Salmon Cakes, Homemade Starbucks Frappe, and a Skinnygirl Margarita Weekend

by Michelle Dudash, Chef and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

July 18, 2011 • 8 comments

This weekend was the “quiet before the storm” since I’d soon be off on yet another trip. Steve and his guy friends went to Las Vegas, leaving Scarlet and me to go about our pool, gym (she’s in a children’s program), eating and cleaning routine. When I’m home alone with her, it’s a little mind boggling how those few things can fill an entire day.

On Saturday while Steve was living it up at the Encore Beach Club, I cursed him in my mind as I washed, folded, and put away a mountain of laundry. 2 o’clock rolled around and I contemplated whether it would be sinful to partake of a Skinnygirl Margarita alone while Scarlet napped. Since I was planning to drive after she awoke, I decided to enjoy the drink later.

Instead, for a little treat I cracked open a Lipton Pomegranate Blueberry Iced Tea. It was sweetened with stevia, a natural zero-calorie sweetener, and sugar. I was a little hesitant to purchase a drink sweetened with stevia, because sometimes it can leave a bitter aftertaste, but Lipton pulls it off well. While it wasn’t too sweet for my taste, I would have been perfectly satisfied with less sugar. Next time I will mix half of the flavored Lipton with half plain unsweetened Lipton, one of my afternoon standbys.

After our late afternoon Target outing in the dehydrating 108-degree air, I was ready for that icy cocktail. I poured 4 ounces of Skinnygirl Margarita and 1 ounce of limeade into a glass rimmed with mint cocktail sugar and salt. Ah…That was definitely worth the wait.

After putting Scarlet down for the night, I tested the salmon cake recipe I will be featuring at a cooking demo for the Florida Dietetic Association Conference this week. Chobani graciously agreed to sponsor my presentation, providing the perfect opportunity to use their recipe for Spicy Salmon Cornmeal Cakes with Chobani Cilantro Sauce. I love salmon cakes and have made them a million different ways. In this recipe I really like how the whole ground cornmeal adds a pleasant crunch to the outer edges of the patties. The Greek yogurt that serves as the base of the dipping sauce makes the dish light and refreshing. This sauce could also easily dress a side salad of sliced cucumbers.

Scarlet woke up too early for me on Sunday after my late night testing recipes and washing dishes, which provided the perfect excuse to take an afternoon nap. I still subscribe to the “sleep when the baby sleeps” recommendation whenever possible.

After our naps, I fed Scarlet Greek yogurt, which she loves to smear all over her face (yogurt is a natural exfoliant, you know) and made myself a grown-up yogurt snack. I blended together 1/2 cup of coffee-flavored yogurt, 4 Starbucks Coffee ice cubes (Freezer Challenge!), a big splash of milk and a generous swirl of dark chocolate syrup. Good stuff! I felt like a million bucks after that and ready to take on the challenge of straightening up my home, which looked like a tornado (Scarlet) had gone through it.

Estimated calories: tea 125, margarita 120, salmon cakes 390, coffee 280

So what do you think? If you enjoy alcoholic beverages, do you have a rule for how late (or early) in the day you have to wait before imbibing?

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