Crab Cakes with Chipotle Mayonnaise

One of my favourite cookbooks in what's becoming a rather grand collection is the Canadian Living Everyday Favourites cookbook . It's one of my go to cookbooks; I'm always sure I'll be able to fill ingredient lists from this book.

I was helping a friend with a dinner party and decided that one of the appetizers would be crab cakes with chipotle mayo. If you've never had them, they're quick and easy and really delicious. They were also the first thing at the party to disappear. The chipotle mayonnaise is pretty versatile too - great for seafood and also a great dipping sauce for vegetables too.




1 pkg (7 oz/200 g) frozen crab meat, thawed
1/2 cup finely diced sweet red pepper
1/4 cup finely diced sweet green pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 cups dry bread crumbs
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Chipotle Mayonnaise

2 chipotle peppers, finely chopped (or adjust if you like it with more heat)
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1 Tbsp adobo sauce **
Dash Worcestershire sauce

Line rimmed baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside

Chipotle Mayonnaise: In small bowl, whisk together chipotle peppers, mayonnaise, adobo sauce and Worcestershire sauce, set aside

1. In sieve set over bowl, pick through crabmeat to remove any cartilage; press firmly to remove liquid. Transfer to a larger bowl
2. Add red and green peppers, onions, egg, 2 Tbsp of the bread crumbs and 3 Tbsp of the Chipotle Mayonnaise, stir until combined.
3. Form the crab mix by rounded 1 Tbsp into balls; roll in remaining bread crumbs. Place on prepared baking sheet; flatten to 2-inch diameter.
(Make ahead; Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours)
4. In nonstick skillet, heat half of the oil over medium-high heat; fry crab cakes, in batches and using enough of the remaining oil as necessary, until golden, about 3 minutes per side.
Serve with remaining Chipotle Mayonnaise.

** For those who may not have used Chipotle peppers, you can buy them in the International section of your grocery stores. Chose the one that's in a can and packed in Adobo Sauce.

Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

The "golden girls", i.e. my mother and her friend from Winnipeg are going to be together for a couple of weeks. Here we are planning their social activities and preparing their food in advance. If they heard me say it they would completely deny it but both of them are suckers for something sweet. I've entirely stopped telling my mother that I stick whole cakes, cut up into her freezer and mysteriously, everything seems to disappear. So today's treat for the "girls", we have Blueberry Cheesecake Bars. What I like about this recipe is that it's a cut down from a regular cheesecake and with it cut into bars, they can restrict themselves or else say "it's small, have two".






1 1/2 cups Oreo crumbs
1/2 stick melted butter - (4 Tbsp)
12 oz of light cream cheese (I used a 400 g tub)
5 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup low fat milk
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8x8 square baking pan with aluminum foil. Mix oreo crumbs with melted butter and press firmly into the bottom of the pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.
In a food processor or mixer, blend cream cheese, eggs, milk, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and zest until smooth. (don't overmix or you'll get cracks)
Pour the mixture into the crust and cover the top with blueberries. Bake in the oven for 35-40 min or until the center is set.
Cool completely. Lift the cheesecake out of the pan and cut into bars.



Go ahead - have two.

If you prefer, you can use graham wafer crumbs for this recipe instead of oreo.

Portuguese Soup

Oh no...not another Kale recipe!!!! I promise, I'll leave it alone for a while after this one. I'd heard about Portuguese Soup many times but this is my first attempt. I had absolutely no clue what ingredients to use but after combing the internet I found that there are many ways to make this soup. I took some ideas, changed others and came up with my own soup and my submission to Two for Tuesdays. Check out the inventive blog hopping creations HERE . You'll also meet the other members of the team who sponsor this weekly event and maybe even learn something new about Real Food!!!! AND if you're looking for a home made recipe for what looks like pretty incredible chorizo, Heather has one on today's post.



1 lb. chorizo (I couldn't find chorizo so used hot Italian sausage)
1 bunch kale
2 cups lima beans
1 c. chopped onions
2 tsp. chopped garlic
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. butter
2 qt. chicken broth
2 lg. cans peeled tomatoes, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste (I didn't - the sausage is salty enough)


Soak dry lima beans in water overnight or use canned. In large pot saute the onions and garlic in oil and butter until softened (about 5 minutes). Add chicken stock and lima beans and cook until almost softened. (If you're using canned, rinsed beans, you'll skip the cooking until soft stage)

Tear leaves form kale and cut diagonally into slices. You should have 6 to 8 cups of kale. Set aside.

Take casing off sausage (not so easy with chorizo) and break up sausage. Fry for a few minutes in dry or lightly sprayed pan. Pour off any fat.

Add the chorizo to the stock pot and stir in the tomatoes. Add kale and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Tip: The kale is probably better if cut on the diagonal into strips. I don't mind the chunky pieces but some may find it a little chewy.

This recipe will give you loads of soup - about 8 large yogurt containers full for the freezer.

Just for the record - crazy is a descriptor that's been used on me for making soup in 40 C weather.