Gluten free Maryland crab cakes

Mmmm...Maryland crab cakes

2 lb crab meat (pick out any shells)
3 stalks celery, minced
1/2 bell pepper (I use orange), minced
1/2 medium onion, minced
2 eggs
1/2 cup gluten free mayonnaise (regular Duke's works best!)
2/3 cup gluten free bread crumbs (you can use regular if you're a regular kind of guy or gal)
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 shakes of garlic powder
7-8 dashes dried basil
1 tsp kosher salt

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. If you aren't squeamish, use your hands to really work the ingredients together (like hamburgers!). Form the mixture into patties. I like big ones, but small ones would be yummy too. The cooking instructions are for quarter pound patties, so just make sure you watch so that smaller ones don't overcook.

Bake at 375 degrees. Flip after 15 minutes then bake another 10-15 minutes till firm. Use caution when flipping...gluten bread crumbs don't have the same sticking power as regular bread crumbs! I used a pancake spatula and a baking silicon spatula...only broke one.

Makes 8 quarter-pound-ish patties. These reheat well. Serve with remoulade sauce (see below) or your favorite tartar sauce.

To make the remoulade sauce (my personal recipe, so sorry if it's less than authentic!):

1/2 cup mayonnaise

lemon or lime juice

minced garlic

sugar

parsley

basil

horseradish or Tabasco sauce if you want to make it spicy

Add citrus juice to the mayonnaise and whisk till smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon each of parsley and basil, and add sugar to taste. If you want a spicier sauce, add fresh grated horseradish or Tabasco sauce. Whisk.

Hey y'all (Corey)

It has been such a long time since we posted anything...and I could make excuses, but I won't. We're busy ladies, and sometimes you make things a priority even if it's not what you want to be doing. But, hey, we're back, and we'll be posting lots of yummy stuff.

Laura and I found out right after our last post that we have Celiac disease. Without getting too technical, it basically means that we can't eat anything with gluten in it. What's been interesting for me, at least, has been finding out just how well-versed the restaurant and grocery world already is about gluten. Except for a few slip-ups, both Laura and I have been pretty good at staying away from anything with a derivative of wheat, barley, or rye. So now our posts will mostly be gluten-free...you may occasionally hear from Mom on a something she just couldn't help but share, but even those can usually be made A-ok for us with a few jiggles and substitutions.

Let's eat!

Black & blue salad

I don't eat red meat often, but every so often I get a craving for a yummy medium-rare steak. With this salad, you can feed about four to six people with one 1 lb. New York strip as the steak is pan-seared and sliced thin.

When I was in college, I worked at a restaurant called O'Charley's. If there's not one near you, it's kind of like an Applebee's or Ruby Tuesday's. Among many things on the menu during that time was a steak and bleu cheese salad that I would occasionally order at the end of my shift. As most foodies who cook will tell you, after that first bite, you start to deconstruct the dish to see if you can make it at home. I don't know if this salad is still available at O'Charley's as three years of working there kind of sent me in another culinary direction, but I think that most similarities end with the lettuce, steak, and cheese.

+/- 1 lb. New York strip (filet mignon or sirloin can also be substituted)

balsamic vinegar

extra virgin olive oil

minced garlic

brown sugar

rosemary

thyme

parsley

spicy brown mustard

kosher salt

black pepper

several romaine lettuce hearts (or lettuce of your choice)

shelled roasted pistachios

strawberries

purple, yellow, or white onion

alfalfa sprouts (radish or broccoli sprouts would be nice too)

Begin by preparing the marinade for your steak: 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup of olive oil, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 3 tablespoons of minced garlic, and 1 teaspoon of thyme. Poke your steak vigorously with a fork many times front and back...not only will the marinade will seep into the little holes, it also functions to tenderize your steak without using any meat tenderizer. Place fork-tenderized steak into marinade and refrigerate four to six hours, turning every two to three hours.

