These Super Simple Salmon Cakes make a great dinner for busy weeknights, and are wonderful to have as leftovers with a salad for lunch the next day. 

Canned wild-caught salmon is one ingredient to always keep stocked in your  pantry. It’s an easy source of protein, omega-3 fats, and B vitamins for smooth metabolic and neurological processes. The pink color of wild salmon comes from their diet of carotenoid-rich crustaceans, which provide the antioxidant astaxanthin. This astaxanthin is then passed along to us to support our skin, eyes, joints, heart, and endurance, and it can protect our cells from oxidative stress. 

In this recipe, the combination of canned wild-caught salmon with bell peppers, onions, celery, and lemon, to make a flavorful patty that’s perfect on greens or alongside any of your favorite veggies. 
 
Makes: 8 patties      Prep Time:  15 minutes   Cook Time:10 minutes

Ingredients:  

• 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil, plus more to grease pan
• 1 cup bell peppers, finely chopped (I used red and green peppers)
• ½ cup red onion, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon sea salt 
• 2 (3-ounce) cans wild salmon
• ½ cup celery, finely chopped
• 1 large pasture-raised egg 
• 1 tablespoon preserved lemon with peel, finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon lemon zest + 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice)
• 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed 
• ¼ cup avocado mayonnaise 
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

 Method:

1. Combine the avocado or olive oil along with the bell peppers, red onions, and sea salt in a small skillet over medium heat. Sauté for 5 minutes and stir to avoid burning.
 
2. While the veggies sauté, combine the salmon, celery, egg, lemon, flax, mayonnaise, and Dijon in a large mixing bowl.

3. Once the veggies are ready, add half into the bowl with salmon and stir to combine. Then add the remaining veggies into the bowl and mix well (this process is to avoid the egg from cooking). Using an ice cream scoop, create 8 balls and tighten them using your hands. Press to create patties.
 
4. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat and lightly grease with olive or avocado oil. Once the pan is hot, add the patties and fry them for 2 ½ minutes per side.
 
5. Once ready, arrange the patties on top of your favorite greens (such as arugula) and drizzle with any of your favorite condiments. You may use a no-sugar-added hot sauce, but extra Dijon or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice is also great.

Nutritional analysis (per patty) Calories: 150, Total Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 46mg, Sodium: 281mg, Carbohydrates: 5g, Fiber: 2g, Sugars: 2g, Protein: 7g, Net Carbs: 3g

 Recipe Compliments: Dr. Mark Hyman : https://drhyman.com/blog/category/recipes/

Ingredients:  
 
Cauliflower Steaks

• 2 large cauliflower heads
• 3 tablespoons avocado oil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced (save juice and half of the zest for the salsa step)

Red Pepper Tahini

• ½ cup tahini paste 
• ¾ cup chopped roasted red bell peppers
• ⅓ cup filtered water

Olive Salsa

• ¼ cup pitted green olives (about 9)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 sundried tomatoes

Method

1. Preheat Oven to 230C

2. For the cauliflower steaks, remove the darker green leaves and trim the tough stems from the cauliflower. Cut one head of cauliflower in half, then cut a 1 ½-inch thick steak from each half. Repeat with the other cauliflower. You will have lots of extra cauliflower florets. You can roast them as well (see picture). Arrange the steaks and florets (if using) on a baking sheet.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine the avocado oil, paprika, salt, and zest half of the lemon. Drizzle over the cauliflower and rub on all sides (do not wash the bowl, use it for the olive salsa).

4. Roast the cauliflower for a total of 20 minutes, flipping the cauliflower halfway through.

5. While the cauliflower is roasting make the rest of the recipe components. Add tahini paste, bell peppers, and water into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to an airtight container since you will have extra (It can be saved in the fridge for up to 1 week).

6. For the olive salsa, chop the olives and sun dried tomatoes and transfer into the bowl that was used for the paprika mixture. Add the dried oregano as well as the lemon juice and remaining zest.

7. When the cauliflower is done roasting, add 2 tablespoons of the tahini onto a plate (per cauliflower steak), top with a cauliflower steak, and garnish with the olive salsa.

