On The Lighter Side

June 14, 2010

It has been a long time since I have posted a recipe..... truth of the matter is that now that the warm weather has hit, I have not really been in the kitchen as much. Like many others, this time of year we rely heavily on our grill.

Well, after a couple weekends of burgers, dogs, chicken, and steak on the grill........well, it gets old and boring. I was feeling like we needed to try something a little different.

I was in the mood for seafood and mentioned something to Pat about making crab cakes......... he said that sounded good, so I searched for a recipe and founder a lighter version.

Dinner Plate Again BLOG

Baked Crab Cakes
Recipe Courtesy of Ellie Krieger


Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Dash hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon crab boil seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 scallion, including green top, finely chopped
1 pound lump crab, picked over for cartilage
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Smarter Tartar Sauce, recipe follows

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl mix together the egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, Old Bay seasoning and hot sauce. Stir in the bell pepper and scallion. Gently fold in the crab, 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs and salt and pepper to taste. Put the remaining bread rumbs in a shallow dish.

Divide the crab mixture into 8 mounds. Shape 1 mound into a round and coat in bread crumbs. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and flatten the crab cake to form a patty about 1-inch high. Repeat to form the remaining crab cakes.

Bake until golden on the bottom, about 10 minutes. Gently flip the crab cakes and cook until the second side is golden, 5 to 10 minutes longer.


Smarter Tartar Sauce:
6 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 scallion, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped sour pickles
1 tablespoon chopped capers
Spoon yogurt into a small bowl lined with paper towels. Place in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour until some of the liquid from the yogurt is released. Scoop thickend yogurt into a small bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine


Orzo Salad BLOG

As soon as I found the crabcake recipe, I immediately knew the perfect sidedish to go along with them........

Orzo Salad
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis


Ingredients:
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups orzo
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups red and yellow teardrop tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
About 3/4 cup Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Pour the broth into a heavy large saucepan. Cover the pan and bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Stir in the orzo. Cover partially and cook until the orzo is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Drain the orzo through a strainer. Transfer the orzo to a large wide bowl and toss until the orzo cools slightly. Set aside to cool completely.

Toss the orzo with the beans, tomatoes, onion, basil, mint, and enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature.

Red Wine Vinaigrette
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired


Crab Cake Close Up BLOG

We gave this meal a double thumbs up!!
The crabcakes were light......not a lot of filler, lots of crabmeat and very tasty:) The orzo salad......SOOOO GOOD....and it complimented the crab cakes beautifully!! I loved the fresh herbs.....especially the mint! If you are looking to spice up your standard picnic pasta salad.....give this orzo salad a try..... I bet you will love it and so will your guests:)


33 comments:

Love Letters To China said...

Those two recipes look so good. I'm very bored these days with the same ole' recipes I've been making for years. Might just need to give these two a try. Love the fact the crab cakes are not fried. I'm not a huge mint lover... do you think the orzo would taste just as good without it?

You did a great job with the presentation too. I'm always lacking in that area. I just tend to pile it on a plate and serve.

Hope you have a wonderful week!

Jo said...

The perfect fare for the summer days ahead.

Crab cakes are one of my favorites. The last time my husband was in Maryland on travel he shipped crabcakes home to surprise me. Oh my, there were huge chunks of crab ~ yummy!

Thanks for the recipes ... my mouth is watering. ;)

Have a great week~
Jo

Jodee said...

Only you can make crab cakes look good at 6:30 a.m. in the morning! That Orzo salad looks fabulous too! I am already tired of grilling! You can only eat so many burgers, dogs, chicken and steak!

Briana's Mom said...

Lisa - these recipes look amazing!!!! I am bookmarking this page! :)

Everything Beautiful Shay said...

What beautiful food! Yum!!! Can't wait to try it. I am in love with your plate and bowl!!! Excellent presentation! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Blessings!

Robin said...

YUM! I love crab cakes or any kind of seafood for that matter! Come cook for me please!

Blessings,
Robin

Anonymous said...

I love crab cakes! I usually pass them up because their always fried someway so I'll have to try your recipe.

My friend always makes Orzo salad. In fact I went to her house yesterday and she made it for me. I'm going to show her your recipe incase she wants to change it up. It looks fabulous!

