Crab Cakes, Wilted Arugula Salad and Coleslaw

A healthy and easy Dinner that can sub in as an appetizer in a pinch!

I love crab cakes... I probably order them any time I find them in a restaurant! They are typically dairy free, I just have to be mindful of the aioli or sauce they pair it with! I'll eat them without sauce... so I'm good either way!

I started with three cans of wild crab. I also like fresh but using the canned variety works well too!

Drain any of the liquid out of the can and mix in a bowl to start with some mayonnaise and lemon juice.

Once you get a desired consistency, add in some breadcrumbs and 1 egg.

You want the crab cake mix to be only slightly wet, so as not to become dry during the cooking process, but able to hold its form when rolled into their "cakes". They do require some seasoning to really meet their full flavour potential! Old Bay Seasoning and some grainy Dijon mustard for the win!... honestly!

Form the crab cakes into desired size balls, press into patties on a parchement papper lined baking tray and cook at 350 degrees

Flip half way through.. at about 20 minutes and make golden and crispy on both sides... this is particular to every ones own ovens to keep watching for the golden brown!

In the mean time create the salads, namely the wilted arugula salad... and it's easy! Simply toss arugula in a mix of grainy mustard and avocado oil, massage for awhile and set aside at room temp to wilt the arugula. For the coleslaw, I added a cabbage and carrot mix to a bowl, added mayonnaise and grainy Dijon to the mix and combined well... but I have a special addition!!!

Too add something new to coleslaw I cooked and then shelled edamame beans which added both a vibrant colour, flavour and a protein! If you look close you will see them in there... I wouldn't try to leave them out, they are little but mighty!

Neither salad are hard but the show stopper is the crispy chickpeas! Add some high heat avocado oil, chili powder, minced onion and garlic powder... cook at 375 degrees until crispy... tossing occasionally.

The end result? They were amazing!!!

For the Aioli.. I picked something spicy to counter balance the vinegar and Dijon flavours... enter red pepper chili flakes with chili powder, mayonnaise and lemon juice!

Now that I have all the components together... time to put them together!!

Find an amazing dish that showcases all of the elements of your dinner and layer together... it presents deliciously as a meal..... if you would like to showcase this meal as an appetizer, I would forgo the coleslaw but still re-create the arugula salad but instead nest the crab cakes on top of the arugula and perhaps cut the cakes into quarters and provide small forks or toothpicks to serve!

The recipe:

The cakes

3 cans of real wild crab

3 tablespoons of mayonnaise

1 tbsp of old bay seasoning

1 tbsp of grainy dijon mustard

4 tsbp of bread crumbs

1 egg

a squeeze of lemon juice!

Blend together to make a wet but solid cake... if it gets too dry add more liquid (mayo and Dijon and an egg) or else they will be dry while cooking.

Bake at 350 degrees... cook for 10 minutes and flip and cook again... thje thickness you choose impacts this... look for the golden crust on each side.

Arugula Salad:

super easy... toss arugula with avocado oil or another high quality oil and some grainy Dijon mustard,

Actually massage these ingredients in to start the wilting progress.

The roasted chickpeas:

Take 1 can of chickpeas and plce in a pan

coat with high heat oil like avocado oil

approx. 2 tbsp chili powder

approx. 1 tbsp of chili flakes

roast at 350 degrees for at least 30 minutes,,, shake the pan regularly and watch for them to become roasted but not burnt.

The Coleslaw:

Put a cup of coleslaw mix in a bowl.

3 tbsp. of all squirt of Dijon in the mix (approx 2 tsp)

3 tbsp of mayonnaise.

The Aoili:

1 tbsp. of red chili flakes

1 tbsp of red chili flakes

place a small squirt of Dijon in the mix (approx. 2 tsp)

1 tbsp lemon juice

mix well and add salt and pepper to taste!

4 tbsp. of mayonnaise