By By Lisa Tindell
A reader of this column called me last week asking for some help. I'm not sure if I've found exactly what she was looking for, but I've certainly given it a grand try.
In the process of finding the recipes she was asking for help in finding, I came across some pretty interesting recipes that I plan to share with you in the near future.
The first set of recipes covers the baked salmon patties or croquettes recipe she needed. It seems that a lot of people are trying to get away from adding so much fat to their diets. One way to curb additional fat is to bake dishes instead of frying them.
Now don't get me wrong, I love a good fried chicken pully-bone on Sunday as good as the next fellow. And you will have to admit that a baked pully-bone is just not the same. It may be good and good for you, but it's just not the same.
I can remember my mother making salmon patties when I was a child. I've tried my hand at them a time or two because my husband does love them. I didn't have a whole lot of success but still give it a try every now and then just to show I'm trying.
If you are looking for some old-time favorites that use a better method of cooking than frying, you may enjoy the recipes for the salmon dish found here. The first recipe is for a loaf, not a patty. I think it's pretty much like a meatloaf in that sense, but still has all the makings that are used in the patty version. I'm not sure what the cooking time would be on this one if you chose to make them individual size. You can try and let me know how they turn out.
Baked Salmon Loaf
1 (14.75 ounce) can salmon, drained and flaked
1 and one-half cups crushed saltine crackers
1 egg, slightly beaten
One-half cup diced green bell pepper
One-half cup diced onion
One-fourth cup milk
One-half tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 dash hot pepper sauce (optional)
black pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×9-inch baking dish. In a large bowl, stir together salmon, crackers, egg, bell pepper, and onion. Mix in milk, Worcestershire sauce, and hot pepper. Season with black pepper. Mix well with your hands, and spread into baking dish. Bake in a preheated oven until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cut into squares to serve.
This next recipe is already broken down so that it makes individual servings. If you have more than four folks to feed or even a few with healthy appetites, you could double the recipe. Besides, it would be hard for me to split one of those regular size cans of salmon in half for this recipe.
Super Easy Salmon Cakes
1 (7 ounce) can salmon, drained and flaked
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 cups finely crushed saltine cracker crumbs
lemon pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix together salmon, egg, olive oil, green onions, and 2/3 cup cracker crumbs. Season with lemon pepper. Form mixture into 8 patties. Coat patties with remaining cracker crumbs, and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes in the preheated oven, turning once, or until golden brown on both sides.
Another recipe request from one of our readers was for a meat loaf recipe that used oatmeal instead of bread crumbs or cracker crumbs. Sounded a little unusual to me, but apparently a lot of people are becoming more heart-healthy conscious. If you like meat loaf, you'd probably like these next recipes. They call for all the typical ingredients of a regular meat loaf.
Oatmeal Meat Loaf
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
1 onion, finely diced
1 cup rolled oats
2 eggs, beaten
One-half cup ketchup
3 tbsp. prepared mustard
In a large bowl, combine ground meat, soup, chopped onion, rolled oats, eggs, steak sauce, ketchup and mustard. Mix well. Shape into a loaf, and pat Into a loaf pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 1 hour or until done.
If you want a recipe that allows you to prepare individual sized meat loaf, this is one you're sure to appreciate.
Mini-Meatloaf
1 egg
Three-fourths cup milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
One-half cup quick cooking oats
1 tsp. salt
1 pound ground beef
Two-thirds cup ketchup
One-fourth cup packed brown sugar
1 and one-half tsp. prepared mustard
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the egg, milk, cheese, oats and salt. Add the ground beef, mixing well, and form this mixture into eight miniature meatloaves. Place these in a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking dish. In a separate small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar and mustard. Stir thoroughly and spread over each meatloaf. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
This next recipe is one that uses both oatmeal and bread crumbs. The liquid smoke flavoring should add a special touch to the loaf and to the glaze.
Mom's Best Meatloaf
1 and one-half pounds ground beef
One-fourth cup chopped onion
One-fourth cup quick-cooking oats
One-eighth cup cornmeal
1 cup dried bread crumbs
1 and one-half tsp. salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 egg, beaten
One-half cup tomato juice
One-half cup water
1 tablespoon barbecue sauce
1 dash liquid smoke flavoring
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
One-fourth cup ketchup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
2 dashes liquid smoke flavoring
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the beef, onion, oatmeal, cornmeal, bread crumbs, salt, sugar, egg, tomato juice, water, barbecue sauce, 1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke and vinegar. Mix together thoroughly and place mixture into a lightly greased 9×5 inch loaf pan. In a separate small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard and 2 drops liquid smoke and mix thoroughly. Spread over the top of the meatloaf. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately one hour.
I'm here to help you with recipes, tips, ideas and even a search when you need it. If you are looking for a recipe, let me know what you need and I'll do my best to find it for you. Give me a call at the office or email me at lisa.tindell@brewtonstandard.com. I'd love to give you a hand.
Until next week, Happy Cooking!