Salmon Chowder

While I profess to be almost vegetarian, I still find myself making some throw-back recipes like this one.  Mike loves it, and it gives him a break from some of the more "hard-core" vegetarian/vegan recipes that I like.  I have changed it up a little, but the fact of having salmon in it makes it ok with him.

Before the Internet one could send can labels (this was even before bar codes) to a manufacturer and get little recipe fliers that promoted a product.  This is from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, Juneau, Alaska.  I did not record a date.  I've been making this for well over 20 years.

Ingredients
1 can (15 1/2 ounces) salmon
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 glove minced garlic
3 tablespoons butter or bacon fat I use olive oil now.
2 cups diced potatoes I like to use red-skin potatoes and leave the skin on.
2 cups chicken broth I use veggie broth or broth I save when I steam broccoli.
1 teaspoon salt Canned salmon is salty enough--no salt needed.
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1 can (13 ounces) evaporated milk I use lite coconut milk.
1 can (8 3/4 ounces) cream-style corn

Directions
Drain and flake salmon, reserving liquid.  Saute onion, celery, and garlic in butter or bacon fat.  Add potatoes, chicken broth, and seasonings.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add salmon and reserved liquid, evaporated milk and corn. I just add the salmon and liquid all at once and break it up in the pan as I stir it. Continue cooking until heated through.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

I usually double this because everyone loves it and it goes quickly.  The flavor is even better on the second day.

Sorry, no nutritional information.

Salmon Chowder

Pot Sticker Miso Soup

I was looking for something quick and hearty for a cold, snowy, winter night.  Then I remembered my PDQ cookbook. I picked one up for Justin in 2007.  He was eating vegetarian and these were super easy.  I tried out a few recipes and it was so good I got one for myself.

From:  The PDQ (Pretty Darn Quick) Vegetarian Cookbook
By:  Donna Klein

Makes 4 servings
Vegan

"Miso is a fermented soy paste that is used frequently in Japanese cooking to flavor and thicken soups and sauces.  While just 1 tablespoon of miso contains 2 grams of protein and 1 gram of dietary fiber, it also contains about 800 milligrams of sodium.  If you are watching your salt intake, use the lesser amount in the recipe.  Vegetarian pot stickers, a ravioli-like Asian pasta, are typically filled with a combination of cabbage, carrots, and radishes.  Both miso and pot stickers can be found in Asian markets as well as specialty and health food stores; I got mine at Trader Joe's."

• 2 1/2 cups water (*I used whatever vegetable broth I have on hand)
• 1 14-ounce can low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon freeze-dried chopped chives
• 8 ounces frozen vegetarian pot stickers
• 1/2 cup canned straw mushrooms, drained (optional) (*I love these.)
• 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons miso, preferably the brown variety, mixed with 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon toasted dark sesame oil

In a medium stockpot, bring the water, broth, and chives to a boil over medium-high heat.  Add the pot stickers and mushrooms; stir and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until pot stickers are softened but still firm to the bite, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and add the miso mixture and sesame oil, stirring well to combine.  (If not serving immediately, keep warm over low heat, but do not allow the mixture to boil.) Serve hot.

Nutritional info:  Calories 135, Protein 9 grams, Total Fat 2 grams, Saturated Fat 0 grams, Cholesterol 0 grams, Carbs 21 grams, Dietary Fiber 2 grams, Sodium  629 milligrams

Variations:

1. Miso Noodle Soup-- Substitute 2 to 3 ounces somen noodles, broken in half, for the pot stickers.
2. Miso Soup-- Omit the pot stickers and mushrooms.  After the broth mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat and stir in the miso mixture and sesame oil.  Serve hot.

My note:  I use low-sodium miso.  It still has plenty of of sodium.  I like to serve it with some sort of thick crusty bread or biscuits--though that isn't very Asian.  It's best to use it all up at once.  Trader Joe's pot stickers come in a 16 ounce package.  That makes a lot of soup.  The pot stickers get a bit droopy on the second day, but the flavor is even richer as the miso has time to blend and mellow.

Miso Pot Sticker Soup

*My note.

An Apple Pie in a Tortilla

SXM Strudel

This recipe comes from The Everyday Herbivore, by Lindsay S. Nixon.  Yes, it's my favorite cookbook right now.  What I like most about it is that the recipes are easy, tasty, and healthy.  So, other than the fact that I need to learn how to wrap a tortilla, it turned out very well.  Both my husband and I loved it, and my daughter-in-law requested the recipe.  So here goes.  Enjoy.

SXM Strudel

Ingredients:

1 apple, cored and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon  brown sugar

dash of ground cinnamon

1 whole wheat tortilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.
2. Toss the apples in a mixing bowl with sugar and several dashes of cinnamon, until the apple slices are well-coated.
3. If you want the ooey-gooey, apple-pie filling,  you'll need to pan-fry the apples while your oven preheats (otherwise, put raw apples straight in the tortillas as directed in # 4).  Line a skillet with a thin layer of water and saute apples over high heat until they start to soften and the water has cooked off.  About 4 minutes.
4. Turn off heat and quickly microwave your tortilla for 5 to 15 seconds, so that it's soft and pliable (perhaps longer if you kept it in the fridge, but it shouldn't be longer than 20 to 30 seconds).
5. Spoon the apples into the center of the tortilla, setting a few slices aside, then roll up the tortilla like a burrito.
6. Place it, crease side down on the baking sheet with a few apple slices over the top.  Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden and crispy, but not burned, or bake for less time if you still want it to be soft.

 

Any one who knows me, knows that I didn't make just one.  I must have quadrupled!  But they refrigerate well, and Mike and I had them for breakfast on days 2 and 3.

 

 Nutritional Info:  182 calories, 1 gram fat, 44.9 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams fiber, 27.9 grams sugars, 1.9 grams protein

Chefs Note:  For a more decadent treat, combine 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of nondairy milk to form a thick glaze.  Adjust milk as necessary.  Dip a fork into the glaze and drizzle it over the warm strudel.

And here's an idea:  Why not use a tortilla as a pie crust?  I haven't tried it yet, but I think it would work great as a single crust pie.

How to Fold a Burrito--I should have watched this first!