Grad Student Attempts to Eat Well, News at 11

Smoked Salmon Potato Cakes with Herb Crème Fraîche
Makes about 4 (3-inch) cakes

For the crème fraîche
1/2 cup crème fraîche
2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs (dill, chives, parsley, etc.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
Pepper

For the cakes:
2 medium potatoes
4 ounces smoked salmon, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 egg
1 cup panko
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
Lemon wedges (optional)

Make the crème fraîche: In a small bowl, whisk together the crème fraîche, herbs, salt, lemon zest and pepper to taste. Set aside at room temperature while assembling and cooking the cakes to let the flavors meld.

If cooking cakes in the oven (see Additional Notes below), preheat oven to 450°F and place a cast-iron or other oven-safe skillet on the middle rack to preheat.

Peel and chop the potatoes. In a medium pot, cover the potatoes with water and a big pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until potatoes are soft. Drain.

In a large bowl, mash the potatoes and set aside to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, add the salmon, mayonnaise and lemon juice and thoroughly mix with a fork. Add pepper and a little more salt if needed. Form the mixture into 3-inch patties. (Cakes will be very soft at this point. You can either chill them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour to firm them up, or proceed with the recipe, handling them carefully.)

In a wide, shallow bowl, beat the egg. Put the panko in another wide, shallow bowl or plate. Dip a cake in the egg, then in the panko and set aside. Repeat with the remaining cakes.

Pull skillet out of the oven. Coat the bottom with 2 tablespoons of oil. Place cakes in the skillet and bake for 8 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until the cakes are golden-brown and crisp. Serve with herb crème fraîche and lemon wedges, if desired.

Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Lemon Pasta
Adapted from Bon Appetit

As it turns out, goat cheese makes a really great quick, creamy pasta sauce. And whether you blanche your pasta with asparagus or you swap in fava beans or string beans or seriously, you name it, this comes together so quickly that I forgave it for not winning any beauty contests.

Serves 6

1 pound spiral-shaped pasta
1 pound slender asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon plus more for garnish
1 5- to 5 1/2-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese (the pre-crumbled stuff will not melt as well)
Fresh lemon juice to taste (optional)

Cook your pasta in a large pot of well-salted water until it is almost tender, or about three minutes shy of what the package suggests. Add asparagus and cook until firm-tender, another two to three minutes. Drain both pasta and asparagus together, reserving one cup of pasta water.

Meanwhile, combine olive oil, lemon peel, tarragon and cheese in a large bowl, breaking up the goat cheese as you put it in. Add hot pasta and asparagus to bowl, along with a couple slashes of the pasta water. Toss until smoothly combined, adding more pasta water if needed. Season genersously with salt and pepper, and lemon juice if you feel it needs a little extra kick. (We did.)

lickypickystickyfree:

No-Bake Energy Bites.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (dry) oatmeal (Used here are old-fashioned oats)
• 1 cup toasted coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla

 

Method:

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like.  (These are about 1″ in diameter.)  Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Makes about 20-25 balls.

(via adailyriot)

Cornbread muffins with goat cheese and green onions

Dark Chocolate Brownies with Raspberry Goat Cheese Swirl

King Cake Cupcakes

No Knead Bread

recipekeeping:

Greek Quesadillas 

Notes: Feel free to use whatever quantities desired of the ingredients below, and substitute or omit ingredients according to your own preferences!

Ingredients

• 8 whole wheat tortillas 
• Fresh spinach (about 2 cups) 
• One red onion 
• Jarred red peppers or sundried tomatoes 
• Black olives 
• Mozzarella cheese, shredded (a handful or so per serving) 
• Feta cheese (a few tablespoons per serving) 
• Oregano (dried or fresh) 
• Red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions:

• Chiffonade the spinach. Thinly slice the red onion, red peppers, and black olives.
• On a plate, place a tortilla. Sprinkle with your desired quantities of spinach, red onion, red pepper, black olives, mozzarella, feta, oregano, and red pepper flakes (if using). Be careful not to overload.
• Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat for a few minutes. Place the loaded tortilla on the griddle and place another tortilla on top. Cook until browned on the bottom, then flip and cook until browned on the other side (a few minutes per side).
• Remove the tortilla and cut into wedges with a pizza cutter. If making several quesadillas at once, you can keep them warm in a 300°F oven.

(via Greek Quesadillas | a Couple Cooks)