Thai Style Crab & Udon Noodle Stir Fry

Ingredients:

7.5 oz package ready-to-wok udon noodles

3-4 oz. fresh crab (claw meat) - available in seafood dept. or in refrigerator case at Trader Joe's

3 green onions/spring onions stalks, chopped

1 c. snow peas, trimmed and chopped in 1/2

1/2 t. minced garlic

4 oz. (1/2 jar) Trader Joe's Satay Peanut Sauce or other quality Thai-Style satay sauce

dried red pepper flakes

fresh cilantro/coriander, finely chopped

1 lime

vegetable or canola oil for stir frying

Super easy one pot meal! Heat oil over medium flame and add onions, garlic & red pepper flakes. Once garlic starts to brown slightly, add snow peas and noodles. Heat through then add crab and Satay peanut sauce until mixed through. Removed from heat and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Serve with wedges of lime to squeeze juice over noodles. Enjoy!!

Tuna Fish Cakes with Garlic Herb Mayo

This recipe came from a cute pocket cookbook I picked up at a boutique in Stratford-Upon-Avon in December, called 200 Really Easy Recipes. I served the fish cakes & rocket with a side of garlic mashed potatoes. Yum!

Ingredients (Serves 4):

2 x 425g (14oz) cans tuna in olive oil, drained

300g (10oz) ricotta cheese

6 spring/green onions, finely chopped

grated rind and juice of 1 lime

1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill

1 egg, beaten

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

100g (3.5 oz) baby rocket/arugula leaves

salt & black pepper

1. Flake the tuna into a bowl and beat in the ricotta, spring onions, lime rind, dill, egg, and salt and pepper to taste with a wooden spoon. Reserve 2 tsp of the lime juice and beat the remainder into the tuna mixture. Shape into 12 small cakes about 7cm (3 inches) across.

2. Heat 1.5 Tbsp of the olive oil in a frying pan, add the fish cakes, in 2 batches, and cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side until golden. Reduce heat if they start to over-brown and cook for a further 1 minute. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and keep the cooked cakes warm in an oven preheated to 160C/325F while you cook the remainder.

3. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining olive oil and lime juice together and toss with the rocket leaves in a bowl. Serve the fish cakes with the rocket salad and some garlic & herb mayonnaise (see below).

Garlic & Herb Mayo

Add 1 crushed garlic clove, 2 tsp lime juice, 1 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander and a pinch of cayenne pepper to 150g (5oz) good-quality store-bought mayonnaise in a bowl and mix well. Taste and add more garlic if desired.

Easy Chipotle Shrimp Tacos

This recipe came from one of Oprah's favorite chefs, Custis Stone, and was featured on their Easy Family Dinners program. I've made it twice now--though I can't remember where I found the Chipotle Paste (it may have been London). In the US, cans of chipotle peppers in sauce can be found in the Mexican/Hispanic sections of most large grocery stores, so just experiment with the amount of peppers to suit your taste. I halved the recipe and it made about 6 large tacos.

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 small onion , roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 dried chipotle chilis, seeded and chopped

(or 50g Discovery brand Chipotle Paste)

3 tomatoes , roughly chopped

2.5 lbs (1500g) raw prawns/shrimp, peeled and deveined

(fresh prawns tasted way better than frozen, thawed prawns)

1/4 cup (60ml) lime juice to taste

Fresh cilantro (coriander)

Shredded cabbage

Corn tortillas

Directions:

1. Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, and sweat onions in 1 tablespoon of oil for 3 to 4 minutes or until translucent. Add garlic and chipotle peppers (or paste), and continue to sauté for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, season lightly with salt, cook for 1 minute and remove from heat.

2. Blend mixture well in small batches until smooth, adding a little water if needed, and reserve. In a large heavy-bottom pot, heat remaining oil over high heat. Add shrimp, season with salt and pepper and sauté for 2 minutes stirring occasionally, allowing the shrimp to lightly color. Remove shrimp from the pan to a plate and add the tomato mixture to the remaining oil in the pan, being careful, as it will splatter slightly.