Have a marvelous Monday!

Anonymous said...

Oh my yummy goodness!! This looks divine! I can so relate with being in a food rut now that the summer is here! But this looks like the perfect cure for that :)

redmaryjanes said...

We love orzo! This looks fabulous. Maybe we should have this this weekend for something special for Tim and myself.

carolinagirl said...

you are tooooo talented. photography and cooking??? seriously, i am jealous! these look delicious. we have been surviving on take out and banana sandwiches since all stars started - no lie!

a Tonggu Momma said...

I read this early... like at 6 AM early... and I had to come back and say that only you could make crab cakes look good that early. I'm STILL thinking about them.

Mom2Isabel said...

I am SOOOOOoo in need of some recipes. THe weather here has been INSANE!!!!! Upper 90 every day with a heat index of 105-110. All I use is the grill now.
Can't wait to check these recipes out.

The photos of them are making me drool. Yummy!

Jboo said...

Oh my gosh -- that looks so yummy! You have some mad skills in the kitchen and with the camera!! :) Have a great day!

Janet

Kim said...

Oh YUM! I cannot wait to try these much needed new recipes!
Love & Blessings from Hong Kong,
Kim

Regina said...

Love this!
Thank you for sharing.

Marla said...

Yummy!!! I can't wait to make these!!! Love the pics too, I still need to get me some of those fabulous dishes. :)

Have a great week, my friend!!

Serline said...

Crab cakes! My hubby used to work for a company in DC, and he fell in love with crab cakes. He took my eldest, Janelle, and me to DC once, and crab cakes was one of the culinary highlights from that trip...

Wanda said...

Crab cakes!!! One of fav things. This recipe sounds heavenly.It's in my recipe file the moment I exit.

But your pictures, Lisa....right out of a magazine! I LOVE your dishes. And does your cutlery always shine like brand new. (I have to check my dishwasher....I want that shine!)OK...I'll stop now.
:)

Thanks for sharing this great dish - salad too looks yummy.
Enjoy your day love!
xoxo

Tutus and Choo-Choos said...

We do quite a bit of grilling in the summer also. Anything fast and easy. I hate heating up the kitchen during the summer months.

Lori Lynn said...

It looks fantastic! Your pictures are amazing and make me very hungry.

Kim said...

YUMMY.....
Looks sooo good..but noone would eat that but me.UGH..Hugs..Have a great week...

Denise said...

Yummy!! I love crab cakes...might have to try it~

Casey said...

No secret I can't cook, but that looks yummy!! Love the pictures of your food too...

Cindy said...

Yummy! the recipe looks scrumpious. I have never made crab cakes but will have to definately try this~ can't wait.

Kayce said...

YUM!! I love this time of year for cooking anything light or on the grill. I'm gonna have to give those crab cakes a try.

Michelle R Photography said...

Oh, you are so good!! I have been so busy lately, my husband has been doing most of the cooking. How on earth are you making all of this with your busy schedule?

It looks wonderful. You not only have a gift in the kitchen, you have a gift for photographing food, too.

Football and Fried Rice said...

YUMMO - Momma!! I can't wait to try this!!!!!!

These Are The Days said...

This looks AMAZING...I am bookmarking it right now! Thanks for sharing. :) Hope you are well. I took a LONG blog break but am back in the game.

The Byrd's Nest said...

Yummm.....I used to come here just to see your precious family and read about what you are doing and to look at your gorgeous photos....NOW...I can add to that list to gaze at the yummy food you are cooking:)

Dita said...

and how I've MISSED the recipe posts...though, since I've been dieting its been a good thing!

This recipe looks perfectly delectible. I'm putting in my order for when I come to your house...I want THIS, okay!

Love these shots and those plates are STUNNING!

Sharon said...

The crabcakes look delicious!

bella said...

I made the orzo salad this past Sunday with a sandwich platter, fresh fruit salad, and pumpkin bars for lunch guests. It was fantastic and everyone loved it-a great blend of flavors. I followed the recipe exactly, except I left out the onions. I also thought the salad was good cold the next day. What a fabulous recipe!

Linda said...

Amazing. I think I'm in love with your blog.
I'd love to make the crab cakes - do you think the crab can be subbed out for salmon?
Thanks for sharing!
cokelush at gmail