Irish Fish Cakes and the Weekly Menu #FishFridayFoodies

These Irish Fish Cakes, starting with leftovers, are delicious.  Should you not have leftover mashed potatoes and/or Cod Fillet you will want to make some just to enjoy this dish.

The Fish Friday Foodies are Celebrating Ireland today.....

Dingle Pie #SundayFunday #PiDay #StPatsDay

So here we are getting ready for St. Patrick's Day with the Sunday Funday Bloggers but it is also PI(e) Day tomorrow, 3.14, and the French Winophiles are celebrating Women History month so I wanted a dish that I could pair with a lovely red blend from Lirac.

My solution to this conundrum? This savory, delicious pie made with slow braised lamb in an herb gravy.

Ireland and France Collide #SoupSaturdaySwappers #Winophiles

Top o' the Mornin' and Happy St. Patrick's Day.  To honor this holiday I am sharing a recipe for Corned Beef Colcannon Soup that I served alongside a Rhone wine from France.  Hence the name of my post today.

Besides St. Patrick's Day we are also celebrating Soup Saturday Swappers and The French Winophiles events.  Hence the theme of my post today.

Let's start with Soup Saturday.  Soup Saturday is a fun group that I started where we share soup/stew recipes on the 3rd Saturday of each month based on a them chosen by one of our members.  This months theme was chosen by Sally of Bewitching Kitchen.  Sally invited us to Say Goodbye to Winter and share a soup that Soothes the Soul and Chases Away those Winter Blues.

I don't know about you but I am over this cold weather and waaaaaay ready for Spring.  Should you be interested in joining Soup Saturday Swappers just leave a comment below along with your blog name and I will be happy to invite you.

St. Patrick's Day is the first Spring Holiday in my mind so I thought making an Irish Soup was the perfect way to celebrate with Sally this month.

The third Saturday of the month is also when I join my friends from The French Winophiles in an exploration of French Wines.  This month we were invited to learn about Rhone wines by Liz of What's in that Bottle.  You can read her invitation post and take a look at the beautiful winery, Hermitage Chapoutier, who provided each blogger with three wonderful bottles of wine for this event.

Our wine groups are often able to provide samples of the wines from the appellations and/or wineries that we are showcasing.  All opinions on said samples are purely those of the individual blogger and nothing other than a "thank you" is expected of us.  I have received no monetary compensation for this post.

I am showcasing the Luberon "La Ciboise" Blanc today with my soup.  It is named after the owner, Michael Chapoutier's grandfather's home.  It is organically farmed.  It is grassy, citrusy and acidic.  I thought that it was better with food than without, however that didn't stop me from enjoying the remainder of the bottle after dinner.

While this is not a pairing I would have made had these three events not coincided, it was a fun experimentation.  The pairing was helped immensely by the northwoods mixture of mushrooms in the soup.  The earthiness of the mushrooms balanced very nicely with this white wine.  I was pleasantly surprised.

I also served the Les Meysonnieres with a Maple Glazed Corned Beef Dinner.  The Lex Meysonnieres is a dry, fruity wine featuring Syrah grapes.  I enjoyed it more on it's own than with this dinner.  I guess I think corned beef is better suited for beer than wine.

The recipe for this soup was based on one found in Cuisine at Home.  I modified it quite a bit and it turned out hearty, rich and delicious.  I urge you to garnish it with the horseradish sauce.  It added great flavor to this soup.  

You will find links to more Say Goodbye to Winter soups and thoughts about the Rhone wines and the pairings that were enjoyed in links following this recipe.  Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Corned Beef Colcannon Soup

adapted from Cuisine at Home

1 oz. dried North Wood Mushroom Blend

3 1/2 c. water

1/2 Vidalia onion, diced

2 carrots, scraped and diced

2 stalks celery, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 T. butter

1 T. tomato paste

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 c. wine (I used the Luberon)

6 c. beef stock

2-3 c. cooked corned beef, diced

1/2 c. instant barley

4 med. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size dice

1 bay leaf

1 t. dried thyme

1 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped

1 T. red wine vinegar

1/2 c. sour cream

1 T. horseradish

Bring the water to a boil.  Place the mushrooms in a bowl and pour the boiling water over them.  Let sit for at least an hour and up to 4 hrs.  Remove the mushrooms from the water and set aside.  Pour the water through a mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth and reserve the liquid.

