Vegan Crab Cakes. Yes, Crab-less Crab Cakes!
Vegan Crab Cakes: Did You Know They Existed?
EASY and delicious VEGAN CRAB CAKES without the crab? TODAY on #LunchBreakLIVE! Dani Rukin (aka The Daring Vegan), #JaneUnChained host of The Animal Hour and JNN citizen journalist for animals, whips up this incredible lunch in her kitchen!
Who Is Dani Rukin?
Dani Rukin (aka The Daring Vegan), is a #JaneUnChained citizen journalist and fearless, outspoken warrior for animals, tirelessly traveling the globe spreading the message of compassion, truth, equality, and justice for all. She is an incredible activist for the animals and the planet. Dani is also a pretty damn good cook too and she has many vegan recipes up her sleeve. In fact, she has been on #LunchBreakLIVE several times, either cooking up amazing meals or traveling the globe showing us all the vegan options that exist around the world. One of my favorites was a great episode where she showed us how to make vegan breakfast cookies. I mean who doesn’t want a cookie for breakfast? Check out that episode HERE.
Dani is also one of the contributing writers in Brittany Michelson’s just-released book, Voices for Animal Liberation: Inspirational Accounts by Animal Rights Activists. Her piece, “How I Made the Connection: Gay Rights, Feminism, and Animal Liberation”, speaks truth to power and calls readers forth to make the connection between the exploitation of animals and all other forms of injustice.
Vegan Crab Cakes Without The Crab. Say What?
Enjoy this plant-based version of an old classic. Many of us have fond memories of eating “seafood” out on the docks in the summer with our family. Now here’s a version that will satisfy those memories without the cruelty of stealing sea life from the oceans. The best part is these vegan crab cakes taste even better!
For those of you craving some “seafood” without the cruelty, below is the recipe for these easy and incredibly tasty vegan crab cakes.
Vegan Crab Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 can 15 oz chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 can 28 oz artichoke hearts, packed in water
- 2-2 1/4 cups Panko bread crumbs divided. (I used whole wheat bread crumbs from Trader Joe's)
- 1/2 cup vegan mayo I used Follow Your Heart's Veganaise, but Hellman's vegan or Just Mayo are also excellent alternatives
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 black pepper
- Chopped parsley optional
- Kelp powder optional - I didn't have and don't know where it's found, but Rabbit and Wolves says they add it to theirs to give it an extra ocean flavor
- Olive oil or similar, I used Avocado oil to lightly grease the baking sheet
- Lettuce and tomato
- Buns optional if you want to make them into a sandwich. Just be sure they're vegan
- Old Bay Chive Aioli
- 1/2 cup vegan mayo
- 2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
- Pinch salt
- Sriracha hot sauce optional if you want to give it an extra kick
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Mash the chickpeas in a flat-bottomed bowl with a masher (a fork will do, as well), and add to a medium mixing bowl. Rinse and drain the artichokes and then pour them onto a dishtowel (or paper towels) to squeeze them dry. Dump them onto a cutting board and chop them up into small pieces and add to the mashed garbanzos in the mixing bowl. Add the mayo, lemon juice, mustard, and seasoning. Mix it all together with a fork or spoon. The mixture should be smooth and somewhat chunky, just like a crab cake mixture. Mix in 1 1/2 cups of the bread crumbs (Panko), reserving the other 1/2-3/4 cup for coating the patties - pour those into a bowl. The mixture should hold together when squeezed.
- Lightly grease the baking sheet with a small amount of oil and, using your hands, scoop out a ball of mixture, roll it around in your hands and then shape and flatten it into a cake, smoothing the edges, roll it into the remaining panko and place on cookie sheet. This will yield about 12 generous appetizer-size cakes or 5-6 patties for sandwich-size.
- Brush the cakes lightly with oil and put in the oven for 15 minutes. Turn, and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until browned.
- While the cakes are baking, make your chive aioli by mixing all the ingredients in a small bowl, adding a squeeze or two of Sriracha if desired.
- Take out the crab-less cakes when done and put two of them on a bed of lettuce and tomato, top with chive aioli and ENJOY!
Once again, thank you for stopping by and visiting us on #LunchBreakLIVE. Watch daily for fresh new vegan recipes or check out all the previous shows for more food inspiration!
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Jane Velez-Mitchell is an award-winning TV journalist and New York Times best-selling author. She is the founder of UnchainedTV and the host of several shows on the network.