I am very much on the pressure cooker bandwagon. It’s awesome for tough cuts of meat, cooking beans, and other processes that can take forever, but my favorite use is speeding up recipes just enough to make them weeknight friendly!
We don’t actively follow the Mediterranean Diet, but following it can help reduce reduce inflammation, avoid disease, and lose weight, making it popular for anyone looking to live a healthier lifestyle. The Everything Mediterranean Instant Pot Cookbook shows you how to recreate classic Mediterranean meals in under an hour using the much-loved multi-cooker, the Instant Pot. With more than 300 recipes for delicious meals, snacks, and even desserts, you’ll have everything you need to create healthy, fresh, and fast meals every day of the week!
As I mentioned, I’ve already made a few recipes in here, but I wanted to share these recipe for Lemon Orzo with Crab and Herbs, which I’ve slightly adapted from the original in the cookbook.
Ingredients (serves 2):
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium shallot, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 fresh parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped, plus more for garnish
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
2 cups water (or chicken broth for more flavor)
8 oz orzo
8 oz jumbo lump crab meat
the juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for garnish
I have recently started using Cooking Light’s new diet plan. Subscribers receive a calorie-driven weekly meal plan for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks customized for their dieting goals and food preferences curated by the editors of CookingLight. It allows you to substitute in other options if you aren’t digging the ones selected, and even has the option to list “Dining Out” or “Leftovers” if you have a non-cooking meal.
So far, I’ve been really impressed with the selection of recipes and how tasty they are. The recipes also take into account time constraints, so they aren’t like 2 hour recipes on a week day (very much appreciated!) If you want to try the Cooking Light Diet Plan along with me, use the code DIETSAVE20 to receive a special discount!
I wanted to begin sharing some of the recipes I have been sent to give you an idea of what options are offered. This recipe for Crab Cakes with Spicy Mustard Sauce was an awesome weeknight meal. It comes together in under 30 minutes and is super satisfying. (I am a huge fan of quick weeknight dinners; in fact, I have a whole section of “weeknight meals” on my blog.)
Ingredients:
1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 green onions, chopped
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
1 1/3 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided
1 pound lump crabmeat, drained and shell pieces removed
Because I primarily only cook for two, using up leftover ingredients is always a bit of a challenge. When I wanted to make my version of Carrabba’s Cedar Plank Fired Salmon Topped with a Crabcake, I was left with a good six crabcakes. So I thought I’d include some of the ways I used up the crabcakes over the following days in case you need some inspiration.
Because I had already formed the crabcakes, it was really simple to whip up these dishes. The recipes for the crabcakes can be found in this post.
Crab Stuffed Mushrooms:
These were SO simple. I bought Portobello mushrooms, removed the stems, drizzled them with some olive oil, seasoned them with salt and pepper, and added one crabcake to each to stuff the inside. I then topped them with a bit more panko and cooked them at 400 degrees in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the crab mixture has browned. Because I had some of the lemon butter sauce leftover, I heated that up on the stove over low heat and drizzled it over the crabcakes. That’s it! (This is basically a take on my appetizer recipe for Crab Stuffed Mushrooms)
Crabcake Fettuccine with Mushrooms:
I cooked the pasta according to package directions, drained the pasta, and set it aside. While waiting for the pasta to cook, I cooked the mushrooms over medium high heat in a sauce pan with just some salt and pepper until they released their juices, about 15 minutes. To reheat the crabcakes, I added them to a small sauté pan over medium high heat for 4 minutes on each side. I added the crabcakes and mushrooms to the pasta and tossed to combine, breaking up the crabcakes as I did. I reheated the lemon butter sauce over low heat and tossed the pasta in the sauce.
Crabcakes with Spicy Remoulade:
You can also just eat the crabcakes as is, heating them over medium high heat for 4 minutes on each side. In the past, I’ve served crabcakes with a Spicy Remoulade which is really tasty.
Crab, Corn, and Tomato Salad with Lemon-Basil Dressing:
This recipe is a great way to use jumbo lump crab meat that hasn’t already been mixed into a crabcake mixture. It’s especially tasty the next day when the dressing has had time to incorporate into the crab meat.
What are some of your favorite crab recipes? Feel free to share below in the comments!
As the weather cools down, I want more and more comfort food. I gravitate towards pastas, all forms of a warm meal, and food with a little spice to it to keep me feeling toasty, like this Cedar Plant Fired Salmon.
Carrabba’s must know I’m not alone. They have recently launched a new Fire Finished menu and I was lucky enough to do a tasting of it! Last week, I headed over to a local Carrabba’s and tried the following:
Fire Roasted Mushrooms stuffed with sausage, red bell peppers, fennel, sauteed onions, brioche breadcrumbs, artichoke hearts, and romano cheese.
Photo courtesy of Carrabba’s Italian Grill
Cedar Plank Fired Salmon first pan-seared then topped with a crab cake and fire-roasted on a cedar plank then finished off with a lemon butter sauce. Served with roasted asparagus mushrooms and red bell peppers.
Photo courtesy of Carrabba’s Italian Grill
Bistecca Ardente: Center-cut sirloin wood-grilled then topped with blue cheese, roasted tomatoes, and basil.
Photo courtesy of Carrabba’s Italian Grill
Rigatoni al Forno: Rigatoni tossed in housemade marinara sauce, romano and mozzarella cheese and topped with Italian fennel sausage, mozzarella and fresh ricotta cheese finished off in a wood-burning oven.