Enjoy! 

Recipe Compliements: Dr. Hyman :https://drhyman.com/blog/category/recipes/
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Serves 4 

200g Red Cabbage, Finely Shredded
2 Tbsp Olive Oil 
4 Cloves Garlic, finely sliced, paper thin 
3 Bird's eye chillies finely sliced 
100ml soy sauce
3 Tbsp lime juice from 2 limes 
2 Tbsp castor sugar 
400g extra firm tofu 
salt and ground black pepper 
10 spring onions thinly sliced 
250g peas or mixed peas and broad beans 
200g watercress, tough stems discarded and chopped
250g rice vermicelli noodles
A large handful of smashed salted peanuts 
A handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped 
A handful of fresh mint, finely chopped 

1. Put the cabbage into a heat-proof bowl 
2. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a sauce pan. Over low heat add the chillies and garlic. Stir for 2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant. 
3. Add soy sauce, lime juice, sugar and 8 Tbsp of water. 
4. Bring to the boil, take off the heat and pour over the cabbage. 
5. Wrap tofu in a few sheets of kitchen paper to absorb as much as possible excess water. Cut into 3 cm cubes. Line a plate with kitchen paper. 
6. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a pan, add the tofu cubes, leave undisturbed for about 4 minutes or until brown. Then turn over and repeat until all sides are brown. Note: My lazy way of preparing tofu - is that I add a little olive oil to a non-stick tray. Cut the tofu into desired size. Add to the tray. Brush with a little olive oil. Pop in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes until tofu has started to turn a golden colour and it has firmed up. Remove from the oven, let it cool and set it aside until ready to be used. Season with salt and pepper. 
7. In the same frying pan, heat 1 - 2 Tbsp of olive oil and saute the spring onions for about six minutes until soft. 
Add the peas and stir-fry for two minutes. Then add the watercress. Briefly cook until wilted. Then turn off the heat. 
8. Boil the kettle, soak the noodles and prepare according to the directions on the packet. Drain when ready. 
9. Divide the noodles, tofu and veg between four bowls. 
10. Put a little cabbage in each bowl, then ladle as much of the pickling liquid over the top as you would like. 
11. Garnish with the smashed peanuts, herbs and then serve. 

Cook time: 30 minutes       Serves 4

Ingredients: 
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• ¼ cup feta cheese
• ½ cup diced cucumber
• ½ cup diced Roma or halved cherry tomatoes
• ¼ cup diced red onion
• 1 tablespoon olive tapenade or ¼ cup kalamata olives, chopped
• 1 teaspoon tahini or sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Juice and zest of 1 small lemon
• Pinch of salt and pepper to taste
• 1 head romaine lettuce
• Greek yogurt or sour cream or hummus or tahini  (for garnish)

Directions: 

1. Place quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse well under running water to reduce bitterness. Add to a pot with 2 cups of boiling water and a pinch of salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove lid and fluff with a fork. Transfer to a large bowl, then place in the fridge to cool.

2. Mix feta cheese and diced vegetables with remaining ingredients through salt and pepper, then combine with chilled quinoa. 3. Serve quinoa salad on romaine leaves, garnished with yogurt or sour cream.

Recipe Compliments: Men in Kitchens 

Ingredients
2-3 large sweet potatoes
1 red bell pepper
4 ripe tomatoes
1 cup black beans , cooked
2 ripe avocados

1 jalapeno (optional)
Juice of 1 lime
Handful Coriander
1 cob of corn, cooked or 1/2 cup canned corn

If you don't have your sweet potatoes ready yet, preheat the oven to 200 degrees and bake sweet potatoes for 50 mins , let them cool down afterwards .

For those who meal prep, these can be eaten cold. No need to heat them up again.

Also great for weight loss as the starch in potatoes and sweet potatoes turns into resistant starch once they've cooled down.

Directions

Chop up all the veggies : red bell pepper, tomatoes , coriander, avocado and mix well together with beans , corn and lime juice. If you like it spicy feel free to add some jalapenos or chill i flakes . Add the mixture to your baked sweet potatoes and ENJOY! 

