For my first day back, I decided to ABSOLUTELY WOW you with something understated and simple. Kinda like that DKNY black dress I LOVE with my triple stranded pearls. Anyway….Thanks to my good friend and fellow foodie, Stacey P. for pointing me to this ONE-DISH WONDER. IT IS A WINNER!

Pampered Chef Lemon GrΣΣk Chicken

Ingredients:

Zest of 2 lemons (Tip – Zest Lemons before juicing)
1 C. lemon juice (Pretty much 3 lemons)
4 T. Extra Virgin olive oil
1 Head of garlic (roughly chopped)
4 T. dried oregano leaves
3/4 T. salt
1/8 T. ground black pepper
8 Baby Idahoes (small red potatoes, no need to peel)
1 Medium red bell pepper, cut into thin slices

1 Medium orange pepper, cut into thin slices
1 large red onion, cut into wedges
Whole Chicken cut up (cleaned)

 Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°.

In 1 qt bowl, combine lemon zest, juice and oil.

Add garlic, oregano, salt and black pepper; set aside.

Cut each potato lengthwise place in 9 X 13 casserole dish.

Add bell pepper, onion, and half of the lemon juice mixture; toss to coat.

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.

Place chicken on top of vegetables; brush with the remaining lemon juice mixture.

Bake 60 to 70 mins. or until chicken is no longer pink in center and potatoes are fork tender, basting chicken and vegetables with pan juices after 30 minutes. (At the 30 minute mark, I brushed on a little more EVOO)

Serve over brown rice cooked entirely in chicken broth (no water…bleck) and 1 T. butter.  Plate rice, followed by chicken and veggies and last but definitely not least, spoon some of that great flavored broth and pan juices on top. SUPERB! AND ONE OF THE BEST PARTS…..IT FITS INTO MY NEW BETTER EATING PLAN…SPA FIERCE!! (Without the skin of course. My mom is visiting and she would’ve killed me had I removed it from her pieces as well. It was delish without! I promise.)

Yield: 4 servings

The original recipe called for smoking my own salmon or something and that wasn’t happening…waaaay too many steps for breakfast when I KNOW the canned Salmon would work JUST fine- and it did.

These cakes get their moistness from the mayo, eggs, lemon juice, and simply not being overpowered by flour. The bread crumbs don’t fight the moistness like flour. You may want to add a little more. My cakes were very fragile but we like the flavors of the capers (kinda vinegary…yeah I said “vinegary” lol) lemon with the fish and veggies without too much “cake”. To each his own but more play with the recipe, they can pull of a lot of flavor….like someone else you know hunh? ; ) (ME! )

Ingredients

• unsalted butter
• olive oil
• 1 cup small-diced red onion (1 med. onion)
• 1 1/2 cups small-diced celery (4 stalks)
• 1 cup small-diced red bell pepper (1 small pepper)
• 1 cup small-diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper)
• 1/3 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1/2 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 can smoked salmon
• 1 cup plain breadcrumbs (or panko, Japanese bread crumbs)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used Hellman’s Light…don’t tell Greg) 
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
• Juice of 1 lemon

Directions

Place 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of oil, the onion, celery, red and yellow bell peppers, parsley, capers, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay Seasoning, salt, and peppers in a large saute pan over medium-low heat and cook until the vegetables are soft, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Empty salmon into a bowl by itself standing in the shape retained from the can. Gently separate the fish from the sides to expose the full spine of the fish. Try to remove it whole. If you are unsuccessful, no biggie, take your (of course well cleaned) hands and pick through it for any wayward pieces of bone. Add the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, and eggs and toss lightly.

Add the cooled cooked veggies and mix well. (Whenever you’re working with raw eggs, you want to be sure to not scramble the eggs by adding them to anything hot) Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Shape into salmon cakes, 2 1/2 to 3 ounces each.

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the salmon cakes and fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until browned. Drain on paper towels; keep them warm in a 250 degree F oven and serve hot.

*Salmon cakes can be shaped and stored overnight in the fridge on baking sheets wrapped in plastic; fry just before serving.

RECIPE REGRETS: Not having some sort of dipping sauce or a mango salsa to accompany this dish. I tried, unsuccessfully to mix a little mayo, ketchup and lemon juice. It was edible but not the sauce I was going for.