Panko and goat cheese topped portabello mushrooms

Here's a delicious recipe that is good for entertaining friends as it can be made mostly in advance and is a snap to make.

4 large portabello mushrooms, stem removed
olive oil
kosher salt
ground black pepper
6 oz. goat cheese
1. C panko
1 Tbs. garlic salt


Clean the gills from 4 portabello mushrooms using a spoon. Drizzle each side of the mushroom with a little olive oil and a good pinch of kosher salt. Preheat a grill to high heat. Cook the mushrooms for 3 minutes per side or until grill marks appear on the outside of the mushroom.

Preheat oven to 375. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place the mushrooms on the sheet . Spread goat cheese on the inside of each cap. Combine panko, garlic salt, pepper, and 3 Tbs. olive oil and sprinkle a hearty tablespoonful atop the goat cheese on each mushroom cap. Bake in the oven uncovered for 15-18 minutes or until panko is golden brown.

Lemon and oregano roasted turkey thighs

It's raining here today and it reminded me of the (upcoming) cool fall days. This is a summery version of a dinner we make frequently when the weather turns cool.

3 turkey thighs
juice from 1 lemon
1 Tbs. dried oregano
large pinch of kosher salt and pepper
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 3" pieces
1 fennel bulb, white part only cut into 2" wedges
olive oil

Preheat oven to 425. In a deep sided casserole pan add turkey thighs skin side up, carrots and fennel pieces. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper. Make sure the carrots and fennel are not on top of the turkey.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the skin is golden brown and the thighs feel firm to the touch.

While the turkey roasts, peel 2 sweet potatoes and cut into 1/2" thick coins. Place on a Silpat lined cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil and celery salt. The smoked fleur de sel from Whole Foods also works well. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.

We had some steamed broccoli, but any type of fresh vegetable would be fine.

Crab cakes with arugula salad and lemon vinaigrette

I love crab cakes, they are so easy to prepare, and make a delicious summer meal. These crab cakes are not overly breaded, and full of delicious crab meat and fresh herbs.

Here's my recipe for crab cakes with arugula salad and lemon vinaigrette.

Crab cakes:
1 C. jumbo lump crab meat
2 eggs
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 Tbs. lemon zest
1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 C. finely diced purple onion
1/2 C. finely diced red pepper
1 Tbs. chopped flat leaf parsley
2 Tbs. finely chopped chives or green onion
2 C. panko
1 C. high heat vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients until panko into a bowl and stir together with a fork to combine. Add panko to a plate. Place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and using your hands form crab cakes. I like to make them a little smaller than the palm of my hand. Dredge each crab cake in the panko and place on the parchment lined cookie sheet.

When all crab cakes have been made, cover them with another piece of parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes up to 3 hours.

Heat oil on medium high heat in a pan with high sides. When oil is hot add 3-4 crab cakes to the pan, being sure they don't touch. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until panko is golden brown. Remove crab cakes and place on a few sheets of paper towels to drain any remaining oil. Continue cooking in batches.

Serve with a simple salad of baby arugula, halved cherry tomatoes and thinly sliced English cucumber. Drizzle with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, a pinch of kosher salt and a big pinch of black pepper.

Asian quinoa salad

I had some leftover quinoa, steamed broccoli and roasted kale that I wanted to use up and decided to make an Asian salad.

You could use whatever leftover grain, brown rice or couscous you have available, as well as any leftover cooked vegetables.

1 C. cooked quinoa
1 C. chopped steamed broccoli
1 C. roasted kale a.k.a disappearing chips, see recipe in blog search
handful of shredded carrots
1 tbs. soy sauce
1 tbs. rice wine vinegar
1 pinch toasted sesame seeds
1/2 Tbs. sesame oil
3 Tbs. toasted almonds
1 scallion chopped
Chili paste (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and enjoy!

Thai chicken wings

I haven't posted a new recipe in a while as I haven't been making anything worth writing home about. Today, however I made a version of Chicken Satay, but as a wing.

Preheat the oven to 400. Line a glass casserole pan with aluminum foil. While the oven heats, add 6-8 chicken wings to the pan. Add 1 jar (8 oz.) of Peanut Satay dipping sauce (Taste of Thai makes a good one, so does Trader Joes), 1/4 C. honey or agave and 1/4 C. soy sauce. Smear the sauce around the wings and bake in the oven uncovered for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes cover with foil and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.

We ate the wings with some steamed green beans from our garden tonight. I added a few shakes of toasted sesame seeds to mine, and the kids dipped theirs in soy sauce.

This would also be delicious using boneless, skinless chicken thighs.

For a little heat, make a slurry of 1 Tbs. soy sauce with a good squeeze of Thai red chili paste- YUM!