Melt the butter in a large soup pot over med high heat.  Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and tomato paste.  Season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until fragrant.  Deglaze the pan with wine, cooking until reduced and thickened.

Add the beef stock, reserved mushroom liquid, mushrooms, corned beef, barley, potatoes, bay leaf and thyme.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender.  Add the kale and vinegar, cook until wilted.

In a small bowl combine the sour cream and horseradish.

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with a dollop of the horseradish cream.  Print Recipe

Say Goodbye to Winter Soups

An InLinkz Link-up

More Pairings with the Wines of Rhone Valley

• Gwendolyn Alley at Wine Predator tells us about “Duck à l’Orange with M. Chapoutier’s Biodynamic, Organic Rhone Wines”
• Jill Barth from L’Occasion writes about “Braille on the Label and Other Pioneering Moments of Chapoutier”
• J.R. Boynton from Great Big Reds writes about “The Dark Side of Syrah, with Domaine Fondreche Persia 2012 (Ventoux)”
• Jeff Burrows from Food Wine Click shares “Northern Rhone Wines and My Steak Tartare Disaster”
• David Crowley at Cooking Chat at tells us about “London Broil Steak with Châteauneuf-du-Pape”
• Rob Frisch at Odd Bacchus writes about “Return to the Rhône”
• Susannah Gold at Avvinare writes about “Rhône Gems from Chapoutier in Chateauneuf, du Pape, Crozes-Hermitage, and Luberon”
• Nicole Ruiz Hudson at Somm’s Table tells her story of “Cooking to the Wine: Les Vins de Vienne Gigondas with Gratinéed Shepherd’s Pie”
• Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares a post on “Sober Clams + a French Syrah”
• Jane Niemeyer at Always Ravenous shares “Bison Burger Paired with Northern Rhône Syrah”
• Martin Redmond Enofylz at shares “A Taste of The House of Chapoutier”
• Rupal Desai Shankar at Syrah Queen writes about “Chapoutier: King of the Rhône”
• Lauren Walsh at The Swirling Dervish writes about “France’s Rhône Valley: Mountains, Sea, Wind, and Wine”
• Michelle Williams at Rockin Red Blog writes about “Maison M. Chapoutier: Expressing Terroir Through Biodynamics”
• Wendy Klik at A Day in the Life on the Farm talks about when "Ireland and France Collide"
• Liz at What's in that Bottle invites us to "Get to know the Rhone Valley with Michel Chapoutier"
• Payal Vora at Keep the Peas shares "The Rhone: A Taste Of Terroir With The #Winophiles"

Guinness Glazed Scrod #FishFridayFoodies

Our Fish Fridays Foodie theme this month is Irish Fish and Seafood Dishes, chosen by Heather of All Roads Lead to the Kitchen. Heather felt, and I agree, that this would be the perfect nod to St. Patrick since we were posting our recipes on the day set aside to honor him.

I was originally going to make a Guinness Beer Battered Fried Fish but I forgot that we are still in the Lenten season and I am trying to maintain the FMD eating plan during this time. I have had a couple of hiccups in the road but for the most part I am staying true to my fast. I found this recipe at Food&Wine but adapted it greatly, mostly due to the fact that I didn't read the directions fully when I chose it.

My fishmonger was out of halibut. My second choice was Mahi Mahi but the guy in front of me in line took the last of that. There were 2 scrod fillets left, I grabbed them. I halved the recipe to serve the two of us and I didn't see the part of the recipe about putting the fish in a marinade overnight until I started preparing it.

I don't think the scrod would have lent itself well to marinating anyway so I just made the glaze and went with that.

The glaze worked perfectly.  Slightly sweet on the tender, light fish.  No tartar sauce needed for this flavorful dish.

I served this up with Baked Sweet Potato Fries and a Shades of Green Salad. This meal was almost Phase 3 friendly, much more so than my original idea of beer battered fish and chips, and still just as tasty. Even more tasty, in my humble opinion.

Guinness Glazed Scrod 
greatly adapted from Food&Wine


2 (6 oz) Scrod fillets
salt and pepper to taste
1 bottle Guinness
1/4 c. honey
juice of half a lemon
1-2 T. olive oil
3 dashes hot sauce

Bring the Guinness and honey to boil in a medium saucepan, reduce to simmer and cook, skimming away foam, for about 15-20 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and hot sauce. Increase heat and bring to a boil, cooking until thickened and syrupy. It will look like molasses. Whisk in the olive oil to make the glaze the correct consistency for brushing onto the fillets.

