Spicy Pan-Seared Salmon with Feta Sauce

There seems to be a fish theme going on here lately, with this third post in a row. The wild Alaskan salmon caught over summer and frozen for later is now so handy for a quick and sumptuous meal.

Some fresh greens from the fall garden was handy for this dish: Lacinato kale and Baby Romaine leaves make a lovely crisp bed of salad to serve this spicy pan-seared salmon dish.

Salmon was rubbed with a mix of spices: cayenne pepper powder, berbere powder, salt, onion powder. Mix the spice powders in some ghee to make a paste and rub on the salmon.

Home-made ghee is an indulgence every once in a while - a recipe shared here over a decade ago: Home-made Flavored Ghee at Delectable Victuals

The fusion of flavors is one of my favorites - the spiciness from Ethipioan berbere and the buttery flavor and aroma from the Indian ghee, plus the Mediterranean flavors of Feta sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and olives makes this a richly flavored dish.

Feta sauce: Crumble some feta, stir in some thick Greek yogurt, olive oil, minced garlic, marjoram sage, and oregano. I blend it into a smooth thick dressing-like sauce consistency.

Pan-seared Salmon: Heat some oil in a cast-iron skillet and place the salmon skin side down first and sear well till skin is crispy; flip so that the side that is rubbed with the spice mix is now getting seared, then, turn down the heat and cook till salmon is cooked through and flaky.

Freekeh Feta Pomegranate Prunes Edamame Salad

Bulgur and Freekeh feature in our diets often. A couple of international markets sell freekeh, mograbiah, kasha, although some of the local grocery chains seem to stock it in their shelves on and off as well.

Freekeh is just green cracked roasted wheat which cooks up within 10-15 minutes. Sometimes I use it just like rice, making pilaf or biriyani with it.

Here, it is a simple salad with fresh vegetables, the main flavor coming from the dressing made with lemon juice, honey, olive oil, and salt.

Substitute barley, bulgur or even wild rice if freekeh is not available.


Ingredients
2 cups cooked freekeh, salted while cooking
1 large carrot, diced
½ cup cooked edamame
½ cup juicy fresh pomegranate seeds
¼ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup chopped scallions
½ medium red onions or shallots, finely diced
¼ cup cumbled feta
¼ cup chopped Kalamata olives
¼ cup chopped prunes
1 Tbsp goji berries (optional)
[or, any other nuts and fruits like dates, almonds, walnuts, figs]

Dressing:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
½ Tbsp honey
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)


Preparation

1. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and keep handy.
2. Combine the freekeh and vegetables, dress as desired and serve at room temperature

Pearl Barley, Kale, Lentil Salad

Now that summer is here, (sort of), meals are getting easier and lazier. Chilled or room temperature salads, fresh vegetables and fruits, quick smoothies, and no-fuss sandwiches are becoming the staples. Not much baking or slaving over the stove most days.

This quick salad just feels so nutritious, even if I am no nutritionist or an expert of any sort. My favorite way to serve/eat this is on a "bowl" of Boston Lettuce leaf: scoop some into a crisp Boston lettuce leaf, either roll it up for easy no-spillage eating, or gather up the edges like a taco and munch on.

Of course, any combination of salad ingredients like carrot sticks, olives, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, feta, bell peppers taste wonderful when served on a leaf of lettuce.

Ingredients
Pearl barley cooked al dente
Green or brown lentil, cooked al dente
Kale, chopped, and wilted
cooked chick peas
feta
Kalamata olives
sun-dried tomatoes
finely chopped carrots
finely chopped red onion (optional)
toasted pine nuts  and dried cranberries (optional)
Dressing: lemon juice, olive oil, black pepper, plus salt if needed

Combine the salad ingredients, adjust dressing to taste, serve at room temperature or chilled

Quinoa Scallions Fenugreek Feta Fritters

For a while now, fritters, griddle cakes, and unleavened pan breads seem to be taking over my kitchen. Anything is fair game as long as I can make a batter and cook it on the pan quickly. A nice big vegetable side, plus a few of these small fritters or pancakes seem to be a popular dinner meal with all but the youngest in the house.

