Tuesday, 12 August 2014

Salmon burgers & Asian-style pickled salad

It's mid-August and yet it's got quite a lot colder here these last few days with plenty of rain and Autumn-like storms.  Before summer is completely over, I really want to share this recipe for salmon burgers which go so well with a quick pickled salad.  The Asian-inspired burgers taste great hot or cold - I had mine hot with some rice noodles and broad beans.

To make the whole recipe including the salad gluten-free, please check your soy sauce does not contain any gluten.
Salmon burgers with pickled salad
Salmon burgers (makes 4 medium-size burgers)
3 salmon fillets, skinless (roughly 350g in total)
1-2 tbsp of Greek yogurt or quark (I used fat-free Total Greek yogurt)
1 tsp lemon grass paste
a little red chilli (to taste)
salt, pepper
for coating: 3 tbsp maize flour
for frying: coconut oil (or other vegetable oil)




Method:
  1. Chop the salmon fillets into very small pieces (almost mincing but leaving a bit of texture).
  2. In a bowl, mix the yogurt with the lemon grass, chilli and seasoning and add the salmon.
  3. Combine well; then form the mixture into 4 patties.
  4. Coat evenly with the maize flour, then put in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to firm up.
  5. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the burgers for 4-5 minutes on each side on a medium heat until golden on each side.

Asian-style pickled salad (makes 2 servings)
1 tbsp rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1 tbsp light soy sauce (I only had dark soy sauce which worked fine)
1 tbsp hot water from the kettle (to help dissolve the salt & sugar)
a little salt and sugar (I just sprinkled a little in - maybe half a tsp each)
a large handful of salad vegetables (such as 1 large carrot, 1/4 cucumber, 5-6 radishes, spring onions) cut into strips or ribbons (I used my potato peeler to do this)
Optional: 3 tbsp cooked quinoa, some sesame seeds

Method:
  1. Simply combine the vinegar, soy sauce, hot water, salt and sugar in a bowl.
  2. Add the vegetable strips and stir to cover evenly in the liquid.
  3. Leave to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes (or longer, if you have time).  
  4. Drain off any surplus liquid and serve - you can add some cooked quinoa and a sprinkle of sesame seeds to finish this off which works very well. 

Tuesday, 5 August 2014

Sweet potato, quinoa & chickpea burgers

 (makes 5-6 medium-sized burgers)

Sweet potato, quinoa & chickpea burger
Ingredients:
1 medium sweet potato, peeled & cubed
1 can chickpeas (400g), drained
50g - 75g dried quinoa
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 - 2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp ground coriander powder (optional)
chilli flakes or fresh chilli to taste
salt & pepper
coconut oil or other oil suitable for frying
a large handful of maize flour for coating

Method:
  1. Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the peeled & cubed sweet potato as well as the quinoa (saves on washing up - always a bonus) .  Add salt and cook for 15 - 20 minutes or until the quinoa is done (see packet instructions).
  2. Once cooked, drain the potato/quinoa mix, add half of the drained chickpeas and mash with a potato masher.  Leave to cool for a few minutes.
  3. Now add the rest of the chickpeas, garlic, cumin, chilli flakes and mix well.  Add more seasoning if required.
  4. Form 5 or 6 burgers out of the mixture and coat evenly with the maize flour. 
  5. Place on a plate and chill in the fridge for 10 - 15 minutes.
  6. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry the burgers in batches until golden brown on both sides (they will be soft to start with, so careful when turning them over). 
Ideal served with salad, herb yogurt and chutney but also great inside pitta bread or just on their own. 
If you are missing meat in this dish, you could serve these with cumin-spiced chicken breast.

Change the recipe by replacing the chickpeas with kidney beans, the quinoa with lentils,...use whatever you have to hand and enjoy the most.

Happy Healthy Eating

It never ceases to amaze me how many different approaches there are to health and nutrition.  One person can't imagine eating vegetarian, the next avoids gluten because it makes them bloated - there does not seem to be a "one shoe fits all" approach to food.  And when I think about it, it's not really that surprising.  After all, our bodies/we are individuals with our own set of genes and health circumstances.  Put on top of that individual tastes, likes and dislikes, the food grown in your part of the world, traditional recipes and cooking methods that may differ from one country to the next and you have the melting pot that is food.

I love to eat!  I go to bed at night, looking forward to the meals I am going to have the next day.  My dream trip would be to travel around the world and eat in each and every country.  One can dream... My original blog - The Happy Larder - featured many different recipes and boy, did I have fun trying them! In this new blog I want to focus more on "healthy" foods or to be more precise, foods that I feel are nutritious, delicious and easy to make.  Not every person will agree with my take on healthy food - if you are a vegan, you will not be too impressed with my meat dishes, for example, but my aim is to include as many different foods as possible, so vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free foods etc. will also feature.  If I find a news item or interesting article about nutrition, I will share those too but mainly I want to write about food I enjoy.  And with that I hope you will find the odd recipe that makes you want to try it for yourself. 

Here's to happy healthy eating! xx