Here’s what I learned about mussels from Atlantic Canada:

• They are amazingly inexpensive! I found blue mussels from Atlantic Canada sold at Whole Foods and they are sold in 2 lb bags.
• They are cultured/farmed in the ocean on ropes so there’s no disruption or dredging of the ocean floor which makes it environmentally friendly and sustainable.
• Blue mussels are harvested year-round which is why they are so affordable.
• They are good for you! They are low in fat, high in protein and Omega 3s.
• They are quick and easy to cook!

I made this Steamed Mussels in White Wine dish for my sisters and brother when we hung for our sibling retreat in November. It turned out fantastic and they all loved it! When I tried mussels at home for myself, I wanted a quick and easy recipe and use olive oil. This dish turned out great and in less than 20 minutes I had it completed.

Serve with butter-garlic bread and dip it in the sauce made from the steaming liquid! It’s so good and makes a light dinner! I made this whole pot and ate it all by myself…don’t judge, okay?

For tons more recipes you can make with blue mussels, visit the Mussel Industry Council.

White Wine and Olive Oil Steamed Mussels

Yield: 2 servings

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 5 min

Total Time: 20 min

This appetizer or light meal can be made in less than 20 minutes and tastes amazing! Serve with butter-garlic bread and enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 lbs Atlantic Canadian mussels, rinsed & scrubbed, if necessary
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 to 1/3 cup of water

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a French oven or heavy-bottomed pot on high heat for 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30-45 seconds.

Add mussels, wine, cayenne pepper, parsley and water. Stir with a wooden spoon and cover. Cook 5-7 minutes, until all mussels open. Discard any unopened mussels. Serve immediately with broth.

from The Little Kitchen

I love seafood and I always say I could have seafood almost every day of the week. I’m definitely going to cook with blue mussels more this year…I would love to hear about your favorite seafood and/or mussels recipes! Do you have a favorite?

Disclosure: Mussel Industry Council provided me with Atlantic Canadian mussels for this recipe. I received no compensation and all opinions are always my own!

White Wine and Olive Oil Steamed Mussels © 2009-2011 the little kitchen. All rights reserved.

I love easy appetizers for parties and for entertaining friends. I love Duda’s Dandy Farm Fresh celery and I also love smoked salmon. This is completely inspired by cream cheese stuffed celery with smoked paprika. Have you ever had this appetizer?

It’s really easy to make, just stuff celery “boats” with cream cheese and sprinkle with smoked paprika. My mother-in-law makes it all the time for the holidays as a quick & easy appetizer and my husband loves it. We like to make it and have it while we’re cooking dinner.

So why not kick up the smoked flavor and add smoked salmon? This is how we served them at the PMA Fresh Summit. You can serve them in individual cups…

or as a dip with some celery sticks.

Another way to serve them is as a stuffed celery appetizer. Cut the celery stalks in thirds but don’t cut them a second time (into sticks), keep them as celery boats. Stuff the celery using a butter knife or spoon. This can be done a few hours before your party. Put them back in the fridge when you’re done but don’t forget to remove them or the dip at least 10-15 minutes before serving. This ensures the cream cheese isn’t too hard for dipping.

Just a note, the smoked salmon cream cheese dip looks a little different than the little individual cups we served at Fresh Summit because I made it with wild sockeye smoked salmon when I photographed the pictures. I actually prefer them with regular smoked salmon. The flavor is much better for this type of appetizer.

I’m definitely making these for a Thanksgiving appetizer for my family when we all meet up, I know they will love this! Do you have a favorite quick and easy appetizer? Does it involve fresh vegetables? I would love to hear all about it!

Celery and Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Dip

Prep Time: 10 min

Total Time: 10 min

An easy dip that you can serve with celery for a party or a quick get-together. The smoked salmon cream cheese is great on other things too!

Ingredients:

8 oz. package of cream cheese, allow to sit on the counter for at least 20 minutes
4 oz. package of refrigerated smoked salmon, chopped
2 green onions, sliced thinly
pepper to taste
1/2 lemon
8 celery stalks, cut into thirds and cut into thirds long ways into sticks

Directions:

Add cream cheese, smoked salmon and green onions to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Mix together using a metal or wooden spoon ensuring the smoked salmon is evenly distributed throughout the cream cheese.

Add pepper to taste. Take the 1/2 lemon and squeeze twice over the mixture (making sure to not allow lemon seeds to fall in) and mix again.

Serve as a dip. Dip can be prepared the night before.

Cook's Notes:
This can also be served as stuffed celery. Do not cut into sticks and stuff the celery using a butter knife.

