Open-Face Portabello Mushroom Melt

Portabello mushrooms are a delicious alternative to hamburgers, turkey burgers and those miracle veggie burgers.  They are filling and satisfying and can be teamed up with a host of goodies to make a mouthwatering weekday meal for yourself or your family.

This is a perfect Spring or Summer lunch and so filling that you may not need a big dinner.  I added lots of flavors that I enjoy.  Sometimes, I make it strictly vegetarian, however, today, I added a couple of strips of low fat turkey bacon, because I wanted a bacon taste with the avocado I decided to add.

I always just use what I have in the fridge.  For example, I had some spring onions that needed using, so I cooked them instead of regular onions.  Anything that you would use to garnish your hamburger patties, you can use here.

 I used TJ's California-style Protein Bread and grated sharp Cheddar.  Way yummy!  You might like another hearty bread that will hold up to the ingredients.  If you notice, I did not use any salt  since my sauce is quite flavorful and the cheese and ranch dressing are salty enough.  Besides, you can taste the freshness and meatiness of the mushroom.

Ingredients

2 slices whole grain bread, toasted
1 or 2 Tbs olive oil
Large Portabello Mushroom, whole or sliced
Light mayo or your own special sauce* (See below)
Tomatoes, thin slices
Grated or sliced cheese
Onion slices, sauteed
2 slices crispy turkey bacon
1/2 avocado, sliced
Spring greens or lettuce of your choice
1 to 2 Tbs light Ranch dressing
Freshly ground pepper
My Own Special Sauce *

Heat olive oil over medium  heat. Add mushroom and saute, covered, on both sides in the olive oil.  Add onion slices and cook until soft.  Added grated or sliced cheese of choice.  Turn off heat and cover so the cheese melts over the mushroom and onions.  At this point, you can slice the mushroom so it spreads over both pieces of bread

Meanwhile, toast the bread and let get crispy.  Spread the mayo or sauce on both slices.  Place toast side-by-side on a plate.  Add spring greens and sliced tomatoes.  Grind pepper to taste on tomato slices.  Place mushroom with melted cheese and onions on top. Make sure to spread all ingredients over both slices of toast.  Add ranch dressing and spread over the top.  Place bacon slices acroos the top and add the avocado slices.  Not only beautiful, but delicious looking!

*My Own Special Sauce

1 cup light mayo
3-4 Tbs Greek yogurt or light sour cream
Pinch or two of cumin seeds
2-3 Tbs dill relish
Cayenne pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients well in a small mixing bowl. Chill before serving to let the flavors blend.  With this recipe, you can adjust ingredients to taste. 

 *  I also use this sauce on my fried catfish.  Way yum!

Healthy Fish Tacos For Your Family Movie Night

I usually make my fish tacos with fried fish, as in my photos here.  However, recently, I have been aware of the amount of sodium and fat I am eating these days.  So, for a change, I have been testing making my fish tacos by sauteeing the fish instead of frying.  I have also been experimenting with herbs and spices instead of salt since there is so much sodium in so many of the foods we eat.  Surprisingly, they taste just as good because of the seasonings in the guacamole and the salsa.  Plus, I have the pleasure of knowing they are truly healthy and still way yummy!  Even if you decide to fry your fish, you can omit deep frying and salt.

I have used catfish, tilapia, and whiting to make these.  You can use cod, flounder or any other white fish you have available.  I use the prepared standing taco shells, just because I like the idea that you can sit them up side-by-side and they don't fall over so much.

Ingredients

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 lb catfish, tilapia or cod fillets
*Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste, if necessary
Guacamole
Salsa
**Light sour cream or Homemade Fish taco sauce (See Below)
Shredded reduced-fat cheddar or Colby Jack cheese
Shredded lettuce
8 Stand and stuff taco shells

Preparation

Heat oil in skillet over low-medium heat.  Add the fish.  Add *salt and pepper if desired and cook slowly on each side for about 3-4 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.  I like to add a couple of tablespoons of water if the fish starts sticking to the bottom of the pan and then cover to steam until fish is done. Season with garlic salt. Remove from heat.

Place fish into shells and add toppings.  I usually start with the lettuce, fish, then guacamole on top; salsa, light sour cream or my homemade tartar sauce and cheese

*In my quest for no added salt recipes, I have combined ground savory, basil, dill to season the fish.  It has been a delicious substitute and has made the fish have really succulent.

