Hi all! Hope you and your families are well during these difficult times. I know it’s been a while since my last post. So I must say, in this new age amid the Corona virus, I’ve been exploring vegan and vegetarian meal options with the random food shortages. The first week I saw no meat in the multiple stores, I found this vegan gem in Trader Joe’s that made my taste buds rejoice. As a southerner through and through, I love crab cakes. So let me say I was highly skeptical of anything described as a “crab-less crab cake”. Color me surprised that Trader Joe delivered a truly tasty meatless alternative that I quickly went and purchased more of.
In this new age, I will be keeping to my tradition of cooking most of my weekly meals with one “take out option”. Given the pandemic that translates to my girl Sandra’s “semi-homemade” concept. These frozen “crab cakes” I’ve eaten both with a mixed greens salad and a warmed avocado, cabbage and leek salad. As a part of my path to maintaining healthy, I’m consuming as many prebiotic and probiotic foods as possible. So please note that avocado and leeks, both used in this dish, are probiotic foods which contain the fibers needed to feed the probiotics in your gut which promote good gut health. More than likely, the next few recipes will be focused on this. So amid my home productions of kimchi, kombucha and banana walnut breads (more probiotics :)), I will be sharing other recipes focused on probiotics and probiotics to help keep your body and your gut healthy amid these uncertain times. Stay safe and well and as always let me know your thoughts!
P.S. I’d like to give a shout out to Trader Joe’s and their social distancing practices and the added bonus of the bouquet of flowers they gave each guest in my store!
“Crab cake” salad
Ingredients:
2 jackfruit cakes (trader joes)
Pinch onion powder
Pinch garlic powder
2 cups of mixed greens
1/2 avocado sliced
1/2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup sliced cucumber
1/4 cup sliced cherry tomato
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tbsp. coconut, avocado or olive oil
Directions:
- Defrost “crab cakes” for 1 hour prior to cooking.
- Heat oil in a medium skillet. While heating rinse cucumber, greens and tomato.
- Add cakes to the oil.
- Add washed greens to a bowl. Peel and slice cucumber before seasoning cakes with onion and garlic powder, then flip.
- Slice tomatoes in half and add tomato and cucumber to greens.
- Slice avocado and season to taste before adding to salad. Top with vinegar then cakes.
“Crab Cake” and Cabbage
Crab cake ingredients:
2 jackfruit cakes (trader joes)
Pinch onion powder
Pinch garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. coconut, avocado or olive oil
cabbage ingredients:
2 cups of chopped Napa cabbage
1 cup chopped leeks
1 1/2 tsp. coconut, avocado or olive oil
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tbsp. onion powder
1/2 tbsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup of water
Directions:
- defrost cakes 1 hr before beginning to cook.
- Rinse small Napa cabbage, cut in half and then into fourths. Cut a fourth into strips to “shred”
- Rinse leeks, cut off tops and save for stock, then cut thick stem into thin ribbons. In a medium pan, add oil and then leeks. Cook for 2 minutes to soften before adding cabbage. Add seasoning, vinegar and water and stir well before reducing heat.
- In a small pan heat oil and brown cakes on both sides. Cut a half of avocado and season with a pinch of salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder.
- Plate cabbage mix, top with avocado and then crab cakes.