…with a garnish of bacon and a side of oven-roasted broccolini.  Oh, my!  What are we celebrating??

LIFE!  And, protein!  Sometimes an ordinary day can be made special with a special meal.  This looks swanky, but is simple to make and surprisingly inexpensive.  Let’s get the lentils going and then start the salmon patties, er… “croquettes” if you want to sound fancy.

1 cup of pink lentils – sorted, debris removed – get them ready and set aside

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper

Into a medium saucepan over medium heat, place the onion and red pepper.  Drizzle enough olive oil onto the veggies so they don’t stick and cook for 3-4 minutes.  Once the veggies are soft, add the pink lentils and 2 cups of chicken broth.  You may need more liquid later, but wait and see.  We want a nice, thick base for the salmon patties so the lentils do not need to be wet and soupy.  When the lentils come to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and place a lid on the pan.  Keep an eye on them, but let them go a little longer than usual – about 25 minutes.   Make sure you have enough liquid so the lentils don’t stick to the bottom.  Add either water or chicken broth, as needed, up to 1 more cup total.

For the salmon patties:

1 can salmon (15 oz), drained but not squeezed – just pour off extra liquid

1 Tbsp. spicy whole-grain mustard

3 Tbsp. minced onion

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

zest of one lemon

freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning

3-4 Tbsp. flour or finely ground oats – this will be more or less, depending on how much moisture is in mixture

2 eggs

Put everything except eggs into a bowl and mix together.  Add eggs and stir gently.  It should be moist and workable.  If it seems too wet, add some additional flour.  This is the most important part of making the patties.  If they are too wet, they will spread and break apart.  If they are too dry, they won’t adhere.  Once you get the salmon mixture *right*, heat a skillet to medium low.  You will need some fat (butter, olive oil, bacon drippings, coconut oil, whatEV)  Add enough fat to coat the bottom of the pan.  Using your hands and a spoon, scoop out and shape each patty, gently laying it in the hot oil.  Leave space between each, cooking 3 at a time to total 6 patties in two batches.

Hopefully, your lentils have softened up nicely in the meantime.  If they are too wet, take the lid off and let the extra liquid bubble off.  Stir and break them up to form a nice very-thick-soup-like consistency.

To serve:  spoon out about a half cup of pink lentils into a bowl.  Place 1-2 salmon patties artistically on one side.  Crumble 2 slices of  extra-crisp bacon in a small bowl and sprinkle on top.  (See: BACON post)  Place oven-roasted broccolini on the side (See:  Oven Roasted Veggies post) and you are there.