Photo courtesy of Carrabba’s Italian Grill
Nonna Testa: Penne pasta with wood-grilled chicken in a housemade pesto cream (basil, pine nuts, walnuts) with spinach and zucchini, topped with mozzarella and baked in a wood-burning oven.
Creme Brulee prepared with Madagascar vanilla bean topped with torched turbinado sugar, whipped cream, and strawberries.
Photo courtesy of Carrabba’s Italian Grill
The fire-roasted mushrooms were a great start to the meal. I love fennel so I was happy this flavor came through. The mixture is lightly stuffed in the mushrooms so they remain nice and light. Really tasty!
The cedar plank-fired salmon was one of my favorite dishes. I loved it so much, I tried to recreate it! The salmon was perfectly cooked and the crab cake was a great addition. The cedar flavor shown through without being overpowering. Check out my recipe below to make at home.
The Bistecco Ardente was so juicy, especially for being cooked to medium-well. The blue cheese can be a tad overpowering though so I scooped a bit off so that I could get the taste of the steak, tomatoes, and basil as well.
The Rigatoni al Forno gave me more of my beloved fennel flavor. I liked that the pasta on top got crispy from the wood-burning oven, but would’ve liked more sauce to complement the pasta.
Nonna Testa was another of my favorites. Man this was good. The wood-grilled chicken was really juicy and flavorful and there was the perfect amount of pesto cream on the pasta (lightly dressed so it’s not overly heavy). I love spinach and zucchini so I couldn’t have been happier with this dish!
Now I’m pretty sure I’ve never met a creme brulee I didn’t like but this version was really really tasty. The vanilla flavored custard was so creamy and I loved the light touch of torched sugar to give a very thin crust to the dish without overpowering the custard with too much sugar.
Needless to say, I left super full and really happy with the tasting. The staff at the Springfield Carrabba’s were so attentive and helpful too! Thanks for a great meal!
The managing partner, Ernie, even took the time to explain all of the dishes and answer any questions we had. When I told him I was planning on doing a giveaway so that my readers could try this tasty menu, he gave me a copy of the Carrabba’s Italian Grill Cookbook (paid link) for myself and one to give away! The cookbook does not include recipes for the fire finished menu (because it’s so new) but many of Carrabba’s signature dishes, including Chicken Bryan, Mama Mandola’s Sicilian Chicken Soup, and Margherita Pizza are included within its pages. So special thanks to Ernie for the cookbooks!
In addition to the cookbook, I am also giving away a $25 gift certificate to Carrabba’s so that one reader can try out some of the menu for themselves. Details after the recipe!
Note: It is very difficult to make smaller portions of crab cakes because crab meat is usually sold in 1 pound containers. I made about 9 crab cakes and saved the leftovers for dinner the next night. If you are unable to do that, you can purchase pre-made crab cakes from your local supermarket.
Ingredients (serves 2):
CRABCAKES (makes 9, only use 2 and save the rest for up to one day):
1 tablespoon butter
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 small onion, diced
1 lb jumbo lumb crab meat
1/3 cup panko
1/2 cup mayo
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
the zest of one lemon
CEDAR PLAN FIRED SALMON
1 tablespoon butter
2 8-oz salmon fillets
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cedar plank board
LEMON BUTTER SAUCE
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, divided (I used ghee, a clarified butter)
I realized I have never posted a recipe for crab cakes. That is ridiculous! So today’s the day. I found this recipe for Crab Cakes with Spicy Remoulade in one of my Cooking Light recipes and altered it a bit for what I happened to have in my pantry.
Who honestly doesn’t love crab stuffed mushrooms? Little bite sized bits of happiness: mushroom, crab meat, cheese, and crunchy bread crumbs. I always have my fingers crossed that these party staples show up as an appetizer at any and all social events. So I thought it was about time that I attempted to make them myself. I finally whipped up a batch of theses crab stuffed mushrooms to eat while watching the games on Sunday. They are actually quite easy to make and are awesome right out of the oven or cooled to room temperature. Taste of Home had a great recipe I decided to try. My only “big” change was that I substituted Old Bay in for the cayenne. I’ve spent many a summer on the Chesapeake and now can’t eat crab without at least a little bit of this seasoning!
Ingredients:
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon Old Bay
1 can (8 ounces) crabmeat, drained, flaked and cartilage removed
With a fridge full of beautiful ears of bi-sweet corn, I am on a bit of a corn kick. I am always in search of meals that I think can be made the night ahead and eaten for lunch the next day, and this one fit the bill. I modified the original recipe for this Crab Corn and Tomato Salad (from Cooking Light of course) to work as a lunch meal.
Ingredients:
Grated lemon rind from 2 lemons
Lemon juice from 2 lemons
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (about 1 ears)
2 tablespoons thinly sliced basil leaves
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1/2 pound lump crab meat, shell pieces removed
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
To make the dressing, combine the zest, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, and Dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well with a whisk until the olive oil is incorporated. To make the Crab Corn and Tomato Salad, add the corn, basil, bell pepper, red onion, crab meat, and tomatoes to the dressing. Toss gently to coat.
I love citrus with any kind of seafood. Lemon brightens the dish overall and works so well with the crab and tomatoes. Because I let it sit overnight, the citrus flavor really had time to soak in. This is really a great make-ahead meal!
