dinner » Living Lou

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

World’s Best Meatballs

I know, calling this recipe World’s Best Meatballs is a huge statement. But guys, these are actually the absolute best. Maybe it’s the addition of a little sausage meat, or the Italian spices or Parmesan cheese, but whatever it is, it just works. To me, spaghetti and meatballs is probably my favourite comfort food, and I could definitely go for a little comfort right now.

I’m in a bit of a rut right now. Maybe it’s because it’s mid March and it. is. still. snowing. Or maybe it’s because I’m less than a month away from my twentieth birthday, which is a scary thought. Maybe it’s because since January I have been burning the candle from both ends. Or maybe it’s because I have five finals and seven assignments due within the next three weeks. If this was a multiple choice question, the answer would be D. All of the above.

So how does one get themselves out of said rut? I’ve been trying to spend more time doing things I love, like watching 2 hours of Dance Moms. I’ve also been trying to get back into the kitchen, my happy place. The past couple of months have been a little slow and my oven is feeling a little lonely. These meatballs are the kind of dish that will get you excited to get into the kitchen because they are so delicious – you’ll never go back to your old meatball recipe again!

World’s Best Meatballs (makes 24 med/large meatballs)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey
1 lb hot Italian sausage meat
1 egg
1/4 cup flour (can easily substitute a gluten free flour here – I’ve used rice flour before.)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a baking dish with olive oil.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. I like to use my hands for this, it’s easier than with a spoon. Shape into 24 meatballs and place on the baking sheet.

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until fully cooked.

To make a quick, easy and delicious weeknight dinner, I like to serve my World’s Best Meatballs meatballs with my favourite Easy Spaghetti Sauce.

- Lou

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

This recipe for Stuffed Pork Tenderloin is a real winner. You can serve it at a dinner party, or as a Sunday lunch, or even just casually on a Thursday night because you felt like it. I mean, there is never a wrong time for good food.

What I love about this dish is that it’s made with such simple ingredients, but when they are put together, they create such a balance and depth. It’s packed with wholesome, flavorful ingredients that really showcase just how amazing food can be. This is the kind of dish that you can be proud to serve to your family.

It’s healthy recipes like this one that make me so happy. Making a Stuffed Pork Tenderloin might seem a little scary, a little out of your comfort zone, but believe me, it isn’t.

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin (serves 4)

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup diced button Mushrooms
1/3 cup finely diced orange pepper (red or yellow would also work)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup chopped, pitted Kalamata olives
1 tsp dried sage leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
3 tsp Dijon mustard, divided
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 lb)
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
2 cups sliced sweet potatoes (about 2 medium sized sweet potatoes)
5-6 pieces of string for tying

Directions

For the filling, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium high heat; saute mushrooms and red pepper for 3-4 minutes or until moisture is released from mushrooms and evaporated. Add olives, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Saute another 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp Dijon.

Cut tenderloin almost in half lengthwise so it opens like a book; pound to flatten slightly – I used a heavy bottom pan, but a rolling pin would work as well.

Sprinkle the inside of the tenderloin with Parmesan cheese and parsley. Spread and lightly pack the filling down center of pork, leaving a 1” boarder. Fold over the edges, packing down filling as you go, some will spill out the top but that’s fine. Secure with string, tying knots about 2 inches apart. Cut the ends of the string with scissors.

Lightly oil a roasting pan and add sliced sweet potatoes. Place pork tenderloin on top.

In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons oil, honey and remaining 2 tsp of Dijon mustard. Pour over tenderloin and potatoes.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Don’t forget to remove string before serving.

This is one of my favourite recipes right now, let me know if you give it a try this weekend.

- Lou

Shrimp with Spicy Garlic Sauce

Sometimes, I just don’t feel like cooking. I would rather lay on the couch watching a double feature of so-bad-they’re-good Christmas movies and eating popcorn with too much butter. This happens more often than I’d like to admit, but that’s real life, friends. I have definitely fallen off the healthy eating wagon, especially when it comes to snacks, it’s nachos all the time. And donuts. And cookies. But that’s what January is for, right?

This is a simple and healthy dinner – one of those that you don’t have to put much thought or effort into. Shrimp with Spicy Garlic Sauce makes healthy eating easy and fast. Sometimes I’ll eat these shrimp on their own, but if I want a more substantial dish, I’ll eat it over a bowl of rice. The shrimp are pretty spicy, but if you aren’t really a fan of spice, use less sriracha.

Shrimp with Spicy Garlic Sauce (serves 4)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients
4 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 lbs frozen cooked shrimp with tails, thawed (can also use raw shrimp)*
4 tbsp soya sauce
3 tbsp sriracha sauce  (hot chili sauce)
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp honey
2 green onions, sliced  (for garnish)

Directions

In a bowl, whisk together soya sauce, sriracha, vinegar, spices, sesame oil and honey.

In a large pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, cooking until fragrant about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the sauce.

*If using raw shrimp, cook with garlic and sauce about 2 minutes per side or until pink.

Bring sauce to a boil and continue cooking until thickened, to your desired consistency. I found it took about 3-5 minutes. Stir continuously to avoid burning. Toss in the thawed shrimp, stir to coat in sauce and warm up.

Serve over a bowl of rice and garnish with green onions.

I hope you try this recipe, it’s one of my go-to recipes of the moment.

- Lou

Zucchini Fritters

Zucchini is everywhere right now, but after looking at hundreds of recipes online on other blogs, I realized that I’m really lacking in zucchini recipes on here. Gasp! But don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. I’ve got a couple of zucchini recipes up my sleeve for those of you with bountiful zucchini growing in your garden or for those of you like me, who just really like zucchini. Zucchini Fritters are a pretty typical way to enjoy zucchini, I wanted to make mine a little different and I added fresh basil which compliments the zucchini wonderfully.

There aren’t many foods, other than the holy trifecta of bacon, eggs and toast, and we can’t forget pizza that you can eat for dinner and breakfast, but you can add these Zucchini Fritters to that list. I feel like these would even make a good packed lunch because they taste amazing when they’re cold. I like to eat mine with a little ketchup mixed with sriracha – it’s so good.

Zucchini Fritters (makes 6)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 small onion, shredded
2 zucchini, shredded
1 tbsp minced fresh chives
1 tbsp minced fresh basil
1 egg
2 tbsp plain yogurt
2 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 + 1/4 tsp salt
Oil for frying

Directions

In a colander lined with paper towels, place zucchini with 1 tsp of salt. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, using more paper towel if necessary, squeeze out as much liquid from the zucchini as possible.

Combine zucchini with remaining ingredients in a large bowl.

Cover the pan with oil, heat over medium-high heat. Using an ice cream scoop, drop one scoop per fritter into the hot oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side. If you find that the fritters are cooking too quickly, turn the heat down to medium and continue frying.

If you’re looking for more ways to use up your zucchini, try my Stuffed Mushrooms.

- Lou