Welcome back to the blog you guys! I’m back in action today. Yesterday, I had to cut my recipe testing, photo taking, blogging escapade short. My afternoon was spent in the dentist office after I chipped a tooth. While I never have fun at the dentist, it was kind of blessing in disguise.
I’ve been living in Illinois for a little over a year now, meaning I can’t go to my lifelong dental office. In the last year, I put the dentist on the back burner. I went from going every six months, to zero.The hubby and I don’t really know a ton of people so I felt somewhat lost when it came to finding a professional I could trust. Basically, my feet have been dragging when it comes to making a dental appointment.
Well, after my incident yesterday, I have a new dentist! That darn tooth was way too sensitive to keep dragging my feet. I was lucky enough they were able to squeeze me in an hour after I called and fixed it the very same day. Ahhh, I can eat again!
Before this whole debacle happened, I was doing some recipe testing. Most of my recipe testing consists of recreating recipes I’ve made before. I’ve never been one to follow a recipe per say. My method typically consists of adding a little of this and a little of that until it tastes good! Not really a good method for a food blog. So since I’ve begun blogging, I’ve had to work on creating an actual recipe for my favorite meals.
This week I’ve been focusing on lighter fare following my Thanksgiving week binge. The heavy meals just aren’t appetizing right now. (Full disclosure, I’m also pumping some extra iron at the gym so a bump in protein is helpful!) Anyways, one of my favorite easy lunches are these Healthy Zucchini Tuna Cakes. They taste light and fresh, are versatile, and packed with protein. The recipe rings in at around 44 grams of protein!
Did I mention they are also super easy to make. Toss all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mash/mix together with a fork. I personally recommend mixing with your (clean) hands, but I understand that can be gross for some. This just combines the mixture a bit better and faster in my opinion. Then, using my hands, I form them into patties. The mixture should yield two to three patties depending on the size.
After the ingredients are combined, just heat up a skillet with a spritz of cooking spray. When hot, place the Healthy Zucchini Tuna Cakes in the skillet and cook the first side until golden brown. Then, flip the cakes over and allow to cook until the second side is crisp and golden.
Serve them up in a variety of ways. Place the Healthy Zucchini Tuna Cakes between a bun as a tuna burger, added to a salad for a lean protein, or just eat them as is. When I ate them up yesterday, I served as is with a side of sriracha aioli. The aioli is the bomb. It’s great on just about anything. My favorite way to use it is on tuna cakes, crab cakes, fish tacos, and with fries. I’ve even used it with my teriyaki salmon.
The tuna cakes just wouldn’t be complete without the aioli. It’s easy, so don’t skip the sauce! Throwing this together for lunch this week? Be sure to let me know by tagging a photo #stephanieleenutrition on Instagram. I’d love to see what you all cook up. Happy eating!
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 minutes |
| Servings |
cakes
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- 1 can solid Albacore tuna
- 1/4 cup shredded sharp, white/yellow cheddar
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/8 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup zucchini, shredded
- 2-3 stalks green onion, diced
- 1/4 teaspoon low sodium Old Bay seasoning
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil mayo
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sriracha sauce
Ingredients
Tuna Cakes
Sriracha Aioli
|
|
- In a large mixing bowl, add tuna, cheese, egg whites, panko crumbs, zucchini, green onions, Old Bay seasoning, and pepper; mix thoroughly. Shape into 2-3 patties.
- Spray a large saucepan with a generous amount of cooking spray. Warm over medium-high heat.
- In the hot skillet, add patties; cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown and heated through.
- In a seperate dish, combine olive oil may and sriracha sauce, mixing well. Serve tuna cakes hot with a side of sriracha aioli
