Cajun Crab and Quinoa Cakes

Guilt-free crab cakes that make you think you are on the Chesapeake Bay. We served this with Sautéed Spicy Kale.

(modification of recipe originally from Cooking Light)

Serves 4 (2 cakes and 1 tablespoon sauce per serving)

• 4 cups water (yes, it’s more than the quinoa instructions because you want it to be mushy)
• ½ cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 fresh thyme sprig
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ¼ – ½ teaspoon ground red/cayenne pepper (amount dependent upon your heat preference)
• ¼ cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup canola mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 (6-ounce cans) lump crabmeat, drained and shell pieces removed (should weigh 8 ounces total when drained)
• ¼ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• ¼ cup finely chopped celery
• ¼ cup chopped green onions or fresh chives
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 large egg white
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Combine first 3 ingredients (water – thyme) in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 30 minutes or until mushy. Discard thyme stem. Drain in a fine strainer, pressing hard to remove any excess water (if you do not do this step well, you WILL have mushy crab cakes!). Cool slightly.

Combine black pepper, paprika and cayenne in a small bowl.

Combine yogurt, mayonnaise, relish and mustard in a small bowl.

Place crab meat in a medium bowl; break lumps apart. Add quinoa, 1 teaspoon of the spice mixture, half of the yogurt mixture, bell pepper and next 4 ingredients (through egg white); stir gently. Divide mixture into 8 equal portions; gently pat each into a 3 inch wide crab cake. Place crab cakes on a parchment lined plate. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Preheat broiler to high.

Brush a jelly-roll pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Arrange chilled cakes on pan; brush tops with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with half of the remaining spice mixture. Broil 5 to 9 minutes (the original recipe called for 5 minutes but ours took 9, so watch carefully based on your broiler and rack position) or until browned. Turn cakes over (you may need to use two spatulas to do this). Brush tops with oil from pan; sprinkle with remaining spice mixture. Broil 5 to 9 minutes or until browned. Serve crab cakes with remaining yogurt sauce.

Nutritional Info/Serving: Calories 304, Fat 13 g, Protein 26 g, Carbs 19 g