Finally! We moved, but it’s not all smooth sailing yet. We’re living out of boxes and we don’t have a kitchen yet. While our perfect kitchen is being built (which we will be talking about soon), I’m going to have to get crafty. I do have many plug-in appliances (rice cooker, toaster oven, panini press, waffle maker, microwave, etc.) so we’re still going to have a ball here. I think we’re going to be pleasantly surprised with how much I (or you) can do without a kitchen. (Gulp) Determined to eat well every single day without exceptions, here goes…

***Update 11/07/11***Breadbox is now terrible, cutting corners and giving stale and old food. Don’t go!

I’m so happy we’ve hit perfect walk-around weather, ideal for my first few days of neighborhood exploring. I’m disappointed by the dark and dreary C-town by me, but on another ugly block, I found Breadbox Cafe 47-11 11th Street, Long Island City, NY 11101. It was right next to a Getty gas station, an unexpected cafe, clean and new with the Grand Opening sign up. I felt a connection like I wanted to go in and high-five them, and say, “Hey, I’m new here too.” ( I didn’t of course.)

Two Minute Salmon Salad on a Bagel 2

With rows and rows of plump and doughy looking bagels, I thought it was a bagel shop. But no, it’s not. They’re not the traditional type with every flavor of cream cheese and a confusing amount of smoked and cured fish. I was corrected by the women behind the counter who seemed to be apologetic yet assertive that this concept was more of a cafe. However, they do make all of their bagels, so I grabbed a 7-grain, an everything, and an intriguing French Toast. Unfortunately, a sprinkling of powdered sugar and hint of cinnamon does not make this taste like French Toast. It’s really just a good egg bagel, but for $1.50 skip it and go for the others at 80 cents. Their bagels are extra chewy, fun to pinch and pull apart, reminiscent of the ones at Hot & Crusty Bagel Cafe on 87th and Broadway (prior to 2004, then chef and/or recipe changed). The 7-grain has a wonderful honey and oat flavor.

French Toast Bagel

When I got home, Lon was ready for lunch and suggested a salmon salad for the bagels. When using recipes for canned salmon, keep in mind that different brands do vary quite a bit. We seem to favor the Kirkland brand, both their Wild Alaskan Sockeye (which I used this time) and their regular Atlantic salmon. The wild is a lot leaner and crumbles more. Because of the variation in canned salmon, use this recipe as a guideline, adjusting for more or less moisture, more or less fat.

can of wild sockeye salmon canned wild sockeye salmon

I’ve noticed that many people use tuna salad as a fall-back when there’s nothing else around or you just want to save time and money, but stay healthy. I despise canned tuna, but I guess this salmon salad is my alternative. It’s just as cost, time, and nutrition effective.

Two Minute Salmon Salad on a Bagel 3

Two Minute Salmon Salad
~enough for one bagel

  • 1 (6 oz) can salmon
  • 1 tablespoon drained nonpareil capers
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried dill
  • freshly ground pepper to taste

Instruction –

1. Drain the salmon but reserve 1 teaspoon of the liquid and place it in a medium bowl with the salmon.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients, being generous with pepper, and stir together. Serve. ( I recommend serving on a bagel.)

Two Minute Salmon Salad on a Bagel 8

posted by jessica at 11:32 AM Filed under American, Breakfast or Brunch, Jewish, Recipes, Restaurants. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.