The first time I saw lomi salmon I thought it was salsa. A common mistake. I mean tomatoes, onions, green onions…What. There’s salmon in there? Yep…

ingredients:
1/2 pound salted salmon
4 large tomatoes, diced
4 stalks green onion, chopped
1 medium onion, diced

You can make your own salted salmon but you can also find it in stores pre-made. I just make sure I soak it in a pan of water for 3+ hours to release some of the salt.

Rinse the salmon and pat dry. Remove the skin and bones. Now most people shred the salmon, but I chop mine into small chunks. It’s your call.

In a medium bowl toss the salmon with the diced tomatoes, diced onion and chopped green onion. Serve COLD.

This is the perfect dish because the Kid loves pasta and the Baby loves shrimp. And I love when no one complains. Winner all around!

ingredients:
1 pound tortellini
2 Tablespoons butter
1 shallot, chopped fine
1 pound shrimp
2 teaspoons lemon zest
salt
pepper

Little cheese filled tortellini are perfect in this dish. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the tortellini according to directions. Drain, do not rinse – and set aside.

Milder than an onion or even garlic, I love shallots because they bring out the best flavor in seafood, I think.

In a skillet, saute the shallot in the butter, then add the shrimp. Isn’t it lovely how just a few seconds will give you such a nice color of pink! Season with lemons zest and salt and pepper.

Toss the tortellini with the shrimp. Serve.

It’s much tastier with a heart shaped piece of toast, wouldn’t you agree?

Really, this is the easiest dinner ever – I like to keep frozen pasta and shrimp in my freezer for a super quick meal, again – no complaints!

The kids love these and they are so easy to make and take for picnics, school lunches or a quick snack. You don’t have to make them look like ninjas, but really – why not?

ingredients:
3 cups cooked rice
1-1/2 cups salmon (cooked)
furikake
1 sheet of nori

Salmon is great brain food. I am a big believer in feeding kids fish, it’s good for them and they will become smarter. (*I don’t guarantee that last part.)

The best way to make these is to use rice ball molds – but if you don’t have one, hold tight, I’ll show you how to do it without one later. But first – if you DO have a rice ball maker fill it about 1/3 of the way with rice, making a little ‘well’ in the center.

Spoon the salmon into the well. Canned salmon works fine or if you have leftover yummy teriyaki salmon (recipe, here) even better. Sprinkle with a little furikake – it just adds a little flavor and little crunch but it’s not necessary.

Place another scoop of rice right on top of the salmon+furikake mixture, put the top on and PRESS. Then simply pop it out…

YES THAT IS A VIDEO OF ME POPPIN’ OUT RICE BALLS. Lucky for you, you can’t hear my annoying voice or the sweet sounds of Tupac in the background. Anyway. See how easy that is?

Now, if you don’t have a rice ball maker, no worries – here’s an old skool way of doing it. Simply place the same mixture in a sheet of plastic wrap, squeeze tightly to form the shape…

and magically you have the exact same rice ball. Couldn’t be easier.

To add a little ‘something’ and make it a bit more authentic, you can cut a strip of nori (dried seaweed) and wrap it around the rice ball. My friend brought me these amazing nori punch cutter from Japan and they are just too cute. So just for fun I cut a strip of nori, punched out a face and there you go –

- instant ninja! The Baby was thrilled!

This is a very simple dish that you can throw together fast. Eat it on the go, or I like to serve it with full meals, the kids love ‘em!

This is an Ina Garten recipe, you KNOW I love her and you KNOW her recipes are always perfect. The fact that there is only 4 ingredients makes this the easiest dish ever – I didn’t change a thing – it tastes amazing!

ingredients:
3 salmon filets about 2-3 pounds
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
6 Tablespoons olive oil
1 clove minced garlic

In a small bowl mix the dijon, soy sauce, olive oil and garlic. Place the salmon in a pan and pour the sauce over it.

Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for just 15-20 minutes. Ina’s recipe says 10 mins, but I’ve found that just a touch longer (not too much) is perfect.

While the salmon is marinating, prep your grill. I used an indoor grill cause it’s all I had, and it worked just fine.

Take the salmon out of the pan and place on the hot grill, skin side down. (Throw away the marinade, people! We don’t food poisoning up in here.) Depending on how thick the fish is, grill for about 5-8 minutes before flipping it over. I suggest using a large flat spatula so the salmon won’t break up. Once flipped, grill for another 5-8 minutes. Let the fish rest for about 10 minutes before you serve.

I’ve found that this recipe is great hot or cold, it’s just so tasty and good quality fish makes all the difference too, of course. The kids love this and always ask for seconds – which is all any mother could ask for!