For this recipe, I prefer the plain smoked salmon you find in your grocer's refrigerated seafood section. I think it tasted much better than sockeye wild (smoked) salmon. Do not use the non-refrigerated smoked salmon products for this recipe.

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post. You all know that my opinions expressed on The Little Kitchen are always my own!

Celery with Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Dip © 2009-2011 the little kitchen. All rights reserved.

Be sure to use a clean piece of foil for your cooked shrimp.

Grilled Shrimp

Ingredients:

1 pound of medium-sized or large easy peel shrimp, deveined and peeled except for the tail
@ 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lemon halved

Directions:

1. Heat your gas grill at high heat.
2. Skewer the shrimp on metal or wooden skewers (be sure to soak wooden skewers in water ahead of time).
3. Drizzle olive oil on both sides of the shrimp. Salt and pepper generously.
4. Place the shrimp on the grill for 1-2 minutes on each side. Add the lemon to the grill as well.
5. Take the shrimp and lemon off the grill and squeeze the lemon over the shrimp before serving.

From modified from Rachael Ray's recipe on foodnetwork.com

Serve with your favorite rice and vegetables and enjoy! Do you have any grilled shrimp or shrimp recipe you would like to share with me?

Don’t forget about the special giveaway I’m doing that’s going on right now!

Grilled Shrimp © 2009-2011 the little kitchen. All rights reserved.

Put about a teaspoon or so of the filling in the middle of the wonton wrapper.

Fold in half into a triangle (not a rectangle).

This is how it looks after it’s wrapped.

I think this is about 60.

Yummy! I have already promised my family I will be making these for Christmas Eve when they all come over this year.

Crab Rangoon - Lobster Style

Yield: 50-60

Ingredients:

1 package of square wonton wrappers
1 - 8oz. package of Icicle brand imitation lobster (or you can use imitation crab)
2 - 8oz. packages of Philadelphia cream cheese (allow it to sit out for 30-60 minutes so it's easier to mix)
4-6 green onions sliced thin (do not use the most of the white end of the onion, this ingredient optional)
salt and pepper to taste (I used 1 teaspoon salt & 1/2 teaspoon pepper)
vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

First, rinse imitation lobster and then tear/break it up using your hands into a mixing bowl.

Mix in green onions, salt & pepper.

Add in cream cheese and mix well.

Take each wonton wrapper and put about a teaspoon or a little more than a teaspoon of the mixture in the middle of the wonton skin.

Fold in half (if using a square shape, after folding in half, shape should be a triangle, not a rectangle).

Put your fingers on the area of the wonton right above the mixture, and crimp together, should look like a pouch. (Does not need to be completely sealed but you don’t want too much oil to get into the cream cheese and you don’t want the cream cheese to come out of the wonton wrapper while frying. If you’re unsure, try doing a couple and frying them up before wrapping the rest of them to get a feel for it.) Also, I sometimes describe it as looking like a ghost when you flip upside down, the area with the filling is the ghost's head.

Repeat steps 2-4 until all mixture is gone or wontons are gone.

Heat oil (about a 1 1/2 inch layer) in pan on medium to medium high heat. Oil needs to be pretty hot.

In batches, fry rangoons in pan until lightly browned on each side about 2-4 minutes.

Cool on a plate lined with paper towels. Line up upside down so that any oil that has collected inside drains out. Allow to cool for 5-8 minutes. Serve immediately.

Cook's Notes:
Buy the wonton wrappers preferably from an Asian grocery store, I use Twin Marquis brand - Hong Kong style, I have used the ones from the local supermarket and I didn't like them as much as they are much thicker than the Hong Kong style ones.

A couple of hours before starting, take your cream cheese out and let sit on your kitchen counter. If it's not completely cold, it's easier to mix and make your filling.

For some reason, when opening the wrappers (after being defrosted), I usually have to throw out the first couple of wrappers. They usually crack or break up when trying to prepare it with the filling mixture.

Keep your wonton wrappers covered so they don't dry out. I use a damp paper towel to cover the wrappers. As you are wrapping the rangoons, be sure to keep them covered as well.

I buy several packages of wonton wrappers & freeze them because my favorite Asian grocery stores are over an hour away. They freeze really well in their packaging and usually defrost fairly quickly (about 2 hours or less) in the fridge.

You can freeze your extra crab rangoons (unfried) by first freezing them (separated) for a couple of hours on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Then place them into a zippered plastic bag and place back into the freezer.

Before frying, be sure to defrost in the fridge. I have done this before, they taste pretty much the same but the consistency of the cream cheese is different and I think less appealing than when they are made fresh and fried without freezing.

Crab Rangoon – Lobster Style © 2009-2011 the little kitchen. All rights reserved.