Clara's Cooking | Easy Salmon Cakes

EASY SALMON CAKES RECIPE (makes about 14 patties)

Ingredients:

2 cans salmon (bones removed if you prefer)
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1cup cooked sweet potato (canned or fresh), mashed
1 egg
1/3 cup almond flour
2TBSP parsley, minced
1/2 tsp paprika
Salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste
Lemon slices (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat over to 425F.
1. Drain salmon & remove bones (if you prefer).
2. In a large bowl, mash the salmon, onion, sweet potato, and egg together.
3. Add almond flour, parsley, paprika, salt, and pepper throughout and mix.
4. Spread parchment paper on baking sheet and brush with olive oil.
6. Measure out 1/3 cup of salmon mix at a time, form into patties, and place on baking sheet.
7. Bake for 20 minutes.
8. CAREFULLY flip patties, and bake an addition 10-12 minutes until slightly browned.
9. Serve with lemon slices if you wish.

Tip: Use scallions (green onions) in place of yellow onions for a tangy flavor.

Enjoy!

love + light,
Clara

Clara's Cooking | Easy Zuppa Toscana Soup Recipe

EASY ZUPPA TOSCANA SOUP (Olive Garden dupe)

Ingredients:

1lb hot Italian sausage

4-5 medium potatoes, chopped into large pieces for soup

1/2 yellow onion

2 bunches kale, chopped horizontally

Two 12 oz cans of chicken broth (I like Aldi's Fit & Active)

1/2 TBSP olive oil

12oz coconut milk

Directions:

1. Remove casings from sausage (if applicable), brown sausage, and drain fat.

2. In a separate soup pot, cook onion until silvery with olive oil. Add potatoes & cook for 8-10 minutes.

3. Add chicken broth & kale; allow kale to soften. (Tip: Add kale 1/2 bunch at a time, otherwise it may be difficult to fit two whole bunches of raw kale all at once, depending on the size of your pot.)

4. Add cooked sausage & coconut milk, bring to low boil, then allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

Tip: To make Whole30 compliant, verify the sausage and chicken broth are without all restricted ingredients, especially sugar and corn.

Enjoy! This makes about 8 servings.

love + light,

Clara

Dollar Tree Haul | 2016 July 15th

Oh yes, it's that time again. I may step away every once and awhile, but something about DT makes me keep coming back....oh yeah, of COURSE it's the great deals! Let me know what goodies you've been finding since I've been away! I'm sure I've been missing out :)

See haul video here: http://bit.ly/29BrQQS

love + light,

Clara

A small haul to start off the month of June 2016! 

http://bit.ly/25G8JIz

The Walking Dead Season 6 Finale Review

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS IN THIS VIDEO!!!

That's all she (or Lucille), wrote, folks! See my commentary on The Walking Dead Season 6 Finale, Last Man on Earth: http://bit.ly/1V44FyX

Clara's Cooking | Indian Cauliflower & Butter Chicken

This is one of our favorite dishes. If you like Indian food, you'll love this entree! Warning - it is SUPER spicy! If you're concerned about too much heat, decrease the spices by 25-50%.

This is served best with rice (I prefer the soft sticky Asian kind, but you can use basmati rice if you'd like). You may also serve this with naan, an Indian flatbread. A Sparkpeople recipe for naan may be found here.

What You'll Need:

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

1/2 stick butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium head of cauliflower, chopped

15 oz can of tomato sauce, no added salt

1 tbsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ginger

1 tsp curry

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp salt

½ cup light sour cream

Directions:

- Heat butter in pan.
- Cook chicken, and when halfway cooked, add onion, garlic, and cauliflower
- Add tomato sauce and spices
- Cover pan and allow to simmer for 5-7 minutes.
- Add the sour cream.
- Cover and simmer for 20 minutes

Variations:
- Decrease fat further by using ¼ stick of butter instead of ½ stick
- Use a crock pot (I haven't tried this yet, but I assume 6 hours of medium heat is sufficient)
- To make Whole30 compliant, replace the butter with 1/8 cup of ghee. Also, replace the sour cream with coconut milk, adding slowly, starting at 1/4 cup at a time until the dish reaches your desired consistency and taste.

MY GOALS for 2016

It's that time again! Instead of being sad or annoyed about the word "RESOLUTIONS", remember everything that you DID accomplish last year! What things happened last year brought you joy? What events made you cherish life even more and feel gratitude?

I too have goals that I did not accomplish last year, but for those that DID work out, I kept them on the list for my 2016 goals so that they don't get forgotten. I've added a few new KEY goals to the list, including ORGANIZING DIGITAL PHOTOS, a 365 DAY PHOT PROJECT, and spending NO MORE THAN $100 PER WEEK ON GROCERIES, and more!!! (See my YouTube video below or here: http://bit.ly/1OT43dJ )

For those goals that didn't happen, like particular physical goals (attending yoga, reaching a particular weight), I will simply try again but perhaps have a different way of approaching the goal. For example, my 2015 goal of attending yoga twice a week was too stressful schedule-wise, and I found that being stressed out in class RUINS the experience! (OF COURSE!!!!)

So what are the alternatives for me?

- Aim for one yoga class a week instead of two
- Do a yoga DVD instead
- Shorter spurts of yoga routines instead of an hour long class

For this particular goal (to incorporate more yoga), I've decided to take it on a month-to-month basis. I'll evaluate at the end of each month how things are going, and if my choice isn't working, I'll try something else. For January 2016, thankfully my gym has announced a new yoga class (Yin yoga, which I wanted) on Sundays, which are definitely doable for me. If I'm able to attend at least 3 of those sessions this month, I'll continue to purse this choice next month.

What are your goals for 2016? Do you want to spend more time with family? Drink more water? Save money for a little vacation? 

love + light,
Clara