I am a firm believer in getting your kids to eat fish. It’s a healthy protein, the omega 3s it’s just downright good brain food. When you are stuck for something to make for dinner, make this. This recipe couldn’t be simpler.

ingredients:
2 boneless skinless salmon filets
2 Tablepoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Teaspoons honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon paprika
salt
pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, honey and garlic.

Place the fish filets in a greased or foil lined baking sheet, and pour the liquid mixture over the fish.

Sprinkle with the paprika and season with salt and pepper.

Bake in the oven for approx. 20 minutes or until the center is pink and cooked.

This is a very quick dinner with very simple ingredients. The kids eat it up!

This was part of the ‘Cajun Birthday Lunch’
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Once again John Besh to the rescue. His My New Orleans cookbook has a gorgeous recipe for Crabmeat stuffed tomatoes. I simplified it because cooking the tomatoes seemed unecessary – here in Los Angeles the Romas are near perfection year ’round so I figured why not accentuate that.

ingredients:
6 ripe Roma tomatoes
1/2 cup mayonaisse
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning (recipe here)
2 cups jumbo lump crab meat

Wash the tomatoes and slice them in half. Using a spoon scoop out the insides so you get a nice little cup.

Turn the tomato cups over onto paper towels to dry out.

In a bowl combine the mayonaisse, lemon juice, dijon and the crab meat. Add the creole spices and stir to combine.

Turn the tomato cups over and fill with the crab salad.

This makes a great party dish, it looks good and has it’s own serving dish!

This was part of the ‘Cajun Birthday Lunch’
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When I don’t have a lot of time I make ‘Cheater’s Jambalaya’ in a crock pot. But reading John Besh’s awesome My New Orleans cookbook inspired me to take one for the team and stand up at the stove for a bit. However unlike his recipe suggests I did not use a giant ‘spade’ to stir my pot. Yikes. That’s a lot of jambalaya.

ingredients:
1 pound of bacon, chopped
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1″ cubes
1-1/2 pounds smoked sausage, diced
3 onions, diced
2 bell peppers, seeded and diced
5 stalks of celery, diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 dried bay leaf
1-1/2 Tablespoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons celery seed
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
3 cups canned crushed tomatoes
3 cups chicken stock
2 pounds cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

Heat a large stock pot cook on medium high. Cook the bacon until slightly crisp. Pull the bacon out to drain, and set aside. Make sure you leave the fatty oil in the pot. Oh yes. You will need that.

Now add the chicken (still on medium high) and the smoked sausage – cook until the chicken is browned. Add the onion and cook until carmelized a bit.

Then add the bell peppers, celery and garlic. Cook until softened, just about 5 minutes.

Add the thyme, bay leaf, paprika, cayenne, salt, pepper and celery seed. Cook and stir well, about 4 minutes.

Turn up the heat to high and add the tomatoes and chicken stock. Once it reaches a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 30+ minutes. Check and stir now and again, you really want the flavors to mix up.

Remember that bacon you cooked and set aside? Yeah, throw that back in and while you’re at it add the shrimp and simmer for another 10 minutes. Serve over rice and you are ready to EAT! (Also goes REALLY good with Sweet Cornbread Muffins…)

Part of Food Buzz 24, 24, 24: Cooking with Kids and the Farmer’s Market

Two of the Kid’s favorite things: cucumbers and yogurt. Since he also a fan of shrimp, when I mentioned this as a possibility for Food Buzz 24, 24, 24, his eyes lit right up. Also it was really easy for a little sous chef to help out with.

ingredients:
1 pint Greek yogurt
1 sliced hothouse cucumber
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper
skewers
1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails left intact

If you are using wood skewers as I like to do, make sure you soak them in water NOW. That will keep them from burning on the grill.

In a small bowl, mix yogurt, cucumber, dill, garlic, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside in the fridge.

Prep your grill by brushing it with oil. Take your skewers and skewer the shrimp on, brush with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Grill on both sides until pink, about 3 minutes per side. Serve with tzatziki sauce.

I had some unsalted pistachios in my pantry. I came up with a nice crust that isn’t over the top, and hey, if you don’t like nuts, just leave ‘em off, it still has great flavor. I am all about the quick both in cooking and clean up, so this bakes in the oven nicely.

ingredients:
4 salmon filets
3/4 pistachios, unsalted, roasted and shelled
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
3 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put some non-stick foil down on a baking sheet.

Chop up the nuts. I like to do mine in a blender. If you use a food processor be very careful that you don’t take it too far, as it will turn into a paste. That is not what you want.

On a plate, stir together the nuts, breadcrumbs, pepper and garlic salt. Slowly add olive oil, a tablespoon at a time until it makes a nice mash. Approx. 3 Tablespoons, give or take.

Place the filets on the pan, top with the nut mixture. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until the center of the salmon is cooked.

This goes great with my recipe for creamy ricotta pasta, as a side. The squirrel plate, is not a must.