It is always fun to play with your food. Think of your plate as your canvas and create fun and delicious masterpieces that will put a smile on the person you are serving it to. This salad does just that. Make it as a side to your favorite meal or make the heart even bigger and use full size tomatoes, cucumbers, and other veggies.

You can use a larger cookie cutter to make shape or you can free-hand it. I am sure you have heard the sane “you eat with your eyes”, this cute looking salad hits on all your senses.

You will need:

• 10 cherry tomatoes, sliced into 1/6 inch rounds
• 1 mini cucumber, about 6 inches long, sliced into 1/8 inch rounds
• 1 mini red pepper, thinly sliced in rounds
• 1 shallot, about an inch in diameter, thinly sliced into rounds
• 1 to 1 1/2 ounce feta cheese, crumbled
• 6 pitted Kalamata olives, sliced or cut into small pieces
• Dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine or apple cider vinegar
• Salt, to taste
• Large heart cookie cutter, optional

Steps:

1. Place large heart cookie cutter on a plate and alternately layer veggies. I did tomato, cucumber, red pepper, shallot. Repeat all the way around cutter and into center. If you don’t have a large cutter in the shape you want you can free-hand it.
2. Slowly remove cutter and place on second plate and do the same.
3. Sprinkle each plate with feta crumbles and then dot with pieces of olive.
4. Lastly, sprinkle some oregano on each salad. When you are ready to serve drizzle with the olive oil, vinegar, and a sprinkle of salt.

Kali Orexi!

Valentine’s day is around the corner. If you want to skip the busy restaurants and overpriced meal and make a romantic dinner for your loved one at home then these crab cakes are wonderful and can be used as an appetizer or as the main course, or even as part of a salad course…just make the hearts smaller and add a few to the top of a salad.

Of course you can make these any shape you want. You can go for the traditional round cake or you can make them football shaped to serve at a Super bowl party, or into whatever your theme.

You will need:

For crab cakes:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/3 cup celery, finally chopped
• 1/4 cup shallot, finally chopped
• 1 red jalapeno or Fresno pepper, seeds removed & finely diced (optional)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worchester sauce
• 2 teaspoons seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 pound lump crab meat, well drained
• 1 cup crushed butter crackers or panko bread crumbs
• olive oil and butter for frying

For sweet chili remoulade:

• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
• A couple dashes of hot sauce, or to taste
• zest and juice of half a lime
• 2 teaspoons of green parts of green onions (or chives), finally chopped

Steps:

For crab cakes:

1. Heat butter and olive oil in a small pan and sauté celery, shallot, and spicy pepper (if using) until tender.
2. In the meantime, add egg, mayo, mustard, Worchester sauce, seafood seasoning, and hot sauce to a mixing bowl and stir to combine well.
3. Add in sautéed vegetables, give it a good stir, then add in the lump crab meat and combine gently but well.
4. Lastly, add the crushed crackers or bread crumbs and combine well.
5. Shape into your preferred shape and size and lay on a small sheet pan lined with plastic wrap.
6. When all the mixture is shaped, top with another piece of plastic wrap and store in frig for two hours to firm up.
7. When ready to cook, heat a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil until sizzling then add the crab cakes to the pan.
8. Depending on size, fry for 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden brown and warmed all the way through.
9. Enjoy with sweet chili remoulade or your favorite sauce. You can also serve with heart-shaped potato stacks!

For sweet chili remoulade:

1. Add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix well.
2. Let stand in frig for an hour or two so all the flavors meld together.

Kali Orexi!