Chef Paul Strouse, Kirkland Village
What do you enjoy cooking and how do you maintain variety in your food?
My favorite specialty dishes are mainly from classic French cuisine. I also enjoy cooking Italian food, English and American comfort foods. We are always looking for new and trendy recipes to introduce to our residents.

What do you do to make your food more desirable for the residents?
We do our best to give our plates a colorful and appealing presentation, using fresh vegetables, fresh herbs and colorful garnishes.

How do you modify recipes to make sure they are healthy?
We modify our recipes for healthier living by using the natural juices from meats, poultry and seafood instead of using a sauce. We use gluten free flour for those who prefer sauces or cream based soups. We also use low sodium bases for some of our recipes.

What are the best substitutes for sugar, salt and saturated fats?
Honey, maple syrup, citrus juices from orange or lemon are all great choices for natural sugar substitutes. If your diet consists of foods that are low in saturated fat, try using low fat dairy products instead of regular bacon, try turkey bacon or Canadian bacon, meats that are high in protein like poultry,
seafood, and egg whites. Low sodium options are fresh garlic, lemon pepper, and fresh herbs such as cumin, coriander.

Kirkland Signature Crab Cakes

Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh or pasteurized jumbo lump crabmeat
1 egg, ¾ cup low fat mayonnaise
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 bell pepper – seeded and diced
2 scallions – sliced thin, salt and pepper to taste
2 oz. extra virgin olive oil panko breadcrumbs

Directions:
1. In a small non stick sauté pan, cook the bell peppers in oil on low heat for 3-5 minutes or until tender, set aside.
2. In a small bowl combine egg, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice and whip until smooth.
3. In another bowl add your fresh crab meat. Carefully search for shells so not to break up the crab meat lumps, add your bell peppers and scallions to the crab meat, slowly add the wet mixture to your crab meat. Gently mix up the crab until the crab meat is coated with the wet mixture, form the crab patties, then bread them with your panko crumbs.
4. In a nonstick sauté pan on low heat add your extra virgin olive oil, gently place the crab cakes in the sauté pan and sauté for 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
5. When turning your crab cakes always turn them away from you, also when turning them, be careful not to break them up.
6. Fresh lemon wedges, tartar sauce and cocktail sauce are traditional condiments to compliment your crab cakes. Serve with a side salad and enjoy!

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