Crab Salad

I've been longing to make Ina Garten's crab strudel recipe and even picked up a pound of fresh Dungeness lump crab meat, but the weather is not cooperating. It's been in the 90s for what seems like forever and too hot to turn on the oven. Since I have all this lovely crab, I decided to use it in a salad and it turned out great — cool and refreshing! If you haven't had much experience with fresh tarragon, this is a good recipe to try. It lends such a nice, subtle flavor to the crab mixture. When the weather finally cools down I'll make that strudel.

Recipe

1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over to remove any shells or cartilage
1 stalk celery, peeled, and cut into 1/8" dice
4 tsp. finely sliced fresh chives
1 tsp. minced fresh tarragon
1/3 c. mayonnaise
3 T. sour cream
Juice from half of a freshly squeezed lime
Zest from 1 lime
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Avocado, sliced (for garnish)
Mixed lettuce
Light vinaigrette

In a bowl lightly toss the crabmeat, celery, chives and tarragon together.

In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, lime zest, and mustard. Add to the crab mixture and stir until just coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If not using right away, cover and keep in the refrigerator.

Serve on mixed lettuces with a simple vinaigrette of your choice. For a nicer presentation, pack the crab mixture in a round ring or container and invert onto the salad.

Banana Bread with Sour Cream and Dried Apricots

Moist, cake-like, and baked to a golden brown, this banana bread is sure to please. The apricots add that little something that enhances the banana flavor. Serve warm with lots of butter!

Recipe

2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large overripe bananas, mashed
8 dried apricots, chopped
1/2 c. sour cream

Heat oven to 350-degrees. Grease and flour a 9x5" loaf pan.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside.

In another large bowl, whisk the eggs with sugar, oil and vanilla for a few minutes. Stir in the mashed bananas and sour cream, then add the apricots. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for about 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown.

Cool for about 10 minutes, then turn out the loaf onto a cooling rack. Best cut with a serrated knife, especially when warm.

Sweet & Sour Bombay Lentils

This is my favorite Indian lentil recipe! A bit sweet, a bit spicy, thick and filling and contains about 11 grams of protein per serving. It's well worth the effort. Gather your ingredients before starting. I find it easier to line up the spices in little containers so it's all ready to go. Watch the turmeric though - it stains everything! The recipe is from my Indian cuisine go-to cookbook – Julie Sahni's "Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking." Every recipe I have prepared from her book is excellent!

Recipe

FOR THE LENTILS
1-1/2 c. red lentils (masar dal)
1/2 tsp. turmeric
2 T. vegetable oil
4-1/2 c. water
1 heaping tsp. tamarind paste
1 T. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 T. chopped fresh cilantro (for garnish)
3 T. shredded coconut, unsweetened or sweetened (for garnish)

Wash the lentils in several changes of water. Put in a saucepan with the turmeric, oil and water; bring to a boil. Stir often. Cook over medium heat, partially covered for 25 minutes. Cover, reduce heat and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or until soft. Add tamarind paste and brown sugar and cook an additional 10 minutes. Stir in the salt. Turn off heat and beat with a whisk for a minute or two to smooth and thicken the puree. Keep on a low simmer while preparing the spice-perfumed butter.

SPICE PERFUMED BUTTER
3 T. ghee (or vegetable oil)
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. black mustard seeds
1/4 tsp. fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. garam masala

Heat the oil in a small frying pan (I use cast iron) over medium-high heat. When hot add the cumin seeds, black mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. When the spices turn dark brown and the spattering of the mustard seeds subsides, add the turmeric, cayenne and garam masala. Let the spices sizzle for a second or two and immediately pour over the dal and mix well. Let it cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Serve sprinkled with chopped fresh cilantro and flaked coconut. Serves 4-6.

– Julie Sahni, "Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking"

Surimi, Lemon, Artichoke & Pesto Pasta Salad

An easy, fresh, delicious salad for the end of a beautiful Portland sunny Sunday. I happen to love surimi (fake crab made out of other fish, in this case Alaska Pollock) - it's meatier (and cheaper) than real crab - just chop and add to the salad. The most time consuming item is the pasta which needs to be cooked and cooled before adding.

Recipe

8 oz. cooked pasta (rotini, shells, etc.)
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
1 T. grated lemon zest
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. coarse black pepper
1 T. minced fresh garlic
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 c. purchased (or homemade) basil pesto
1 can whole or quartered artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1/2 c. small-diced red onion
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 c. coarsely chopped Italian parsley
1 lb. Alaska Surimi Seafood (imitation crab)

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain well and let cool. I stirred in 1 T. olive oil while it was still hot so the shells wouldn't stick together.

In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients. Stir to coat well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serves 6-8.

– wildalaskaseafood.com

Fettuccini with Butter and Sage Sauce

I've been so excited to try out my new Philips automatic pasta machine, and for my first batch I made about 10-1/2 ounces of fettuccini with a mix of semolina and all-purpose flour, water, egg and a touch of olive oil. Fresh pasta is such a treat. I cooked it immediately after it came out of the machine in heavily salted water. It took about 7-8 minutes to cook. Since I have loads of fresh sage in the garden right now, Mario Batali's butter and sage sauce was a no brainer! Simple yet elegant.

Recipe

Pasta of choice (in this case, fettuccini), cooked in liberally salted water
4 T. butter
10 sage leaves, torn or cut into 2 or 3 pieces each
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp. lemon zest (for garnish)
1/4 c. grated Parmesan
1/2 c. reserved pasta cooking water

Melt butter in a 12- to 14-inch saute pan and continue cooking until a golden brown color ("noisette") appears in the thinnest liquid of the butter. Add the sage leaves and remove from heat. Add the lemon juice and set aside.

After pasta has cooked, drain (reserve about 1/2 cup of cooking water), and gently pour into the saute pan and return to the heat. Add the cheese (and a little pasta water if needed)and toss to coat. To serve, sprinkle with the lemon zest and more freshly grated parmesan.

– Mario Batali

Curried Chickenless Salad

You don't have to worry about this salad going bad at a picnic (no eggs)! I've been making this vegan recipe for decades and it's always a hit. Serve as pictured with some lettuce, or use it in sandwiches. The longer you let it sit in the fridge (a few hours or overnight), the better the flavor.

Recipe

12 oz. package of tempeh, poached and cooled
1 celery rib, minced
2 scallions, minced
2 T. red bell pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 c. golden raisins
2 T. slivered almonds
1 T. fresh parsley, minced
3/4 c. Vegenaise (or soy mayo)
2 tsp. curry powder
1 T. sweet pickle relish
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. sugar (or other natural sweetener)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To poach tempeh, place in a saucepan with water to cover and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer gently for 10 minutes, then remove from the water and pat dry. Grate and put in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined.

Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.