Recipe: Salmon Head Soup or Fish Head Soup

When people buy fish, they tend to cut off and discard the fish head and tail not knowing what to do with them and not considering them edible. Fish connoisseurs know that the fish's cheek meat is like the "oyster meat" on a chicken/turkey/duck... succulent and delicious.

Fish heads are inexpensive and you can get them at your fish monger or in Chinatown.
In Asia, nothing is wasted especially food and thus fish head soup is so popular in that region of the world.
High in gelatin, vitamins, minerals, and omega 3... this soup is great to strengthen bones, nails, and hair (and that's what Mom says too)!

Ingredients

• 3-4 salmon heads
• water
• 3" piece of fresh ginger sliced into planks
• 3-4 cloves of garlic (smashed)
• 3 green onions/scallions (roots removed and cut into 3" lengths)
• salt

Directions

1. Rinse the fish heads with water to remove blood and remove the gills with scissors (the gills will make the soup cloudy and bitter).
2. Place heads into a large pot and cover with water.
3. Add the slices of ginger and garlic and bring to a simmer for 30 minutes. Do not allow the soup to boil or the heads will disintegrate into the soup!
4. After 30 minutes, carefully remove the fish heads with spoons and set aside on a plate to cool so that you can handle them. Strain the soup to remove any errant bones.
5. Remove and reserve fish meat from the cheeks and about the neck, collar, and head of the fish. I find that a fork makes this easy work.
6. Discard bones, skull, fins, and any other hard cartilage (or you can bury them in the garden to enrich the soil -perfect for roses).
7. Bring soup back to a simmer and add green onions and fish meat. Add salt to taste. Allow to simmer for about 3-5 minutes more or until onions have wilted.
8. Serve.

Recipe: Carrot Ginger Dressing

This recipe makes a salad dressing similar to those found in Japanese restaurants. I had this along with a salad recipe in an older posting but decided to post it again separately so that it can be found more easily.

• 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped finely
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a blender, combine all the ingredients except the oil. Pulse blender until the mixture is mostly smooth, then add the oil and puree for 15 seconds. (Blending oil for too long emulsifies it, giving it a mayonnaise flavor you don't want in this dressing.)

*Tip: Use a spoon to scrape the skin off the ginger. It makes peeling quickly without waste.
Use a neutral flavored oil like corn or canola, not extra virgin olive oil which will affect the taste.

Recipe: Banana Bread

I always buy a large bunch of bananas for my smoothies but when they start to ripen faster than I can use them, I make banana bread. Here is a simple and fast recipe. If you have a stand mixer, it makes it all the faster to prepare.





Ingredients

* 2 cups flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 eggs
* 1 cup sugar
* 4 very ripe bananas (the blacker they are the sweeter)
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl cream together eggs and sugar then stir in mashed bananas, vanilla, oil and cinnamon.

Carefully add and stir in the flour mixture, a third at a time, until just combined.

Pour batter into a 9x5 loaf pan.

Bake for about 1 hour.


Use can serve this as a nice dessert. A toasted slice of banana bread with a scoop of vanilla or butter pecan ice cream on top. Add a drizzle of maple syrup for decadence!

Recipe: Fettuccine Alfredo with Broccoli and Shrimp

I was in the mood for something a little more "fancy" for dinner without much work and difficulty. I always stock up on pasta when it's on sale for 99¢ a box and stock up on frozen vegetables when they are on sale.
I decided that I would make fettuccine Alfredo since I had a bottle of Classico Alfredo sauce in my pantry. I wanted to bulk it up and make it more heartier so I looked in my freezer and found a bag of frozen headless shrimp that I had bought when it was on sale. "That would be perfect!" I thought and then turned towards the freezer door and spied a box of frozen broccoli florets. "I'll add that as well to make it healthier".

This makes 4 servings in my household for dinner. Figure 5 shrimp per person.

Ingredients

• 1 16oz. box of fettuccine noodles
• 1 15oz. jar of Classico Alfredo sauce
• 1 10oz. box of frozen broccoli florets (thawed)
  
• 20 pieces frozen shrimp (thawed and shelled)
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the noodles. When water comes to a boil, add two handfuls of kosher salt. Bring water back to a boil.
2. Put broccoli florets into the boiling water and allow to cook for 2 minutes. Remove from water with a large sieve. Set aside in a bowl.
3. Put shrimp into the boiling water and allow to cook until pink. Remove from water with a sieve. Set aside in a bowl.
4. Add fettuccine to the boiling water and cook following manufacturer's directions.
5. While noodles are cooking, empty the car of Alfredo sauce into a 12" saute pan. Put some of the pasta water into the jar and swirl around to get all the sauce out of the jar. Add to the pan.
6. When pasta is done, strain and toss into the saute pan with sauce. Add the cooked broccoli and shrimp and toss all together until fully coated. Add the pepper and toss again.
7. Serve.

Recipe: Quiche Lorraine/ Quiche Alsatian

Bacon and eggs seem like the typical American breakfast. It can become mundane if you have it all the time so if you feel a little adventurous, you can take those ingredients and turn them into a classic French dish!
Quiche Lorraine is actually name for the Lorraine region in France (not for someone named Lorraine). The quiche itself was created around the 16th century. If you add onions to the quiche, it becomes Quiche Alsatian. The addition of onions is nice to get some vegetables into your diet otherwise...LOL!




Ingredients

• 6 slices of bacon sliced into small strips crosswise the length
  
• 2 medium onions sliced thinly (if you want to make it Alsatian)
  
• 4 eggs beaten
• 2 cups half & half
• 4 ounces Swiss cheese shredded
• 1 frozen deep dish pie crust
• pinch of nutmeg (optional)
• salt & pepper
  

Directions

1. Cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Add onions into the pan with the bacon fat until onions are tender (about 6 minutes). Spread onions and bacon evenly on the bottom of the crust.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the eggs, half & half, nutmeg, salt & pepper.

3. Pour into the frozen pie crust just to the top (you might have some quiche mixture left over which you can make into an omelet to preview the taste). Top with the shredded Swiss cheese.

4. Bake in the oven at 350° for 30- 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out dry. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. You can also eat this at room temperature.

I like to serve this with a small salad for lunch or a light supper.

Serves 6-8 people.

Recipe: Curried Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew

I modified this from another recipe that I found years ago. The flavors are VERY Indian. A nice vegetarian hearty dish.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups chopped onions
5 teaspoons curry powder (try not to use Madras curry unless you like spicy) use more or less to your liking
About 6 cups small cauliflower florets (from 1 medium head) or 2 boxes frozen (thawed)
2 15 1/2-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
1 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk (available in the Asian section of your supermarket)

Preparation

Heat oil in large skillet over high heat.

Add onions and sauté until golden brown, about 8 minutes.

Add curry powder and stir for about 15 seconds. (Make sure curry powder doesn't burn)

Add cauliflower and garbanzo beans; stir for 1 minute coating everything in the onion curry oil.

Stir in coconut milk and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer gently until cauliflower is tender and liquid thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve over white rice.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Recipe: Butternut Squash Soup with Parmesan Croutons

Nothing could be simpler to make than this when you stock up on frozen winter squash and chicken broth when on sale.
Thanks to Birdeye for this easy recipe.



Ingredients



* 2 boxes Birds Eye® Cooked Winter Squash (12 oz)
* 2 cups chicken broth
* 1 cup Parmesan croutons
* Dried chives


Instructions

Combine squash and broth in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until heated through, about 10-15 minutes. Season with ground white pepper if desired.

Serving Suggestions

Garnish each serving with croutons and chives.