Scallop-Crab Cakes

You need:
-1/2 onion, diced
-1/2 red bell pepper, diced
-1 stalk celery
-1-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 lb lump crab meat
-1/4 lb bay scallops (the smaller ones, which are also cheaper, because they are pureed for the mix)
-1-2 cups breadcrumbs (i had to keep adding until it felt right)
-1 egg
-3 tablespoons lemon juice
-2 tablespoons dried dill
-2-3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
-1 tablespoon dijon mustard
-1 tablespoon old bay seasoning
-panko breadcrumbs for outside

Directions:

1. Sautee the onion, pepper, and celery until soft, adding garlic last
2. Remove from heat and cool
3. In a bowl, whisk together egg, lemon, dill, Worcestershire, dijon, and old bay seasonings.
4. Add veggies to sauce mix once they have cooled, stir to combine
5. Puree the scallops in a food processor (I have found that the scallops were hard to get cooked through when they were chopped, and the smooth texture after pureeing eliminates the need for mayonaise!). Add pureed scallops to the mix, combine, and then gently fold in the crab.
6. Let mixture sit over night
7. Form mixture into patties, coat with panko crumbs, and pan fry in grapeseed oil until golden brown, about 5 min per side.

On the side I whisked some of the extra mayonaise, lemon juice, and dill together to drizzle over the top or serve on the side for dipping.

Serve with Asparagus and Couscous

Chicken Parmesan Over Pasta and Marinara

For the Marinara Sauce
(My go-to spaghetti sauce recipe):

-1 onion, diced
-1 carrot, diced
-1 green bell pepper, diced
-1 small package baby portobellos
-3-4 cloves garlic
-1/2 package of Italian Seasonings (the kind you use to make the dressing)
-1 large can canned whole tomatoes
-1 small can tomato paste
-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Sautee the vegetables and seasonings with butter or olive oil until softened. Next, add the tomatoes and tomato paste and bring to a boil, reduce heat and continue at a low boil, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to a simmer and let it cook...the longer the better.

When I make this dish, I actually don't use very much of the sauce (usually just for 2!).  I freeze the leftover sauce and use it later for something else...usually lasagna

For the Chicken, etc"

-2 large chicken breasts, POUNDED THIN!
-eggs
-flour
-bread crumbs
-grapeseed oil (higher burning point than olive oil)
-parmesan and mozzerella cheese
-noodles

Directions:

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook noodles about 9 min while you do the following...

Pound your chicken out to about 1/2 inch thick, dredge in flour, then a beaten egg, and coat in breadcrumbs.
Next, pan fry the breaded chicken in grapeseed oil over medium/medium sort of high heat, about 3-4 min per side, until gold and crispy.
When the chicken is cooked through, top with parmesan cheese and broil until cheese is melted over the top.  Serve over a small bed of pasta, sauce, cheese, and then top with a spoonful of more sauce, and more cheese.

Sun dried Tomato, Spinach, Artichoke, and Feta Stuffed Chicken

You need:
-1 onion, diced
-1/4-1/2 cup diced sun dried tomatoes
-1 large handful spinach, chopped
-1 cup artichoke hearts, chopped
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-2 lemons
-3-4 thick cut chicken breasts
-greek seasonings (i buy the pre mixed package that you make the dressing out of)
-feta cheese

**Asparagus & Couscous for the side dishes

Directions:

*I put a link to a video below that I watched before making this dish - it shows how to cut and stuff the chicken

For the Chicken:

1. Rinse chicken, pat dry, and then cut a long slit though the middle to create the pocket for the stuffing later.
2. Cover in lemon juice and dust with greek seasonings, set aside, and begin making the stuffing

For the Stuffing:

1. Sautee onion in olive oil or butter until softened
2. Add sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, and spinach.  Toss until spinach begins to wilt and then add the garlic and a few squeezes of lemon juice.
3. Remove from heat and let cool -- once the mixture has cooled off add the feta cheese (i put almost a half cup i think)

Next, put as much stuffing as you can fit inside each chicken breast, and pre-heat the oven to 350 and heat a pan on medium high heat to sear the outside of the meat.

Place chicken breast smooth side down and brown at high heat for about 3 minutes, until it looks golden, return to baking dish, and bake for about 20 minutes at 350.

Serve over couscous and asparagus!

Here is the video I watched to learn how to stuff the chicken properly:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfbBMIwWJUw&list=WL&index=2