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Salmon Rutabaga Croquettes

by Rob October 10, 2018

I’ve made croquettes several times before, always with potato as the main ingredient. With Weight Watchers declaring potatoes to be Bad (due to high starch), I decided to sub out the potato in favor of rutabaga. Not surprisingly, this lightened things up considerably (rutabaga is 10 calories/ounce compared to the potato at 26 calories/ounce). The result is 104 calories per croquette…and they’re a good size (almost 3 ounces each

Salmon Rutabaga Croquettes

1 1/2 Weight Watchers points (3 for 2 croquettes)

Course

Appetizer

Cuisine

seafood

Keyword

croquette, rutabaga, salmon, WW1, WW2

Servings

Ingredients

Croquette Ingredients

2 pounds rutabaga
12 ounces fresh salmon skin removed
1/2 red onion chopped
4 garlic cloves diced
3 strips bacon
1 tablespoon sumac
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon canola oil

Sauce Ingredients

1 cup fat free Greek yogurt
5 fresh sage leaves diced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon caper juice

1 cup fat free Greek yogurt
5 fresh sage leaves diced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon caper juice from a bottle of capers

Course

Appetizer

Cuisine

seafood

Keyword

croquette, rutabaga, salmon, WW1, WW2

Servings

Ingredients

Croquette Ingredients

2 pounds rutabaga
12 ounces fresh salmon skin removed
1/2 red onion chopped
4 garlic cloves diced
3 strips bacon
1 tablespoon sumac
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon canola oil

Sauce Ingredients

1 cup fat free Greek yogurt
5 fresh sage leaves diced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon caper juice

1 cup fat free Greek yogurt
5 fresh sage leaves diced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon caper juice from a bottle of capers

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Peel rutabaga, then cut into large chunks. Boil for 20-30 minutes or until soft.
Combine breadcrumbs with salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet. Cook for no more than 2 minutes, or long enough to brown them.
While the rutabaga are cooking, cut bacon into small pieces and heat in a pan on medium for about 5 minutes. Add onion and sautee until it starts to turn a golden brown. Add garlic and cook for another minute while stirring constantly to prevent burning. Allow to cool, but save everything in the pan (including the grease).
Mash rutabaga by hand or run through a ricer. Allow to cool: combining hot rutabaga with the salmon will cook it partially, resulting in overcooking in the oven.
Chop salmon into small pieces (about 1/4 inch chunks).
Blend onion, garlic, bacon, rutabaga, sumac, 1 egg, salt, and lemon juice.
Roll mixture into 14 equal-sized balls (a little less than 3 ounces each).
Place egg in a small container with a tablespoon of water and whisk. Place breadcrumbs in another small container. Roll each ball in the egg, then in the breadcrumbs, and place on a baking sheet brushed with oil. If possible, use a spray bottle to spray the surface of each croquette.
Bake for 10 minutes, then turn over and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.
Combine sauce ingredients and allow to rest for 15 minutes in refrigerator before serving.

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Soups, Stews, and Chowders

Corn Chowder

by Rob October 9, 2018September 9, 2019

This corn chowder (or, as my relatives in Massachusetts would say “chowdah”) manages to be thick, rich, and flavorful without being high in calories. Potatoes are replaced with rutabaga, and there is so much depth from the other ingredients that it doesn’t need cream or any other thickener.

Please note that I save the one thing that most people throw away when they chop celery: the leaves. This most underrated part of the most underrated vegetable adds an incredible amount of flavor when sprinkled on top of the chowder. It also works incredibly well for gumbo or anything else that uses celery.

Corn Chowder

1 Weight Watchers point per 9 ounces

Course

Soup

Keyword

chowder, corn, soup, WW1

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

45 minutes

Servings

Ingredients

4 cups cooked corn kernels
5 cups stock refer to https://absolute0cooking.com/recipe/how-to-make-a-stock/
1/2 medium red onion chopped
1 pound rutabaga peeled and chopped
4 slices bacon cut in small pieces
4 celery stalks chopped, reserving celery leaves
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Course

Soup

Keyword

chowder, corn, soup, WW1

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

45 minutes

Servings

Ingredients

4 cups cooked corn kernels
5 cups stock refer to https://absolute0cooking.com/recipe/how-to-make-a-stock/
1/2 medium red onion chopped
1 pound rutabaga peeled and chopped
4 slices bacon cut in small pieces
4 celery stalks chopped, reserving celery leaves
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

If you have corn on the cob, cut the kernels off the cobs and set aside. Add the cobs to the stock and heat on medium for at least half an hour. Remove cobs and discard.
Cook bacon pieces in a large pot on medium heat. Once the fat starts to melt, add onion. Cook stirring frequently until onion turns translucent, about five minutes.
Add thyme, and stir in. Add rutabaga and celery, and stir continuously for about a minute.
Add half of the stock, and half of the corn kernels, to a blender. Blend until smooth. NOTE: using a food processor will result in a grainy texture. Add to pot along with remaining stock. Stir thoroughly, then cover. Cook until rutabaga pieces are tender, about 30 minutes.
Add remaining corn, and stir thoroughly. Add salt and pepper, adjusting to taste.
Serve with celery leaves sprinkled on top.

