Grain-Free Salmon Cakes

I can’t believe how sore I am after less than a week. Five days, and muscles I never knew existed are tender. It may have more to do with learning the mistakes I made on Tuesday and Friday, but on Wednesday I flew down the sidewalk, running despite the ache. I felt beyond empowered.

With the poster for my final project in Conflict Integration presented on Thursday, I’m surprised I’m not as openly stressed, especially after the all-nighter and the all day schedule that had me sleeping over twelve hours that evening. It may have to do with increasing my caloric intake per meal, and not clawing towards the next one when they were smaller. Even with one poster presentation down, and four papers plus two take-home essay exams to go, simply having a plan for my health has taken a lot of weight off my shoulders. 
   
It’s nice, having a plan for something.

This grain-free, low-carb whatchmacallit that I’m eating day-to-day is amazing! The boyfriend has gone on the slow-carb diet in Ferriss’ book, missing noodles, bread, other gluteny things, and not so gluteny things like cheese, but doing very well regardless. Our lunches have turned into similar beasts, and I’ve noticed that most of the dinners I’ve been making were s/low-carb anyway. All you had to do was take away the rice, quinoa, buckwheat, or various potatoes. But his binge day and my rest day are on Saturdays; it is also my day to enjoy all gluten free grains, fruits, and certain sweetener. It’s a day where guilt is not welcome and sleeping in is encouraged. It’s a day of wearing pajamas while working on various blog posts and schoolwork due next week. Oh... and Ikea.

I couldn’t wait for Saturday. You have no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to it. What carnage of epic proportions will I partake in? I don’t know yet. I thought it would have something to do with oats (which ended up being a two egg breakfast bake with half a banana), a Granny Smith with nut butter (nah…), tea with honey, rice with dinner, and pumpkin pie somewhere during the day (Burt-man ate it all).

We shall see.

There are moments where I’m thinking “Yeah! A grain-free free day!” followed by “Crap! A grain-free free day!” The FiveLac worked, all right, but all it did was kill the bad bacteria, with little to no good bacteria to be found. I’ve started taking enzymes again, and Mama Dazz was kind enough to order me enzymes specifically for digesting grains, so we’ll see where that goes. I actually like the grain-free eating. I’ve become rather innovative with recipes and what goes on my plate, as well as making things I never thought I would or could.  

Where Elana’s Pantry has almond flour, I have garbanzo bean flour. I’ve used it to make a socca breakfast bake (well, for everything socca really), as a thickener for sauces, as part of a pie crust ratio, and donuts. I love everything about this flour and what it brings to recipes. It’s dense, rich, and has a hint of savoryness that stands out beautifully in a plethora of dishes.

Take salmon cakes for example. I was absolutely craving salmon cakes, with a superb crunchy outside and an inside so flavorful you’ll be craving for more. It’s a delicious grain free and dairy free option perfect for the entire family.

Grain-free Salmon Cakes (Recipe adapted from The Joy of Cooking)

1 can (14.75 oz) Wild salmon (containing skin and bones), drained
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
1.6 oz Garbanzo bean flour
1/4 tsp. Sea salt
1/8 tsp. Spanish smoked paprika
1 Dill sprig, leaves removed from the stem and left relatively whole
10 (0.20 oz) Thai basil leaves
3 Garlic cloves
Olive Oil (Ghee or Coconut oil works too), for greasing

Plop the salmon meat in a large bowl and use a wire potato masher to fully integrate the skin and bones.
Fold in the eggs, garbanzo bean flour, salt, dill leaves, and paprika.
Chop the basil leaves and garlic cloves as finely as possible (I used a small food processor), and pour them in with the salmon cake mixture.
Separate the mixture into four distinct pieces and form them into thick patties (alternatively, you can make eight small patties).
Put a cast iron griddle pan on medium heat and add the oil.
Once the oil begins to smoke, put in the patties and cook two minutes per side.
Place them under the broiler and flip every other minute for a crispy exterior until cooked through.
Serve with a side of green beans and garnished with Dijon mustard or homemade mayonnaise.

Makes 4 – 8 salmon cakes. Serve 2 – 4 people.