Ingredients
1 cup cooked quinoa
¼ cup buttermilk
¼ cup crumbled feta
¼ cup finely chopped scallions
1 Tbsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos
2 eggs
2 Tbsp flax meal
2 mint leaves minced
2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (available at most Indian stores)

3 Tbsp finely diced onions (optional)

oil for griddle cooking

Preparation

1. Combine the ingredients and mix well to form a thick batter
2. Heat a well-seasoned cast iron skillet to medium, with a light drizzling of oil
3. Drop a dollop of the batter, flatten a bit, allow to cook till browned; flip and brown the other side
4. Serve warm with Mint-Cilantro Chutney

Mint-Cilantro Chutney:
10 mint leaves, finely chopped
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 small serrano chili, chopped (optional, adjust to taste)
1 Tbsp Tahini paste
¼ teaspoon tamarind paste
¼ teaspoon agave nectar

Combine the ingredients in a blender, and process to a fine paste, adding water if needed for the chutney consistency.

Quinoa & Orange with Roasted Beets & Sweet Potatoes

Oven roasted beets and sweet potatoes have that hearty appeal which goes well with this simple quinoa salad. There's been a bit of a beetroot obsession going on lately.

I prefer to bake the beets and sweet potatoes separately. Sweet potatoes are done in about 15 to 20 mins in a 425 °F oven. Beets take up to 45 minutes depending on how big the chunks are. Lightly toss them in olive oil before cooking in the oven.

Ingredients
1 medium beetroot, cut into chunks and roasted
1 medium sweet potato, cut into rounds and roasted
1 orange, peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup quinoa, cooked in stock
Feta, crumble as needed
A few fresh romaine hearts leaves

Lay the lettuce leaves on a plate. Combine the rest of the ingredients and spoon into the lettuce leaves. Enjoy!

Stuffed Mini Pepper Bites

I seem unable to resist picking up a bag of colorful mini peppers whenever I see it at the store- especially when it is on sale. There are recipe ideas on the bag, which I adapt to suit my tastes. This recipe here was inspired by a recipe on the bag of mini peppers I bought a while back.

The filling can be anything from a combination of cheeses to Indian style tamarind-and-mint or even potatoes-and-peas.

I went with a combination of goat cheese and feta this time: 3 parts goat cheese to 1 part feta. I made 3 kinds of fillings based on what I added to the goat cheese + feta mixture:
1. Habanero salsa (drain out the liquid) or any favorite salsa
2. Cilantro pesto (make it fairly thick)
3. German-style mustard with home-made sauerkraut (drained)

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F
2. Cut the peppers in half with the stem on, and seed them if preferred
3.  Spoon some filling, place them in a single layer in a roasting pan, drizzle some olive oil
4. Bake in 350°F oven for about 10 minutes

Fresh from the oven, warm and flavorful, a plateful of these stuffed peppers are hard to refuse.

Beet Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette and Feta

Grated raw beets and carrots, with par-boiled red pearl onions, a splash of distilled white vinegar and a dash of salt is my Dad's signature "salad", perfect if made a day ahead. Finely diced green chilies is optional. My version of beet+carrot salad is a bit different these days.

Since childhood beets has been a favorite with me - my mom's spicy beets+potatoes curry goes perfectly with Mor-Kozhambu and rice.

On and off, I add beets to salads. And sometimes, beets is the primary ingredient as in this salad recipe. It is a wonderful summer salad, served cold.

I pressure cook the beets in bulk, with skin on, then peel and chop, and freeze them if not using right away.

This Beet Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette and Feta is best when prepared a day ahead and allowed to develop flavors.

Ingredients
Whole beets, cooked, still firm not mushy, bite-size slices
Red onions, thinly sliced
Feta, crumbled

Balsamic Dressing:
1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp Pomegranate Red Wine vinegar
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp Agave nectar (more if preferred)
1 tsp Tabasco® sauce
1 tsp ground smoked paprika


Whisk the ingredients for the dressing, drizzle as much as needed and toss lightly with the beets and onions; top with feta, cover and save in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.