Place the fillets in a shallow baking dish and season with salt and pepper. Brush with the glaze and place under a broiler for 4-5 minutes until the scrod is cooked through and flakes with a fork. Print Recipe

More Irish Fish and Seafood Recipes.

An InLinkz Link-up

Interested in joining us at #FishFridayFoodies?  Just leave a comment with your blog name and email address and I will send you an invitation.  Visit our Facebook page and Pinterest board.

Shades of Green Salad #SundaySupper

Christie of A Kitchen Hoor's Adventure is hosting this month's Sunday Supper with a theme of Healthy Green Recipes for St. Patrick's Day.

I first made this salad on a whim for a St. Pat's Day dinner party that I had in 2014.   At that time I had simply added some green food coloring to Ranch dressing for this salad.  Today I am sharing the salad with a new dressing that I made.

It is the perfect side salad for your St. Patrick's Day Dinner.  It doesn't get much greener or healthier that a blend of romaine, spinach, broccoli, green peppers, chives, and avocado covered in a delicious creamy buttermilk dressing.

Shades of Green Salad

Dressing:

1/4 c. avocado mayonnaise

1/4 c. buttermilk

2 scallions, white and light greens, chopped into pieces

1/4 c. coarsely chopped parsley

1 t. dried tarragon

juice of 1/4 lemon

1 garlic clove, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Salad:

1 head Romaine Lettuce, washed and torn into bite size pieces

2 c. baby spinach leaves

1 small bunch broccoli florets

1 green pepper, diced

1 Avocado, pitted, peeled and diced

handful of chives, minced

Place mayonnaise, buttermilk, scallions, parsley, tarragon, lemon juice and garlic in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse several times, scrape the bowl and pulse again to desired degree of smoothness.

Toss together the Romaine and spinach leaves.  Place onto a platter, sprinkle with the broccoli, green peppers, avocado and chives.  

Drizzle with some of the dressing and serve with additional dressing on the side. 

More Healthy Green St. Patrick's Day Recipes

Best Breakfasts

• Get Your Greens Smoothie by Hardly A Goddess
• Green Breakfast Omelet Bites by Momma’s Meals
• Green Eggs and Ham by Feeding Big
• Green Scrambled Eggs with Ham by Cricket’s Confections
• Kuku Sabzi – Persian Herb Frittata by Caroline’s Cooking
• Matcha Overnight Oats by Brunch-n-Bites
• Southwest Breakfast Spinach Wrap by The Freshman Cook
• Super Green Smoothie by Simple and Savory

Must Make Main Dishes

• Chicken Paillard Arugula Truffle Salad by Family Foodie
• Gambian Spinach with Peanut Sauce by Tara’s Multicultural Table
• Grilled Lettuce and Steak Salad by Sunday Supper Movement
• Pan Roasted Cod on Spinach Basil Risotto with Lemon Butter Sauce by Positively Stacey
• Poached Cod with Pesto Wine Sauce by Life Tastes Good
• Potato Leek Skillet Pizza by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Sautéed Garlic and Parmesan Chicken With Spinach by My Sweet Savings
• Skinny Reuben Wraps with Homemade 1000 Island Dressing by For the Love of Food
• Tequila Chicken Salad by Cosmopolitan Cornbread

Scrumptious Salads

• Brussels Sprout and Kale Salad by Pies and Plots
• Green Goddess Bibb Salad by Palatable Pastime
• Pixie Dust Salad with Avocados, Pixie Tangerines and Radishes by Shockingly Delicious
• Quinoa Tabbouleh by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Sesame Wedge Salad with Key Lime Vinaigrette & Pickled Green Tomatoes by Gourmet Everyday
• Shades of Green Salad by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Zucchini Carpaccio Salad by The Bitter Side of Sweet

Stunning Sides

• Colcannon by Wholistic Woman
• Green Goddess Dip by From the Bookshelf
• Grilled Cabbage with Spicy Lime Dressing by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Irish Cabbage by Turnips 2 Tangerines
• Miso Roasted Broccoli by Life Currents
• Pistachio Parmesan Oven Fries by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts by Books n’ Cooks
• Soy Glazed Sugar Snap Peas by Food Lust People Love
• Spinach Tots by A Mind “Full” Mom
• Warm Brussels Sprout Slaw by Jersey Girl Cooks

Dreamy Desserts

• Matcha Mint Coconut Candy by My Life Cookbook
• Super Lime Bars by What Smells So Good?