Recipe Compliments: www.carolineschoice.com

100g Pistachio nuts 
5ml Olive oil
100g Feta cheese 
1 Handful of dill leaves, roughly chopped 
2 Handfuls corriander, roughly chopped 
1 Garlic clove peeled and crushed 
1 long chili pepper roughly chopped 
3 Tbs Greek yogurt or strained goat's yogurt 
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon 
1/2 lemon juice 

Blitz the pistachios and oil in a food processor for 30 seconds. 
Add crushed garlic, chili, yogurt, lemon rind, lemon juice and blitz for 1 minute or until mixture has a nice rustic texture. 
Enjoy  !

This dip goes well with just about any dish ! Especially stuffed vegetables, raw crudites, or anything else your heart desires. 

This recipe is great for a light summer evening dinner. Pair two Bao Buns with a lovely salad and presto ! You have a lovely light dinner. 

I will make a confession. I did not make the Bao Buns from scratch. Instead, I visited the local Chinese Supermarket and bought them frozen. Then steamed them for ten minutes. While they were steaming, I prepared the mushroom filling which took me about fifteen minutes !  Super quick and easy to prepare. :)) 


Ingredients
Bao Buns

• ▢1 cup warm water 236 mL
• ▢2 Tbsp sugar
• ▢1 ¼-oz packet instant yeast 7 g
• ▢3 cups all-purpose flour 360 g
• ▢1 tsp baking soda
• ▢1 tsp salt
• ▢1 Tbsp flavorless oil plus more for brushing, 15 mL

Vegan Bao Bun Filling

• ▢4 king oyster mushrooms
• ▢1 Tbsp oil 15 mL
• ▢1 Tbsp fresh minced ginger
• ▢1 tsp smoked paprika
• ▢¼ tsp salt
• ▢2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢2 Tbsp hoisin sauce 30 g
• ▢1 Tbsp sriracha 15 g
• ▢Additional filling ideas: cilantro, pickled red onion, sliced cucumber, julienne cut carrots

InstructionsBao Buns

• Prep: Cut out 12 squares of parchment paper, about 4×4 inches each. (Alternatively, use cupcake liners.)
• Activate Yeast: In a large bowl, stir together water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes, until yeast makes the water frothy.
• Combine: In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to water mixture, along with oil. Stir until a loose ball forms, then turn onto a clean surface and knead by hand for 5 minutes (or 3 minutes with the bread hook of a standing mixer). Dough will be very smooth and elastic when finished kneading.
• Rise: Clean out the bowl and lightly grease it, then set the ball of dough inside. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set somewhere warm. Allow dough to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Shape: Roll dough out to be ¼ inch thick*. Cut 3 to 4 inch circles out (using a cookie cutter or a cup). Lightly brush the inside of each circle with oil, then fold the circle half (the oil will prevent the bun from glueing itself closed while steaming). Flatten and reshape as needed. Place each folded dough on a parchment paper square (or cupcake liner). Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 20 minutes.
• Prep Steaming Station: Bring a pot of water to a simmer with a steamer basket set over it. Wrap a towel around the underside of the lid to catch excess steam.
• Steam: Working in batches, transfer buns (and their parchment paper) in a single layer into the steaming basket. Cover with the towel-wrapped lid and let steam, undisturbed, for 10 minutes, or until puffy and cooked through.

Vegan Bao Bun Filling

• Shred Mushrooms: Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Using two forks, shred the stems and caps roughly into pieces. Set on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
• Bake: Drizzle with the oil, ginger, paprika, salt, and garlic. Toss around to evenly coat the mushrooms, then bake for 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are a bit crispy and brown on the edges. Stir in hoisin and sriracha.

Note : Errrmmmm .. another confession here with the filling. I prepared the filling in a pan. I sautéed two onions, one white and one red. Then I added the spices, a little Worcestershire sauce, a teaspoon of barbecue sauce, some chilli flakes and at the end a teaspoon of hoisin and siracha. I let them cook for about 10 - 15 minutes. 

Grated carrot was my sprinkle of choice. 

Recipe Compliments and Adapted From: https://www.liveeatlearn.com/vegetarian-bao-buns/