Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

Last night Sandy crafted the most scintillating crab cakes with a spicy aioli.  If Sandy were a Super Hero…this would be her skill. She can take any dish you have ever had or desired and recreate it vegan-style. It is positively mind boggling to watch this skill unfold.

Photo By: S. Duquet

The cakes are so crabby that if I received these in a restaurant I would send them back and demand an apology (and free dessert)  from the chef because there is no way these things are vegan. The only drawback to this recipe is that it only makes four cakes. As I devoured my last bite I eyed her plate like a desperado. I was about to create a diversion but it was too late, she finished hers too.

Not So Crabby Cakes

By Sandy B.                     Inspired by a recipe from  Rich Landau: Horizons

Ingredients

1 16 oz can of hearts of palm, drained and rinsed, chop into 2 inch pieces

1/4 cup of red bell pepper

1/4 cup of celery

1/3 cup of fresh chopped parsley

1 tbsp of dried dill

1 tsp of paprika

1 tsp of pepper seasoning (I used a Fiesta dip mix from Tastefully Simple), but any assortment of ground pepper would work with a dash of garlic.

1 tsp of salt

2 tsp of Dijon mustard

1 tbsp of vegan mayo

2 tbsps of bread crumbs  (in mixture,  more is needed to coat them before baking, about a 1/3 cup more, but I didn’t measure that part)

Make it happen:

Put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse to a chunky consistency. Mound into 4 “cakes”, coat with bread crumbs and bake at 375 degrees for 20 min. or until bread crumb coating is golden brown.  The original recipe did not call for turning them over, but I did about 10 minutes into baking.

Photo By: S. Duquet

(Not really) Optional sauce:

Okay, this was the cool part for me, making a sauce that takes you back to an old fashioned seafood restaurant and does it with a vegan smile.  I made a “kicked up” version of our old friend tartar sauce to top the cakes.  Mix about two tablespoons of vegan mayo, a teaspoon and a half of Dijon mustard, a tablespoon of sweet relish and a teaspoon of cayenne pepper together.  Top and enjoy your not so crabby cakes.

I added the (not really). The sauce is craveable and should be consumed by the gallon.

Enjoy the recipe and the cakes. Have a delicious day.

Tags: compassionate eating, dairy free, going veg, trying vegetarian, vegan, vegan challenge, vegan crab cakes, vegan experience, vegan recipe, vegan wannabe, vegetarian crab cakes