Recipe Notes

Refer to How to Make a Stock to make your own stock for this recipe.

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Entrees

Gnocchi Banderia Italia (Italian Flag Gnocchi)

by Rob October 8, 2018October 8, 2018

This was several years in the making. I’ve always had this idea of making the colors of the Italian flag, although that idea has always been to do it with pasta. But, in my continuing quest for healthier options, I decided to make a gnocchi with rutabaga. I decided to add a potato at the last minute because I wasn’t sure how well it would bind without the starch.

Gnocchi Banderia Italia (Italian Flag Gnocchi)

4 Weight Watchers points (7 ounces)

Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

Italian

Keyword

gnocchi, WW4

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour

Passive Time

Servings

Ingredients

Common Ingredients

4 pounds rutabaga
20 ounces russet potato
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour divided
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 egg

Green Gnocchi Ingredients

10 ounces fresh spinach leaves only, blanched
8 ounces peas

White Gnocchi Ingredients

1 head garlic cloves about 10 cloves, separated and peeled but left whole
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon light butter
8 ounces mushrooms sliced

Red Gnocchi Ingredients

10 peppadew peppers diced
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
8 ounces sun-dried tomatoes I made my own oven-dried tomatoes

1 teaspoon light butter
8 ounces mushrooms sliced
Red Gnocchi Ingredients
10 peppadew peppers diced
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
8 ounces sun-dried tomatoes I made my own oven-dried tomatoes

Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

Italian

Keyword

gnocchi, WW4

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour

Passive Time

Servings

Ingredients

Common Ingredients

4 pounds rutabaga
20 ounces russet potato
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour divided
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 egg

Green Gnocchi Ingredients

10 ounces fresh spinach leaves only, blanched
8 ounces peas

White Gnocchi Ingredients

1 head garlic cloves about 10 cloves, separated and peeled but left whole
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon light butter
8 ounces mushrooms sliced

Red Gnocchi Ingredients

10 peppadew peppers diced
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
8 ounces sun-dried tomatoes I made my own oven-dried tomatoes

1 teaspoon light butter
8 ounces mushrooms sliced
Red Gnocchi Ingredients
10 peppadew peppers diced
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
8 ounces sun-dried tomatoes I made my own oven-dried tomatoes

Instructions

Cut or peel the skin off the rutabagas. Cut into 2 inch chunks. Boil for 30 minutes or until a fork can pierce it easily.
Wrap garlic cloves in aluminum foil with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Cook at 400°F (205°C) for 45 minutes. Cook at the same time as the potato in the next step if desired. NOTE: I know that garlic is usually roasted with the head together. But, since I don't need the cloves to keep their shape, this is much easier.
Pierce potatoes and bake whole at 400°F (205°C) for 45 minutes or until a fork can pierce it easily. Cut open potato carefully and scoop out the insides.
Mash rutabagas and potatoes together. Push through a ricer if you have one. Otherwise, mash until there are no chunks remaining.
Mix mash together with 1 cup of flour, salt, and egg. Only blend long enough to incorporate ingredients. Separate dough into 3 separate, equal portions.
Chop spinach finely. Blend with 1 portion of the dough and set aside for at least 30 minutes to allow the colors to integrated.
Blend roasted garlic (mash up if needed) into 1 portion of dough and set aside.
Saute peppers in 1 teaspoon of oil. Scrape pan clear and add to 1 portion of dough. Mix in tomato paste if a deeper red color is desired.
Dust a cutting board generously with flour. Prepare one color gnocchi at a time, keeping the other colors separate for steps 10-Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Have a large bowl filled with ice water and a colander inserted in it ready; make sure the ice is on the outside of the colander. Also have a drying rack and a large plate ready.
Break one color dough into 4 portions. Roll these out into a rope that's about 1/2 inch (12 mm) in diameter, dusting the outside with flour. Cut into equal portions, dusting the ends with flour to seal any exposed areas.
Boil gnocchi in small batches (10 - 12 at a time). When they float to the top of the water, scoop them out with a slotted spoon and insert into ice water.
Start the next batch of gnocchi for that color. When that batch is done, pull the colander out of the water to drain the gnocchi, and place cooled gnocchi on a drying rack. Once the next batch is ready, transfer the cooled, dried gnocchi onto a separate plate to make room for the next batch.
Repeat steps 10-13 for one color of gnocchi until that color is completed. Set aside and repeat steps 10-14 for the other 2 colors. Keep the colors separate.
Again working with one color at a time, spray a non-stick pan with cooking spray, and toss gnocchi until it gets browned a bit on all sides. Allow to cool completely on the cooling rack before storage to keep them from sticking together.
Toss gnocchi in melted butter or butter spray. Serve the green gnocchi with peas. Serve the red gnocchi with oven-dried (or sun-dried) tomatoes. Serve the white gnocchi with mushrooms. Or, mix them all together if you like.

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