3. Cook sauce for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, and add shrimp back to pot. Once shrimp are cooked through and coated with the sauce, remove from heat and season to taste with lime juice, salt and pepper. Finish with the chopped cilantro and serve with shredded cabbage on corn tortillas (Note: I tossed my cabbage in a homemade chili-lime-cilantro dressing before serving, and that gave it a nice, fresh tang). Add additional toppings as desired: salsa, sour cream, guacamole, etc.

Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls

These spring rolls take a little patience to assemble, but they taste super fresh and are really healthy as well. I found the right kind of spring roll wrappers at Whole Foods in London, and used them up already, but am keeping an eye out for them in Birmingham. Let me know if you spot them anywhere!

They are best served with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce for dipping, but would also be good with a peanut satay sauce!

Ingredients:

1 pack spring roll rice paper wrappers (8.5 inch diameter)

1 pack ready-to-wok (pre-cooked) thin vermicelli rice noodles, separated into portions matching the number of spring roll wrappers

1 carrot, peeled, then grated into long slices with a carrot peeler

1 cucumber, peeled, then grated into long slices with a carrot peeler

1 bunch mixed baby salad greens

200g cooked prawns, tails off, sliced in half from head to tail

fresh coriander, leaves picked

fresh mint, leaves picked

Directions:

1. If you can't find pre-cooked rice noodles, then follow the pack directions to soften the noodles. Otherwise, follow the pack directions for softening the spring roll wrappers. I basically filled a large frying pan with warm/hot water and let it cool a bit. Spread a damp tea towel on the kitchen counter next to your pan of water for assembling the rolls.

2. Start by immersing one wrapper in the water, and let it sit until softened, 10-15 seconds. When soft and pliable (it should feel silky), remove it from the water and lay it on the tea towel. Dab the excess water off with a dry tea towel. The wrapper should be slightly sticky.

3. Place one portion of rice noodles towards the bottom edge of the wrapper. Lay several lettuce leaves over the noodles and top the lettuce with 5-6 pieces of prawns. Over the prawns, lay a few slices each of carrot and cucumber gratings, then sprinkle over coriander and mint leaves.

4. Fold roll like a burrito: take bottom edge (closest too you) and fold it over the filling until the wrapper edge touches the wrapper on the opposite side of the filling. The edges should stick together slightly. Next, fold each side edge in just enough to enclose either end of the filling. Last, roll the filled end over until the wrap is rolled up. Note: The tighter you can manage to wrap the rolls, the better chance you have that they won't fall apart. It takes a little practice.

5. Serve wraps immediately with sweet chili sauce or a peanut satay sauce. If you need to store them, I usually lay them on a damp paper towel in a Tupperware container, and then lay another wet paper towel over the tops before closing the lid. This will keep the wraps from drying out.

Salmon & Peas Bake

Made this with a big green salad for a quick & easy post-holiday dinner last night. I forgot to take photos of the meal, but the fish was tasty, so I thought it was worth sharing the recipe. This recipe came from The Big Book of Casseroles, though it's not a traditional casserole: 

Ingredients (serves 4 to 6):

1/4 cup light mayonnaise

1/2 tsp dried tarragon, crumbled

1 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tsps fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

freshly ground pepper

3-4 salmon steaks or fillets (1 1/2 to 2 lbs total weight/750 to 1000g)

1 1/2 cups fresh peas, or frozen peas, thawed

Lemon wedges for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 425F/210C. In a small bowl, mix mayo, tarragon, parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

2. Spread a thin layer of the mayo mixture on the bottom of a 6-inch x 10-inch baking dish. Add salmon. Spread remaining mayo mixture over top of salmon pieces

3. Bake, uncovered, 8 minutes. Sprinkle peas around the edge of the dish. Bake until fish flakes and peas are tender, about 6 minutes longer. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve.

