Crispy Mashed Potato Cakes

Ingredients


• 2 large Idaho potatoes, 2 pounds total weight
• 3 to 4 ounces cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 scallions, very finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions


Peel and dice potatoes and add to a large pot. Cover with water and salt the water. Bring to boil over medium heat, and cook until tender. Drain the potatoes and return to hot pot to dry. Transfer potatoes to a bowl. Soften cream cheese in a microwavable bowl and microwave the cream cheese for 20 seconds on high. Add to the potatoes along with sour cream, scallions, zest, egg, salt and pepper, to taste. Mash potatoes to combine mixture.

Heat the oil and butter in nonstick skillet over medium heat. Drop 2-inch mounds of potatoes into skillet and gently press down to flatten a bit. Crisp potatoes until deeply golden on each side, about 7 to 8 minutes total. Mixture makes 8 golden cakes.

Well-Dressed Salmon

Ingredients


• 1/2 seedless English cucumber
• 2 small plum tomatoes - deseeded
• 1 shallot or 1/4 red onion, finely chopped, divided
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus a drizzle
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 (4-ounce) skinless salmon fillets
• Seafood seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)

Directions


On a cutting board, dice cucumber into 1/4-inch pieces - to peel or not to peel is up to you. Seed and dice the tomatoes into 1/4-inch pieces. Combine the cucumber, tomatoes and half of the shallots or red onion in bowl and reserve.

In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, sugar, and white wine vinegar and remaining half of the shallots. Stream in extra-virgin olive oil while continuing to whisk. Stir in dill and season dressing with salt and pepper, to taste.

Season the salmon with seafood seasoning and a little black pepper. Heat a nonstick skillet with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Place salmon rounded side down and cook until golden and a little crispy at edges, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook 2 minutes more for a pink center, 4 minutes for opaque fish.

Transfer salmon to dinner or serving plates, top with the cucumber-tomato relish and cover with a liberal amount of dill dressing.

Bacon, Leek and Tomato Spaghetti

• 3 leeks
• 2 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 6 slices center-cut bacon, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced or chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 28-ounce can Italian whole tomatoes in purée
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 pound spaghetti
• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• A handful of fresh basil, thinly sliced or chopped

 

1. Trim tough tops and root ends of the leeks. Halve them lengthwise and thinly slice. Fill sink or large bowl with water and wash leeks, separating layers and swishing them around in water. Dry in a salad spinner or on kitchen towel and reserve.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
3. Heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat with EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add bacon and crisp. Add reserved leeks and garlic, cook 2-3 minutes to soften. Season liberally with black pepper.
4. Add tomatoes and purée to pan and mash up tomatoes. Bring up to a simmer and let thicken over low heat while you cook pasta. Stir in parsley.
5. Salt pasta water and cook pasta to al dente. Drain pasta and toss with sauce for a minute or so. Serve in shallow bowls with cheese and basil on top.

Chorizo and Shrimp Quesadillas with Smoked Guacomole

• 2 ripe Haas avocados
• 1 lime, juiced
• A couple pinches salt
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, available in cans on specialty food aisle in Mexican section
• 1/2 pound chorizo sausage, sliced thin on an angle
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
• 1 clove garlic, cracked away from skin and crushed
• 12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed, ask for easy-peels at fish counter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 (12- inch) flour tortillas
• 2 cups, shredded pepper Jack cheese

1. Cut avocados all the way around with a sharp knife. Scoop out the pit, then spoon avocado flesh away from skin into a food processor. Add the juice of 1 lime, a couple of pinches salt, sour cream and chipotles in adobo. Pulse guacamole until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl.
2. Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Brown chorizo 2 to 3 minutes, then remove from pan. Add oil, garlic, then shrimp. Season shrimp with salt and pepper and cook shrimp until pink, 2 or 3 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a cutting board and coarsely chop.
3. Add a drizzle of oil to the pan and a large tortilla. Cook tortilla 30 seconds, then turn. Cover 1/2 of the tortilla with a couple of handfuls of cheese. Arrange a layer of chorizo and shrimp over the cheese and fold tortilla over. Press down gently with a spatula and cook tortilla a minute or so on each side to melt cheese and crisp. Remove quesadilla to large cutting board and repeat with remaining ingredients. Cut each quesadilla into 5 wedges and transfer to plates with your spatula. Top wedges of quesadillas with liberal amounts of smoky guacamole.

Bacon, Leek and Tomato Pasta

• 3 leeks, sliced
• 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 6 slices center-cut bacon, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced or chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 28-ounce can Italian whole tomatoes in purée
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti pasta
• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• A handful of fresh basil, thinly sliced or chopped

1. Trim tough tops and root ends of the leeks. Halve them lengthwise and thinly slice. Fill sink or large bowl with water and wash leeks, separating layers and swishing them around in water. Dry in a salad spinner or on kitchen towel and reserve.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
3. Heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat with EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add bacon and crisp. Add reserved leeks and garlic, cook 2-3 minutes to soften. Season liberally with black pepper.
4. Add tomatoes and purée to pan and mash up tomatoes. Bring up to a simmer and let thicken over low heat while you cook pasta. Stir in parsley.
5. Salt pasta water and cook pasta to al dente. Drain pasta and toss with sauce for a minute or so. Serve in shallow bowls with cheese and basil on top.

Bourbon Pecan Smashed Sweet Potatoes

This recipe is a Rachael Ray recipe. I made this at Christmas in 2007, and it was great!

• 6 Medium Sweet Potatoes, Diced
• 5 Tbsp "I Can't Believe Its Not Butter"
• 1 Cup Chopped Pecans
• 4 Oz Bourbon Whiskey
• 1 Cup Fresh Orange Juice
• 1/4 Tsp Ground Pepper
• 1/3 Tsp Kosher Salt
• 1 Tsp Ground Nutmeg

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.
2. Add sweet potatoes and cook 12 to 15 minutes until very tender.
3. Drain sweet potatoes in a colander.
4. Return pan to medium heat. Add butter to the pan.
5. When butter melts, add nuts and toast for 2 minutes. Add sugar and let it bubble. Add bourbon and cook out alcohol, 1 minute.
6. Add orange juice and the cooked sweet potatoes. Smash with a masher and season the sweet potatoes with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Servings = 8

Weight Watchers Point Value = 6

Spanish Frittata

This is a recipe I copied one day while watching the Rachael Ray Show, Yes I do watch the show!

• 1 Cup Roasted Red Peppers
• 1 Cup Cooked Onions
• 3 oz Chopped cooked chourizo
• 1 serving of Ore Ida Steam and Mash Russett Potatoes
• 1/4 cup Parsley chopped fine
• 3 oz Manchego Cheese
• 1 egg
• 3 egg whites

1. Foil Line a square baking pan and spray with PAM.
2. Preheat oven to 375. Degrees
3. Layer Roasted Red Peppers on bottom of pan.
4. Cook Chorizo with onions, layer on top of peppers.
5. Add potatoes and spread on top of the chorizo.
6. Mix 1 Egg Yolk and 3 Egg Whites, pour over potatoes, top with parsely and manchego
7. Cook for 40 minutes or until eggs are firm.

Servings = 4

Weight Watchers Points Value = 5