple in my house.

Thyme Chicken Drumsticks (makes 10 drumsticks)

Ingredients

10 chicken legs
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Combine spices and thyme in a small boil.

Rinse and pat dry chicken and place in a ziploc plastic bag. Add half of the spice mixture. Shake bag around to coat chicken. Add the remaining spice mixture and shake around again to evenly coat. Add the olive oil, shaking one last time to evenly coat chicken with oil.

Place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes before flipping chicken over and cooking the other side for 18-20 minutes.

These chicken drumsticks are so delicious you’ll be making them weekly.

Have a nice weekend,

Lou

Baked Salmon Cakes

I really love salmon, it’s definitely one of my favourite things to eat, so it’s pretty surprising that I’ve never tried a salmon cake. I’ve always just been a fan of the classic, baked salmon. The one that melts in your mouth, and is flavored with whatever your mind can imagine. However, I get bored easily, so I’m always trying to find new ways to eat my favourite things.

I was watching The Food Network one morning, and on the show I was watching they were making salmon cakes, they looked so easy, affordable and tasty. Something that could be flavored however you wanted, maybe I would make some spicy salmon cakes packed with hot sauce and hot peppers and chili powder, or I would make savory salmon cakes with bacon and cheese, or maybe I would go with these salmon cakes, a more basic and perfect way to get into salmon cakes. I’ve created a flavor combination that just works, the capers and Dijon add a nice, salty and tangy addition to the sweet and healthy sweet potato, the hot sauce adds a little bit of a kick and the panko creates a nice crunchy crust without frying. These are healthy, easy and delicious, perfect for a weeknight meal.

Baked Salmon Cakes (makes 8 salmon cakes)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and boiled
1 green onion, sliced
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
zest of 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 egg, whisked
1/4 +2/3 cup of panko bread crumbs
3/4 tsp hot sauce
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp chopped capers
2 6 oz (180g) cans of wild salmon
olive oil for pan

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook peeled sweet potato until just fork tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine green onion, parsley, lemon zest, mayonnaise, egg, 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs, hot sauce, Dijon mustard, paprika, chopped capers and canned salmon in a large bowl. Once sweet potato is cooked, add to bowl and mash the mixture together.

Form the mixture into 8 patties using your hands, then bread patties in the remaining 2/3 cup of panko. And place on a greased baking sheet. Spray one side of the patties with cooking spray.

I hope you enjoy these salmon cakes, they are one of my favourite things right now, I served mine with lots of hot sauce and some Spicy Broccoli.

- Lou

Sweet and Spicy Salmon

Salmon is one of my favourite proteins to cook with because there are so many things you can do with it. This Sweet and Spicy Salmon is probably one of my ultimate favourite ways to enjoy salmon, it’s such a quick and simple staple meal that it has never crossed my mind to share it with you. Well, don’t worry, those days are over. You can now sigh a happy sigh of relief. With just four ingredients, yes I said four, you can have this salmon on the table in just 21 minutes.

Can you imagine, getting home from work/school at 7:40pm only to realize that there are only 20 minutes until Grey’s Anatomy starts! What are you going to have for dinner? There’s not enough time so you think to pull out one of those sodium stuffed frozen meals, well friends, please don’t do that. With only a couple of minutes of prep time you’ll be eating your salmon in no time. As far as side dishes go, anything from my Side Dishes category would do, but my personal favourites are this quick and easy 5 minute Spiced Couscous or these quick Green Beans in Vinaigrette.

Sweet and Spicy Salmon (serves 4)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 lbs skin on salmon fillets
2 1/2 tbsp honey mustard
3/4 tsp chipotle hot sauce
1/2 tsp sriracha sauce (a hot chili sauce)
1/4 tsp dijon mustard

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Grease a baking dish and place salmon skin side down on dish. Combine whisk together remaining ingredients and brush over salmon.

Bake for 20 minutes or until fully cooked.

This salmon should melt in your mouth and has the perfect balance of sweet and spicy.

- Lou

Maple Glazed Salmon

Salmon was one of the first things I made when I began cooking again a year and a half ago. Pan fried salmon with green beans and mushrooms sauteed in butter. My mom, dad and myself gobbled it up, I remember it like it was yesterday. It is still one of my favourite meals, and I’m still making it today, or at least making variations of this classic dish. Salmon, green beans and mushrooms are like those old friends you can always turn to. Although, I think it’s pretty hard to have three old friends to turn to…at least when you’re still in high school. Anyways, that’s beside the point.

This is a new take on my favourite – Maple Glazed Salmon. I’m Canadian, and we live for maple syrup up here and I don’t know if it’s my Canadian side talking here, but this maple glazed salmon is pretty darn delicious.

I would think that macaroni and cheese, chili, or a big warm bowl of soup would be the most common choices for a comforting dish. Well, if you know me you probably know that I’m not like most people, so, it should come as no surprise that neither of those three are my favourite comfort foods. To me, salmon is one of the most comforting dishes. Is that weird? Probably. I also hate when people talk to me during movies so I enjoy seeing them alone…again, slightly odd. Sometimes, I prefer to eat vegetables over candy. I love words, my dad and I do SAT vocab flashcards for fun. I love going out and forget to do my homework until late Sunday night… wait, that’s normal.

I’m not weird, I’m limited edition.

Maple Glazed Salmon (serves 3)
Slightly adapted from: Canadian Living originally from, Linda Stephen’s The Best Convection Oven Cookbook, (2003)

Ingredients
1 lbs salmon fillets
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp soya sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 (convection oven) or 425 (conventional oven). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine maple syrup, Dijon mustard and soya sauce in a bowl. Brush sauce over salmon.

Bake at 400 (convection oven) for 8-10 minutes or at 425 (conventional oven) for 11-13 minutes.

Enjoy this maple glazed salmon with Spicy Broccoli or Green Beans in Vinaigrette.

- Lou