My Homemade Tartar Sauce

1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup low or non-fat yogurt
2 Tbs dill relish
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp dried oregano or Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp basil
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper or to taste

In a medium bowl, mix together yogurt and mayonnaise.  Stir in dill relish, oregano, cumin seeds, dill, and cayenne.  Let stand to blend flavors while preparing tacos

Stuffed Soft Crabs Maryland Style

I love Maryland seafood.  There are so many delicious varieties in the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.  I feel lucky to have grown up in a region with, what I consider, the best seafood in the world. You may ask whether I have had all the seafood in the world and I'd have to say "no." Nevertheless, that's what I think and I'm sticking with it.

It's coming up on soft-shell crab season in May. I haven't tried this particular soft shell crab recipe yet, however, it won't be long before I do.  I love soft crabs and stuffing them with crab meat sounds so delicious.  I just hadn't thought of this.  It looks so easy and that's what I like--Food that is simple, easy and delicious.  Found this recipes in one of my Maryland Seafood Booklets.

12 medium Maryland soft crabs, cleaned
1 pound Maryland backfin crabmeat
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

Dry soft crabs with paper towels.
Remove all cartilage from crab meat.
Place soft crabs in shallow baking pan.
Remove top shell from crabs and stuff each
crab cavity with about 3 tablespoons
crabmeat. Replace top shell. Melt butter
and pour evenly over crabs. Bake at 400°F
until shells turn red and crabs are slightly
brown, about 15 minutes. Serves 6.

What are Clone or Copycat Restaurant Recipes?

Ever wonder what clone restaurant recipes are and whether they are really as good as the real thing?  As a personal chef I have.  They are supposed to be an exact duplicate or copy of the dishes you order from your favorite restaurant. My conclusion is that some are like the creations they represent and some are not.

Many home cooks replicate clone restaurant recipes in their own kitchens.  They are able to make the food taste like the real thing.  There are secret recipe cookbooks that are written by personal chefs or commercial cooks who have researched and tested various methods to come up with their own versions of dishes from famous eateries.

I, myself wondered about recipe secrets, so I invested in a couple of cookbooks that contain clone restaurant recipes from some of America's most popular eating places.  For the most part, they are simple and easy to make in your own kitchen.  Others are more complicated for new home cooks and take a great deal of time to prepare.

Even for more established cooks and personal chefs, demystifying these copycat recipe secrets can be a challenge.  However, there is great joy in having prepared a menu that includes a clone restaurant recipe that tastes like you would expect when you order it.

There is one e-cookbook that I swear by.  America's Most Wanted Recipes, written by Ron Douglas, has some of the best copycat recipes ever tried.  Check out this VIDEO where he talks about his book and, one of my favorite recipes, Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits.

5 Tips for Fish and Seafood Made Easy

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Today, I am sharing a few fish and seafood tips I have learned through many years of cooking.  Having grown up on the Severn River in Annapolis, off the Chesapeake Bay, my roots are "grounded," or should I say "watered." by the food that came from my environment.  In terms of food, my first love is seafood, including the many varieties of fish we find. 

Tip #1.  Preparing and cooking seafood is not difficult.  This is a common misperception that has kept many a home cook from attempting to prepare a quick and sumptuous meal.

Tip #2.  In general, fish and seafood should never be overcooked.  Because of its delicate nature, seafood will become rubbery or dry or even tough.  Seafood is at its best when cooked quickly.  There are exceptions, of course; as when we make crabmeat, scallop and shrimp quiche or the rich tomato-laced Italian stew, cioppino or fish curry or Louisiana gumbo.

Tip #3.  Be creative.  Go beyond macaroni and tuna salad. Mix flavors and textures using pasta and rice with seafood.  Cook spinach bow tie pasta with mushrooms, peas, canned tuna or salmon and cream for a change.

Tip #4.  Use a combination of seasonings you would ordinarily use to rub on chicken or meat to spice up your fish steaks or fillets.  Cook in a hot oiled skillet, like cast iron, for 3-5 minutes on each side depending on the thickness of each steak or fillet.

Tip #5.  Combine 1/2 cup Panko flakes with 1 cup yellow cornmeal and Cajun seasonings for extra crispy and light fried fish fillets.

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Baked Shad and Pancake Day: Memories of the Coming of Spring

Every year when Fat Tuesday comes, heralding the beginning of Mardi Gras and also Lenten season, I remember back to my childhood.  Spring was fast approaching.  Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, the official start of Lent, was called Pancake Day at my house.  It was the day when we ate pancakes for dinner. Pancake Day is celebrated in many places around the world.


As a rule, we had fish every Friday in my family.  When it was Lent, however, we would have also have fish on Wednesdays.  That was just fine with me.  My mom would often bake shad, a rather large fish from the waters of the Atlantic.  I must admit that this was not my favorite fish dish, covered with a tomato sauce.  However, I was overruled and did eat it.  Liked the fish itself, except for the many bones, I just could not reconcile tomato sauce over my fish. To get the bones to soften, you have to cook them for a long time.