When the marination time is complete, allow the steak to rest in its marinade at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Heat a non-stick skillet to medium-high. When the pan is hot (not before), place the steak into the skillet. Sear on both sides about four to five minutes, spooning marinade onto the steak every so often. While the steak is finishing, add one whole slivered onion to the pan and caramelize the onions in the pan leavings. Remove the steak from heat and allow to rest two to three minutes then slice as thin as possible. (If you don't like medium-rare, please cook it longer...just remember that the longer you cook it, the less tender it is.)

To create the salad base, for each person I take a whole romaine heart and just chop it cross-wise all the way down to create 1 inch thick ribbons. I usually add a couple of length-wise chops too to bring the lettuce ribbons down closer to bite-size. Plate your lettuce and add about 1/8 to 1/4 cup of pistachios to each plate. Garnish with sliced strawberries, caramelized onions, and sprouts. Add mustard salad-dressing, then top with steak slices and bleu cheese crumbles.

To make the salad dressing, combine 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard with 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar. Add 1 tablespoon each parsley, rosemary and thyme (if only there were sage, I could sing!), 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Add 1/4 cup olive oil if desired (I didn't, but it would be yummy). Mix well.

Turkey kilbasa and tortellini in a creamy pesto sauce (Corey)

I have often been accused of using as many dishes as possible when I cook. Since this has been brought to my attention more than once, I have made a concerted effort to use less cookware..though I am super guilty of forgetting where I put the spoon and getting another one out of the drawer! With that in mind, be proud that this only makes three things dirty: one pot, one colander, and one cutting board. Cutlery (despite what others may tell you) doesn’t count.

1 package smoked turkey kilbasa sausage, sliced into 1/4 inch slices

1 package spinach and ricotta tortellini

baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

1 bunch asparagus, woody ends removed, remainder cut into 1 1/2 inch segments

1 small purple onion, diced

3 stalks green onion, chopped

1/2 yellow bell pepper, julienned

Alfredo sauce (You can make your own, but to keep it a one-pot meal, I usually use Bertolli.)

basil pesto (Mom’s recipe is great! Store-bought is fine too.)

extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon each of extra virgin olive oil and kosher salt to the water before adding the tortellini. Boil 8-12 minutes until the pasta is tender. Be careful not to overcook as this pasta will fall apart and lose its stuffing. When the pasta is cooked to your taste, drain using a colander. Don’t return the pasta to the pot yet.

Return the now-empty pasta pot to the stove. On medium-high heat, add the turket kilbasa and cook for two to three minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce the burner heat to medium. Add the vegetables to the pot and sauté until al dente. Add half the jar of Alfredo sauce (it’s probably still in the fridge from when you made the pizza) and two heaping tablespoons of pesto. Stir well to distribute sausage and vegetables in the creamy pesto sauce. Fold in tortellini. Plate your yummy pasta creation and garnish with some of the chopped green onions.

On the night pictured, I served this with a simple summer salad (mixed baby greens, grape tomatoes, slivered almonds, and balsamic vinegar) and watermelon wedges.

For all of my vegetarians out there, it's just as yummy without the sausage.

Mexican Seared Tuna Salad (Corey)

Tonight’s dinner was super delicious and easy to make. It all started at the seafood counter in Bloom as I contemplated various fish. Did you know that swai is Vietnamese catfish? I sure didn’t...and since I don’t know how to make catfish without frying it, I settled instead on a lovely purplish-red tuna steak. One 8 ounce steak was enough for dinner for two, and thus, this recipe is for two people. Multiply your recipe for as many people as you’re serving, and you’ll be fine!

8 oz tuna steak

extra virgin olive oil

minced garlic

juice from one lime

minced garlic

2 romaine hearts

1 can black beans

ketchup

cumin

garlic powder

cucumber

1-2 slicing tomatoes

grape tomatoes (optional)

onion (white, yellow, or purple)

jalapeño

1 bunch cilantro

alfalfa sprouts

your favorite salsa

your favorite Ranch dressing

Begin with the marinade for the fish. Tonight I used tuna. Any other firm fish will also do...swordfish, salmon, etc. For one tuna steak, I used 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil, the juice from 1 lime, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, and 1/4 bunch of cilantro, chopped. After mixing all of this together in a non-metal bowl, I dunked my fish in and covered it with the marinade for 30 minutes, turning it after the first 15 minutes.

