Heart Healthy Salmon Cutlets

Cutlets are always a favorite when it comes to any Indian. Cutlets whether vegetable, fish, meat or chicken, it speaks for itself and i am sure there wud be no Indian kitchen in this world were this snack wud not have been made at least once. Among my friends group, this is once snack that will always be made no matter what the function is , for its holds a special place WELL in our tummies.

But these days, due to stress, busy life styles and junk foods , esp. for we NRI's , poor health is an upcoming issue in the toplist of problems that we face. As Asians, we are more prone to heart disease due to high cholesterol and BP. And as i love to cook our fried Indian snacks and dishes,good health for me and my family has always been my priority.So cooking food without compromising taste and health is the style i have always been working on.Though its not always easy, its just a matter of will and will power to go for it.

Hence, i love to make heart healthy cutlets without frying or using eggs the healthiest way and yet one does not have to compromise on the taste too. Ok even if u feel its impossible to eat cutlets without frying i wud recommend that they use bread crumbs from whole wheat bread or whole grain(which is the best). Try using egg substitutes(such as egg whites) instead of real eggs which are cholesterol free.Also use only olive oil or canola oil for frying, they may be expensive, but not more than our own lives.Also use IDAHO potatoes which are low in calories.(easily available in any US supermarkets).

Heart Healthy Salmon Cutlets without compromising the Taste.Here's how i make it.The following quantity can be served for 3 to 4 people.

Ingredients
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1. Salmon - 2 big slices(without skin or bones)
2. Potatoes - 4(average size)
3. Sliced Onion - 1
   
4. Chopped Tomato - 1/2
   
5. Crushed garlic - 2 pods
6. Tomato Paste - 1 tsp
   
7. Mixed veg. - 1/2 cup.(peas and carrots)
8. salt - to taste
9. chilli powder - 1/2 tsp.

Preparation Method
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Boil the potatoes and the mixed veggies(i used frozen but still boiled it again to smoothen the veggies),mash them nicely without any hard pieces. Cook salmon slices by adding little water and salt to taste. Once the salmon is boiled, and then cooled, mash the salmon and mix with the mashed potatoes. Keep aside.

Now heat oil in a skillet and splutter some mustard seeds, add ingredients 3, 4 ,5, 6 then stir and cook in low flame till its a thick paste. Then add salt and chili powder.Now mix the salmon and potatos and veg mix to the paste and blend in well stirring all the time. Simmer in low flame for 2 or 3 mins. Remove and keep aside for cooling.


Broiling the Cutlets
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Turn on the broiler by turning the oven's themostat to Broil option. Once the mix is cool, use both your palm to make the desired shape of the mix and lay flat on the broiler tray. Make sure u spray a bit of cooking spray to the tray. Keep the tray in the broiler part( the lowest part in the oven). Broil on both sides of the cutlets for abt 3 to 4 mins on each side. Remember, broiling is done very fast due to direct fire to the already cooked mix. So keep checking for over-broiling and use gloves when handling any thing with broiling or baking always.

I did not use eggs or bread crumbs yet the cutlet tastes very much nice and crunchy and soft, i can assure u that.

Priti, NJ