Shad, though, also meant having shad roe, which I did love. I still love it; I just don't eat it anymore.  It is soooo rich.  Anyway, the big thing for me was that Shad meant that Spring was upon us! Yea!


I looked back at on my mom's old cookbooks to see if I could reconstruct the Baked Shad recipe.  This is close, I believe.  I admit, that I do not add sauce to mine.  I'm more likely to top whole baked fish with lemon and onion slices and dill.  However, since this is a "memory lane" type recipe, I'll stick with the original
Nope, I think I'll go with mine.  You can add tomato sauce over the top, if you like.

Baked Shad with(out) Tomato Sauce

1 large Shad, about 4 lbs

Olive or canola oil

Garlic salt and pepper

1 medium onion, sliced

Dried dill flakes

2 lemons, sliced

1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175C).  Gas mark 6.   Wash and dry fish.  I always have the head removed by the fishmonger.  Lay half of the sliced onions and 1 sliced lemon on the bottom of a well-oiled baking pan or oven-proof dish.  Sprinkle fish with garlic salt, dill and pepper and lay on top of the lemon and onion slices.  Brush top and sides of fish generously with oil.   Place remaining slices of onion and lemon on top of fish.  Sprinkle with dried dill flakes.   Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup water to bottom of pan.  

Cover pan with aluminum foil.  Cook for 2 hours.  Be careful of bones!

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Fried Catfish Nuggets for the Super Bowl Crowd?

Wow!  Had technical problems with my computer-tied to my phone service for a couple of days  This is the recipe for day 24 which should have been yesterday.

There's no way I could possibly share a 30-day recipe collection without including a favorite food of mine.  CATFISH!  And, in particular; fried catfish nuggets!  Growing up in Annapolis, Maryland, we could fish for catfish in the clean waters of the Severn River at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.  There was no pollution.  So even though catfish were called "bottom-feeders," the Bay and the river were so clean, the risk
of contamination was so extremely slight, that it was unheard of.  Now, of course, I get farm-raised catfish raised in certified waters.  I buy whole catfish or fillets or even pieces (nuggets) from my local supermarket.

I can eat it anytime and any day of the week.  Since I could eat half the whole batch below by myself, I would have to cook a lot for a Super Bowl crowd.  Catfish for four people is my limit.  So you might have to consider whether you want to have fried catfish for your Super Bowl crowd, too.  You don't want to have to spend all your time in the kitchen while everyone is watching the game.  You would no doubt have to keep replenishing the platter.

Fried Catfish Nuggets

2 lbs catfish fillets or nuggets
1 cup yellow corn meal
½ cup crushed Panko (Korean or Japanese bread crumbs)
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1 tsp dried parsley
Vegetable or Peanut Oil

If you have fillets, cut them into 1 inch pieces or nuggets.  Mix cornmeal, Panko, salt, pepper and dried seasonings in a thick brown paper bag.  Drop nuggets into bag and shake until well coated.  

Heat oil to hot in a large heavy skillet (cast-iron is my favorite).  Fry catfish in batches in a single layer.  Do not crowd.  Cook until golden brown; about 2-3 minutes on each side.  Drain on brown paper bag or newspaper covered with a paper towel.

Serve with homemade dipping sauce.

Homemade Dipping Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise
3 Tsp dill relish
Couple of dashes of hot sauce

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Recipes from Baltimore Raven Country Day 14

I grew up in Annapolis on the Chesapeake Bay where the entire family were fans of the Baltimore Colts (now Baltimore Ravens.  The Bay is most famous for its Blue crabs, so most people think the only thing we eat from crabs is crab cakes.  Not true.  There are many crab recipes.  Below, I found two from Marylanders, one who is an avowed Ravens fan, who had their crab recipes printed in the Baltimore Sun.

Cheese Crab Fries

Ingredients:

1 bag of French Fries
1 block of cheese (Provolone or Jack)
1 lb. of backfin crabmeat
Instructions:
Fry the bag of French Fries.
Pour the fries onto a baking tray.
Sprinkle crabmeat over the fries.
Shred the cheese over the entire dish.
Bake until the cheese is well melted.
Then serve to your roomful of Raven Fanatics. --Jack Girod, Eldersburg

Bay Poppers

Ingredients:

1 cup artichoke and spinach dip
1 lb. backfin crabmeat
1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 tsp. Cilantro
1 egg
1/2 cup flour
Instructions:
Mix dip and crab together gently with a fork in bowl. Form golf ball-size cakes. Mix egg with Old Bay, Tabasco, and cilantro and roll poppers in flour and egg wash. Deep fry until golden. Serve with horseradish sauce.--Wes McConnell, Timonium

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