I then cooked it in a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat for six minutes on each side to sear the outside of the steak. After twelve minutes, the outside was nice and browned while the inside was still a beautiful medium-rare pink.

While the fish cooked, I built my salad plates.

As these were main course salads, I used one romaine heart for each salad. If that’s too much lettuce for you, or if you just prefer less lettuce, reduce the amount to a base that you’re comfortable with. I slivered cucumbers (skin on because it’s good for you) and avocados and added grape tomatoes (not necessary with the pico de gallo) to the salad tonight. I topped the salad based with black beans á la Tom, pico de gallo, and Mexi-Ranch dressing and added the seared tuna, sliced thin, and finished with a small amount of alfalfa sprouts.

There are three major mixtures at work on this salad: black beans á la Tom, pico de gallo, and Mexi-Ranch dressing. The recipes are as follows:

Black beans á la Tom (named for my dad who loves to doctor the beans)

1 can black beans, drained

2 Tsp ketchip

1 Tsp cumin

1 tsp minced garlic or garlic powder

Mix all ingredients and heat in the microwave for two minutes. Allow to cool one minute. I love this combination of flavors and use it for huevos rancheros, tons of salads, and as a dip unto itself with tortilla chips. If you don’t drain the beans, it can serve as quick black bean soup which is wonderful with a dollop of sour cream and sliced avocados on top.

Pico de gallo

1 to 2 slicing tomatoes, diced

1 small onion, diced

splash of lime juice

1/4 bunch chopped cilantro

1 jalapeño, diced (optional)

minced garlic

kosher salt

Mix all ingredients. Garlic and salt should be added to personal taste.

Mexi-Ranch dressing

Combine equal parts of your favorite Ranch dressing and your favorite salsa. Stir and smile at the lovely pink color.

Avocado and Mango Chutney/Salsa (Corey)

The title says chutney/salsa because they're pretty much the same thing, right? It all depends on what you do with it once you've made it. This recipe was invented to top fish (thus the chutney), but it's excellent with tortilla chips too (i.e. the salsa).

2 avocados

1 mango

1 bunch cilantro

lime juice

salt

pepper

minced garlic

Dice the avocados and mango into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces. Add about half a bunch of chopped cilantro (my mom doesn't remove the stems, but I do...it's up to you whether you want to take the extra time to pick all of the leaves off). Season with the juice of half a lime (or one to two tablespoons of bottled lime juice), salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of fresh minced garlic. Stir and enjoy.

I love to put this mixture on top of poached salmon, grilled tuna, and even fried tilapia...though I've also been known to eat it with chips or even just a spoon.

Soy-Ginger Marinade (Jen)

I often look to the internet when I need a recipe, but seldom find anything that I want to use without altering it. (So readers, feel free to mess about with our recipes!) This marinade is a good example. It had good bones (as my mom would say about structure in the garden) but needed some attention to detail—that is, the details about the way I like my food!

This is a wonderful marinade for tuna steaks or other very firm, dense fish. Try it with Corey’s Avocado and Mango chutney and a Caprese salad. Yum!

1 cup soy sauce

½ cup dry sherry

1/3 cup brown sugar (or if you like, try honey or real maple syrup)

3-4 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

4-5 large cloves of garlic, minced

Dash of lime juice

You can also add minced shallots or minced green onion

Mix everything together and taste it. Sweeten if the mixture is not sweet enough. It should taste fairly sweet but not sick-y sweet.

Wash tuna steaks and pat dry. Pour marinade over the fish and allow fish to marinate for at least 30 minutes. Grill fish over a medium hot grill or pan sear in a skillet over medium high heat. While the fish is cooking, reduce the marinade by pouring it into a small skillet and bringing it to a boil. Continue to boil until liquid has been reduced by at least half. Plate up the fish and pour a little over each piece.