Easy Pad Thai with Chicken, Shrimp or Tofu

There are many ways to make Pad Thai, but I like the taste of the Thai Kitchen brand of Pad Thai Noodle Sauce, so I buy that and roughly follow their recipe, which saves me from having to get the right mix of spice and flavorings (Note: Take care if you have nut allergies, as the sauce may contain traces of peanuts, nuts and sesame seeds). We made this last night for dinner and I added extra fish sauce, which ended up making it a little too salty for my taste, so I wouldn't do that again next time.

You can use chicken, shrimp/prawns, tofu or any combination of the three, as long as you have the right weight. I used about 1/2 chicken and 1/2 cooked jumbo prawns, as that's what I had on hand. You could even try it with veggies I suppose (maybe green & red peppers or thai eggplant)! The jar says this makes 4 servings, but if this is all you are eating, it really only serves 2 -3 hungry adults. You could probably make it stretch to serve 4 if you serve some soup with it.

Ingredients:

1 jar Thai Kitchen Pad Thai Noodle Sauce, 340g/10-12 oz. (3 pepper rating--it's spicy)

2 large eggs, beaten

400g/13 oz. cooked prawns/shrimp, or raw, diced chicken breasts, or uncooked, cubed tofu

4 -6 scallions/spring onions, chopped

100-200g bean sprouts

250g (1/2 lb.) cooked rice noodles (cook ahead if cooked noodles aren't available)

1/3 c. crushed/chopped peanuts

Small bunch cilantro/coriander, roughly chopped

1 lime, cut into 8 slices

Instructions:

In a large frying pan, stir fry diced chicken with 1 Tbsp oil, add eggs before chicken is fully cooked and continue frying until eggs are fully cooked. Add about 1/2 jar of Pad Thai sauce, green onions, bean sprouts and cooked noodles, and heat through. If using cooked shrimp/prawns, add them to the pan about 1-2 minutes before serving, so they just heat through and don't overcook. Note: if using uncooked shrimp, omit oil and add shrimp to the pan with eggs, and cook until pink before adding noodles. If using tofu, grill or pan-fry ahead in a separate pan and add to dish with noodles and sauce.

You can add the chopped peanuts and cilantro/coriander to the noodles and mix them through before serving, or serve them on the side and let others add them to their own taste. Serve hot in bowls garnished with lime wedges (squeeze juice over noodles before eating). Enjoy!

Crab Mold with Chili Sauce

Our family has been making this dish for Thanksgiving since I was a child, but I have never seen it served anywhere else. I believe the recipe originally came from my paternal grandmother. We traditionally served it as a side dish along with all the turkey trimmings, but now we usually have it as an appetizer before the main meal, served with crackers. Tip: Leftover chili sauce is also great on an iceberg salad with green onions, hardboiled egg and a white vinaigrette dressing. Note: Requires overnight refrigeration so make ahead!

Chilled Crab Mold with Chili Sauce

1/2 lb. (250g) white crab, chopped

6oz (185g) cream cheese

1 c. mayonnaise

1 c. celery chopped fine

1 T. gelatin (gelatine)

1 can cream of mushroom soup, warmed

Salt to taste

Sauce: Mix Heinz chili sauce*, mayonnaise and horseradish to your taste. Sauce should be deep pink and tangy. *In UK, you can try to substitute Hot Tomato Ketchup or regular Ketchup with a small spoonful of Easy Chili. Heinz Chili Sauce is available at Partridge's in London.

Instructions: Dissolve gelatin in 3 Tbsp cold water. Add to warm soup. Beat cream cheese and mayo together and combine with soup mix. Fold in crab and celery. Pour into a mold (or small glass bowl) sprayed with Pam or other butter spray. Refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, submerge mold in warm water for 1-2 minutes to loosed, being careful not to let the water seep into the crab, then turn out onto a serving platter. Serve chilled with chili sauce and crackers.