WHAT a weekend!

The Eagles won the Super Bowl. I was born and raised in the Philly area, and while I don’t particularly care (at all) for football, seeing the underdog win coupled with Philly’s excitement and undeniable loyalty to their team… what an amazing thing. Unfortunately, everyone who says that most Philly fans are obnoxious is right, as people completely desecrated parts of Center City. Tacky? Yeah. We never said we were classy…. but we did say we were excited. With an estimated 2 million people at the Phillies parade in 2008, and tons more estimated for the Eagles parade… I’m definitely not going. That’s terrifying.

I came to work this morning to find out I won the Q4 MVP Award for my organization, which includes tickets to an event sponsored by my employer…. quite a few things to  choose from!! Keeps getting better, pretty intense.

Not to jump around here, but was anyone as shocked as I was to learn yesterday that Kylie Jenner actually had a baby? I mean, it was almost undeniable that she was actually pregnant, but somehow I was still surprised when she broke the news yesterday about her new baby girl. I can’t lie… I watched that 11 minute video and teared up a bit because it was really touching.

Since I don’t really have a lot of important stuff to say, I’ll get straight to the food. I’ve been slacking a lot on the cooking from being so busy… but I’ve had this idea for these cakes for the longest time. I had considered using almond flour, but decided to switch it up with coconut flour to give it a finer, softer texture. These can be altered to cater to whatever flavors you like — I started off making it a bit Asian-inspired, but then went back to my good ol’ crab cake roots with the dijon and Worcestershire. Play around with it and see what you like!

Super Easy Salmon Cakes (Paleo)

Prep Time 10 min

Cook Time 20 min

Serves 5-6

Ingredients

• 15-18 oz of canned cooked salmon, boneless and skinless (I like Wild Planet — each can is 6 oz, but in a pinch I will use 3 Star-Kist packets, which are each 5 oz)
• 1/2 tsp fresh garlic, minced or pressed
• 1/3 cup paleo mayo, plus additional 1/3 cup for sauce
• 3 to 4 tbsp coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp tamari, coconut aminos or low sodium soy sauce (not Paleo!)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 3 stalks of scallions, sliced thin (green and white parts), plus more for garnish
• 2 eggs
• 1 heaping tbsp Grey Poupon dijon
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp sriracha

Directions

1. If baking, pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Drain your salmon and place in a bowl. If needed, mash with a fork to break up any chunks.
3. Add half of your mayo, eggs, dijon, Worcestershire, scallions and spices. Mix thoroughly, and do a taste test to adjust to your preference.
4. Next, add in coconut flour, 1 tbsp at a time. You may not need the full amount, as coconut flour is VERY absorbent — your mixture should still be wet, but stable enough to keep its shape.
5. Gather a handful and shape into a round, 1 in. thick patty… you should be able to make about 6-7, depending on the size.
6. If baking, place on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, until cakes start to brown. If pan-frying, heat 1 tbsp ghee over medium high heat and sauté on each side until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.
7. As the cakes are cooking, mix together remaining mayo and sriracha for the sauce; set aside.
8. Serve with spicy mayo and additional scallions for garnish.

Enjoy!

-S