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

#FMD Friendly Reuben Quesadillas #StPatrickDay

St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner.  It is a great time to celebrate the Irish in all of us, even if there isn't any!  There are a lot more ways to celebrate than drinking green beer.  So Jan from The Tip Garden and Carlee from Cooking with Carlee got us together to share our best St. Patrick's Day inspired recipes.  There is sure to be something for everyone!

Over the years I have shared many St. Pat's inspired recipes.  Corned Beef and Cabbage, of course, but also Baked Potato Soup, Individual Shamrock Cheesecakes, Irish Cream Cheesecake, Irish Root Soup, Beef and Red Ale Pie and a Cheddar Ale Cheese Spread to name a few.

Corned Beef and Cabbage is a given, every single year so I am sharing a recipe that you can use with leftovers if you have any or enjoy any time of the year using deli corned beef.  I was going to name this post Mexico meets Ireland but for Lent this year, I decided to restart the Fast Metabolism Diet so I adapted my Quesadillas to fit into this eating plan.

Since I was feeding my husband the recipe does include swiss cheese, which is not allowed on FMD. Should you want to stay strictly on the eating plan you will omit the cheese completely.  You can include the apple in Phase 1 but omit it in Phase 3.  You can use the sauce in Phase 3 but omit it in Phase 1.  Got all that?  Don't worry, I will reiterate in the written recipe.

To make the sauce Phase 3 Friendly, I used mayo made with Avocado Oil and a hot sauce made with fruits and veggies with no added sugars or oil.

While bread is allowed on the Fast Metabolism Diet, it is required to be made with whole grains.  Using these Sprouted Grain Tortillas make the dish both Phase 1 and Phase 3 Friendly.

Place your sauerkraut, apple (for Phase 1) and cheese (if using) on one half of the tortilla.  Top with nitrate free, thinly sliced corned beef.  

Fold the tortilla in half over the filling and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown and warmed through.

Cut the Quesadillas into thirds and serve with the sauce on the side  I had used part of an apple for in the quesadilla and cut up the remainder to enjoy with our sandwiches.

Make sure you scroll down past the recipe to find tons of St. Patrick's Day inspired recipes.  I will leave you with this Irish Blessing found during a google search:

Reuben Quesadillas (FMD Friendly)

Sauce:

1/4 c. avocado oil or safflower oil mayonnaise

1 T. veracha sauce (sugar free/corn syrup free)

1 scallion, white and light green, minced

1/2 T. sweet relish

2 t. apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Quesadilla:

1 c. shredded swiss cheese (omit if FMD)

1/3 c. sauerkraut mixed with 1/4 c. shredded apple (Phase 1)

or 1/2 c. sauerkraut (Phase 3)

4-6 oz. nitrate free, thinly sliced corned beef

2 sprouted grain tortillas

Combine the mayonnaise, veracha, scallion, relish, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Lightly rinse the sauerkraut and squeeze dry, mix together with apple if using.  

Place one tortilla onto a hot griddle. Sprinkle one half of the tortilla with half the cheese (if using), half the sauerkraut, and half the corned beef.  Fold the tortilla in half over the filling and allow to cook for 5-6 minutes.  Flip over and cook other side 5 minutes or until golden and warmed through. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make a second Quesadilla. Print Recipe

More St. Patrick's Day Recipes

    St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner.  It is a great time to celebrate the Irish in all of us, even if there isn't any!  There are a lot more ways to celebrate than drinking green beer.  So Jan from The Tip Garden and Carlee from Cooking with Carlee got us together to share our best St. Patrick's Day inspired recipes.  There is sure to be something for everyone!

• Beef and Stout Stew from Caroline's Cooking
• Chocolate Cupcakes with Irish Cream Frosting from Grumpy's Honeybunch
• Chocolate Stout Floats from The Chef Next Door
• Easy 5 Ingredient Chocolate Mint Cookies from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Grilled Cabbage Steaks from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Irish Tea Brack from Cooking With Carlee
• Lucky Leprechaun Minty Milkshakes from Family Around the Table
• Nana's Shepherd's Pie from The Tip Garden
• Reuben Quesadillas from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Reuben Stuffed Crescent Rolls from From Gate to Plate
• Slow Cooker Guinness Pot Roast from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• St. Patrick's Day Green Martini - Melontini from All That's Jas
• Stout Cupcakes with Irish Buttercream from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Ulster Fry from Palatable Pastime