RUNZAS (BIEROCKS)

My goal to make dinner at least 4 nights a week with only the ingredients I
have in the kitchen left me a little puzzled this week. I had a fresh cabbage,
onion and of course, moose burger in the freezer. I went to www.allrecipes.com
and used their search where you can type in the ingredients you have and they
will list recipes you can make with those ingredients.

Runzas came up--something I had never heard of before. After reading a bit
more about them it seems they are very popular in the midwest region. I read
that there are Runza fast food chains and they are sold at ball parks with beer.
Some states call them Runzas, some states call them Bierocks. Whatever you
call them, they are delicious! A bread pocket filled with cooked cabbage and
meat that is very good hot from the oven and just as delicious the next day in 

the lunch box. 

These are easily adjusted to your tastes too--you can add cheese, mushrooms,
sauce, whatever sounds good. A Runza pizza pocket would be good too I think

with pizza sauce, pepperoni and cheese. I like the way they are easily held in 

your hand to eat--no utensils required. Perfect for on the go lunches & camping!

I made these with the frozen bread dough because I was short on time, but next
time I will plan ahead and make the dough from scratch because frozen bread
dough is  very expensive here!



RUNZAS

1 pound (1 loaf) frozen bread dough, thawed
1 small onion, diced
1/2 pound ground beef
4 cups shredded cabbage
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1/2 can cream of soup-your choice: mushroom/celery/chicken
Salt, pepper to taste
Butter

Divide thawed bread dough into 6 pieces and roll into balls.

Saute onion in large saucepan until browned; add ground beef & cook until beef
is no longer pink. Stir in cabbage, cover and cook until cabbage is wilted, then

sprinkle with celery seed. Add undiluted soup and heat through, then add salt & 

pepper to taste.

Remove from heat and let cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Flatten each dough ball into approx. 5 x 5" square. Fill center of each square with 

about 1/2 cup of beef mixture. Bring opposite corners of dough square together

one at a time and seal so there are no leaks. Place seam side down on greased 

cookie sheet and flatten slightly with palm of hand.

Bake in preheated oven for approx 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and butter

top of each pastry as soon as they come out of the oven. Delicious dipped in ketchup

or mustard.

SALMON CROQUETTES

This is fast becoming one of my very favorite ways to eat salmon! When I cook
salmon in the oven or barbeque it I always make sure to have some left over so
I can make a batch of these delicious croquettes.

The recipe comes from Alaska Magazine's Cabin Cookbook. I love this little
paperback cookbook! The recipes are uncomplicated and basic, not always 

exact and I almost always have all of the ingredients in the cupboard to make 

them without making a trip to the store.

These croquettes are delicious with everything from tarter sauce to ketchup
and they taste even better warmed up the next day. I use a small ice cream
scoop to make mine so they are uniform and the size lends itself to popping
them into your mouth while driving. Who needs McDonalds fries!




SALMON CROQUETTES

Flake leftover salmon and add approx. 1/4 as much cooked rice (I use a mix

of organic brown and wild rice) and 1 or 2 lightly beaten eggs, depending on 

the size of your batch.

Stir gently to blend. Add a few drops of fresh lemon juice and onion juice. If 

onion juice isn't available, you can substitute dehydrated minced onions or 

even fresh minced onions. Add salt and pepper to taste and I sprinkle in a bit 

of Old Bay Seasoning.

Shape into small balls and roll in fine dry bread crumbs. I use leftover whole

wheat bread for the bread crumbs for the extra taste and fiber.

Fry in a heavy fry pan with enough oil to cover the bottom. Turn the croquettes

a few times during cooking so they turn deep golden brown and crusty all the 

way around. Drain on paper towels before serving.

If you prefer, these can be deep fried in 375 degree oil, then drained thoroughly

on paper towels.

AVOCADO SUNSHINE

One of my favorite sandwiches used to be a Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato (BLT) until I read so much research about how hard bacon is on our body's digestive system that I just decided to eliminate it from our diet. I was at a nutrition seminar this past year and purchased a vegetarian cookbook that featured this delicious, easy and very healthy sandwich that made me forget all about BLT'S! Now if only avocados were less than $3.00 each in Alaska I could have this all the time...

2 slices whole wheat, multi grain bread (I like mine lightly toasted)
1/2 avocado, peeled and sliced
1/2 large tomato, sliced thick
1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts
1 Tablespoon green onions chopped
2 Tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
Garlic powder to taste
Dried oregano to taste

Spread mayonnaise on each slice of bread. Sprinkle with garlic powder and oregano to taste. On one slice of bread layer avocado slices, tomato slices, cucumber slices, sprouts and onions. Top with remaining slice of bread. Be sure to have plenty of napkins on hand--these are juicy sandwiches!