Vegan Crab Cakes

These vegan “crab cakes” are truly delicious. The artichoke hearts and seasonings add incredible flavor and texture. My dear friend Alanna from Combined by Alanna  first created this recipe and brought some over to my house. I loved them and we made them together. Since then, we have made a few adjustments to perfect the dish. It is a great replacement for seafood if you are following a plant-based diet or just enjoy more plant-based meals! We serve it with a simple arugula salad and cherry tomatoes. Note that the mixture can be made ahead of time and will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator.

Vegan Crab Cakes

Makes 9 cakes

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup quinoa, uncooked
• 1 and 2/3 cups water
• 1 (14 oz) can artichokes
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
• 1/2 tsp hot paprika
• 2 tbsp parsley
• 1 jalapeño, seeds removed and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp gluten-free breadcrumbs (we used Ian’s brand)
• 4 tbsp soy-free vegan mayo (we used Follow Your Heart brand)
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Rinse and add quinoa to saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Once done, allow quinoa to sit covered for 10 minutes and then uncover and stir vigorously with fork to break up grains. Will take about one minute but important for binding to ensure grains are broken.
• Drain and rinse the can of artichokes and add to a food processor. Blend until consistency is paste-like but not completely blended, leaving smaller chunks.
• Transfer the blended artichokes to a medium size bowl and add in the quinoa, all of the spices, herbs, jalapeño, breadcrumbs, vegan mayo, sea salt, and pepper. Mix until completely blended with spoon or spatula. Then, form your cakes.
• Take 2  tablespoons and form well with hands, making sure edges are ‘sealed’ and set down on a plate. Place plate of formed cakes in fridge for at least 1-2 hours to allow to set. This timing is important so cakes are fully set in shape.
• Preheat the oven to 400 F or 200 C. Once cakes have been refrigerated, place on a baking sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Using a silicone brush, lightly brush each cake with olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes.
• Pair the crab cakes with your favorite dip, we love serving it on a bed of arugula with some vegan aioli.

Nedi’s Tip – to make the vegan aioli combine 6 tbsp vegan mayo, juice of 1 lime, 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp hot paprika, 1/2 tsp sea salt. Mix well!