Okay, so it’s been a busy week. A very, very busy week. Between spring break fun (Legoland, the beach, lots of swimming with friends) and evenings filled with meetings and other commitments, I expected to be a little tired. But then Tuesday after we got home, I planted the girls on the couch in front of a show and crashed on the couch. Wednesday I was yawning and headachey during the entire second half of an unusually long Junior League board meeting. And Thursday I had a little bit of a fever. And I was completely, totally wiped. After the girls went to bed, I could hardly stand to look at my computer. Today, I am playing catch up, a little, so bear with me. Over the weekend, I plan to post some cute Easter outfits for boys and brother/sisters (a little late, I know), my next stylish mommy, and an update on my latest venture. So don’t give up on me – the week’s not quite over yet. In the meantime, I’ve been doing a lot of cooking and baking, trying to get through some of the produce I bought. Here is what I’ve made:
Salmon Oatcakes:
Super simple, healthy and economical too, I made these for dinner tonight. Simply whiz 3/4 cup of quick cooking oats in the food processor or spice grinder, and add 3 tablespoons water to it. Then mix it into a bowl with 3 5oz pouches of wild-caught salmon, 1 teaspoon of mustard powder and some chopped green onions. Form into patties and cook in a little olive oil in a skillet for about 10 minutes, until browned on each side. These were so good, but I do think a little milk or egg would have helped bind everything together a little better. They sort of fell apart. Really yummy with some balsamic glaze drizzled on top. I served these with organic roasted beets (the first time I have ever made them – they have always turned me off for some reason) and they were so good. Even the girls sampled them, after I did the sales pitch about them turning everything pink!
Clean Lemon Bars
It is rare that I blow myself away, but these extremely easy, clean lemon bars are so good they really wowed me, and my husband too. My girls, it seems, are not a big fan of lemon or lime desserts. Last summer’s key lime ice cream failed to win them over, and neither did the Ciao Bella Key Lime Graham Gelato I brought out today when the cousins came over to swim. : ( But anyway. These also took only about 10 minutes to make, and were so, so easy and foolproof. In a food processor, combine 1 cup of spelt flour with 4 tbs of cold butter and 4 tbs of a natural sugar, like turbinanado. Pulse until it resembles cornmeal. Press into the bottom of an 8″ square glass baking pan, greased. Back for 10-14 minutes at 350 until little cracks form in the surface and edges are beginning to brown. In the meantime, make the lemon part: 2 tsp lemon zest (I used slightly less because of what my lemons generated), 1/2 cup Meyer lemon juice (or use regular lemon juice and add an extra tsp of sugar), 2 tbs of spelt flour, 2 tbs of sugar, 2 eggs, 1/2 tsp of baking soda and a pinch of salt. Whisk together in a bowl for about a minute until combined. When you bring the base out of the oven, pour the lemon mixture on top. Bake again until it sets, 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars. If you are lemon lover, you must try these. Sooooo good!
Kale Salad:
I just discovered that kale, uncooked, on its own, is sooo yummy. All I did with the fresh organic kale that I bought is tear it into bite-sized pieces (discarding stems), massage some oil and lime juice into it (apparently this step helps soften the leaves), and let it sit for 15-20 minutes before serving (also to soften the leaves). I added a little bit of blue cheese, but even without it, this was so, so yummy. I didn’t even need to add salt and pepper!
Next on my list: Kiwi Breakfast Cake, Crunchy Garam Masala Chick peas, Peach Pecan Snack Cakes, and Cheddar Sweet Potato muffins, so stay tuned. 🙂
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