Saturday, February 4, 2012

My Guinea Pig

I have been watching a friend's almost five-year old daughter a few days a month for the last two month. She is a VERY active and bright young lady with an incredible imagination. She is very independent, but I find that our days are much smoother if we have some structured activities and "school-work" at some point.

I started out just printing off coloring pages for her, but quickly got caught up in Pinterest and have found some wonderful teaching and homeschool sites! Right now my two favorites are: 1+1+1=1 and Confessions of a Homeschooler. There is so much out there though. I will do my very best to link up to my resources so that you can access them too. Plus, giving credit where credit is due is just the right thing to do!

We are working through a Valentine's Day unit right now that I will be sharing very soon.  Stay tuned!

Wasabi Salmon Burgers & Sweet Potato Oven Fries

Great. Now I'm hungry!


I was so impressed with this recipe! I didn't think Abby would like the soy-wasabi glaze, so I left it off of hers. She can't seem to make up her mind about salmon - she either loves it or hates it. She didn't care for her plain patty, but with a little of that glaze she gobbled it right up! Greg said they were "really good" and if you know my husband you know what a compliment that is! You can also tell a recipe is really good if I don't get a picture of it before we start eating!

I served these burgers on lightly toasted whole wheat English muffins with shredded carrots, sliced cucumbers, mashed avocado, and wasabi mayo and sweet potato fries on the side.  You could also serve it as a wrap or on a salad with mixed greens, carrots, radishes and sprouts.
Wasabi Salmon Burgers
From Eating Well:  June/July 2005, The Eating Well Healthy in a Hurry Cookbook (2006)

    2 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce (or 1 1/2 Tbsp regular soy sauce and 1/2 Tbsp water)
    1 1/2 teaspoons wasabi powder
    1/2 teaspoon honey
    1 pound salmon fillet, skinne
    2 scallions, finely chopped
    1 egg, lightly beaten
    2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
    1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Whisk soy sauce, wasabi powder and honey in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.

With a large chef's knife, chop salmon using quick, even, straight-up-and-down motions (do not rock the knife through the fish or it will turn mushy). Continue chopping, rotating the knife, until you have a mass of roughly 1/4-inch pieces. (You could also pulse a few times in your food processor if you're lucky enough to have one!) Transfer to a large bowl. Add scallions, egg, ginger and oil; stir to combine. Form the mixture into 4 patties. The mixture will be moist and loose, but holds together nicely once the first side is cooked.

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the patties and cook for 4 minutes. Turn and continue to cook until firm and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Spoon the reserved wasabi glaze evenly over the burgers and cook for 15 seconds more. Serve immediately.


Sweet Potato Oven Fries
I have no idea where this recipe is from. I sent my husband searching for it, so I'd guess AllRecipes or something like that.

    2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, rinsed and dried
    2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
    2 tsp. smoked paprika
    1 tsp. coarse salt
    1 tsp. garlic powder
    1 tsp. freshly-cracked black pepper
    1/2 tsp. cumin
    1/4 tsp. cayenne (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Carefully cut the potatoes into 1/4″ thin strips, or to your desired thickness and length.  Then place in a large bowl, and toss with the remaining ingredients (oil and spices) until potatoes are evenly coated.

Then spread out the potatoes evenly on a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper or silicone baking sheet. Try not to overcrowd the sheet, or have multiple layers of fries — you want them to be roasted, not steamed. DO NOT attempt to get away with not lining your baking sheet. You will be so, so sorry!

Place in oven and cook for 20-25 minutes, turning the fries once or twice during that time to cook evenly.  (May take more or less time, depending on the size and thickness you cut the fries.)  Remove once the edges slightly begin to brown and fries begin to crisp.