Easy GF Salmon Cakes- an Omega-3 Powerhouse!

Last night for dinner I wanted something healthy that I could throw together quickly, my whole family would eat, and  would conform to my newly gluten free diet.  The answer, these super yummy salmon cakes! Not only did my whole family (including my picky 5 year old) devour them, but they are incredibly nutritious! Using wild caught salmon and free range eggs will significantly boost the nutritional profile, especially for the omega-3 fatty acid content of these patties compared to using farmed salmon and eggs from caged birds. 

But how can that be? Eggs are eggs, right? Wrong. A 2007 Mother Earth News Study found that truly FREE-RANGE eggs (that is to say, eggs from hens raised without confinement and out on pasture, not ones produced in line with the USDA's low standards for "Free-Range") are healthier than their conventional counterparts.

 

Compared to conventionally raised eggs, truly free-range eggs contain:

* 1/3 less cholesterol

*1/4 less saturated fat

*2/3 more omega-3 fatty acids

*3 times more vitamin E

*7 times more beta carotene

 http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2007-10-01/Tests-Reveal-Healthier-Eggs.aspx

 

When it comes to free range eggs, you can SEE the difference; the orange yolk at the front is from a truly free range hen.  The darker yolk color indicates a higher concentration of beta carotene.

So what about the salmon itself?  I used wild caught salmon in pouches, making it quick, easy and affordable! I choose pouches over cans to reduce my family's exposure to BPA (used in can linings and some plastics).  For me, the most important aspect of the salmon is that it is wild caught. Proponents of farmed salmon will tell you it has higher levels of Omega 3 fatty acids than wild, and this is correct, but it is also not the whole picture.  To get the real story, you need to look at the RATIO of Omega 3's to Omega 6's:

Excessive amounts of omega-6 fatty acids and a very high omega-6/omega-3 ratio, as is found in today's Western diets- and farm raised salmon- promote the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, whereas increased levels of omega-3's (a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio) exert suppressive effects. Biomed Pharmacother. 2002 Oct;56(8):365-79.

Let me say that again; too many Omega 6's (or too high an Omega 6/3 ratio) can cause heart disease and cancer, and higher Omega 3's can prevent those same diseases!  This seems like a no-brainer to me.  I'll reach for the wild caught every time!

To stick with my newly adopted gluten free diet, I pulsed a few GF flat breads in the food processor for a couple seconds and, voila!  Gluten free breadcrumbs!  So, without further ado, here it is!

Emily's Easy Salmon Cakes
Hands on time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Makes 9 medium sized patties

• 15 oz. Wild caught Salmon
• 1/2 cup GF breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup ground flax seeds
• 1 free range egg
• 1/4 cup homemade mayo find my recipe here!
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1 mashed avocado
• a few sprigs fresh dill, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• squeeze of fresh lemon

Preheat oven to 350` F. Combine all ingredients (adding more breadcrumbs if too wet and more mayo if too dry) and shape into patties. Arrange salmon cakes on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, flipping once half way through cooking. We served our salmon cakes with sauteed zucchini and some jasmine rice and everyone cleaned their plates! This was definitely a delicious, nutritious meal!

Day Six of Seven - You Are Almost There!

By now I’m sure you’ve found a few new favorite recipes from the Core Restore patient guide. I’ve personally enjoyed the black bean soup, bean burgers and home-made hummus with vegetables!

Here are some food preparation tips that you may not have put to use yet:

• Do you own a rice cooker? A rice cooker is an inexpensive tool that provides an easy way to help you prepare large quantities of rice, requiring little attention. You can then store the excess rice in the fridge to use later with meals – such as with vegetable stir fry or cooked with herbs and spices (healthy fried rice).

• Have you used a Crock Pot recently? In a similar way, a Crock Pot, or slow cooker, is another reasonably-priced cooking device that can help with meal preparation. Since it has a long cooking time, food can be set to slow-cook before leaving for work, and will be ready when you return. This is especially useful for cooking vegetables (beans, peas, etc), stews, soups, meats, and a variety of other dishes. The best part is that cooking in a single pot reduces clean up time and the low cooking temperature and glazed pot make cleaning it trouble-free. Leftovers can be stored in containers in the fridge and eaten later, eliminating the need to cook several meals a day.

These are simple, but great cooking appliances to help you eat well every day! Make sure to keep these handy and don’t be afraid to mix up your favorite spices and flavors into a new recipe. Try it for yourself, and share your secret recipe with the rest of the group.

Don’t hold out! Let’s all eat healthier together!