These Vegan Crab Cakes are crunchy on the outside, moist on the inside and pleased our entire family! With the perfect crust, texture and flavours, you’ve got to try them! It’s from Jenné Claiborne’s cookbook Sweet Potato Soul!
What comes to your mind when you think of crab cakes? Great crust, flaky on the inside. Moist but still firm enough. Tender and of course, reminiscent of the sea. You definitely get that with these amazing Vegan Crab Cakes! This recipe is from my amazing friend Jenné from Sweet Potato Soul ‘s Cookbook: Sweet Potato Soul: 100 Easy Vegan Recipes for the Southern Flavors of Smoke, Sugar, Spice, and Soul .
When I say that this girl throws DOWN in the kitchen with her recipes! I’m not Southern, but these recipes make me feel like I could’ve grown up there. I learnt so much from her book – the history, her family stories, and of course, all those amazing recipes! I’m talking things from Spicy Fried Cauliflower “Chicken” (that are fried and look DIVINE), to Bourbon BBQ Tempeh Sandwiches to Oyster Mushroom Étouffée (I tried this – it’s divine!) to even dessert like Date Rice Pudding (which I’ve also tried). OH, and I already got to taste a bunch of these recipes so I KNOW they are 100% legit.
Back in February I attended Jenné’s Book Launch in California (who can see my 5 star review on the website). It was a total blast, I met some amazing woman and the food was fantastic . Like, Sweet Jesus Mac and Cheese fantastic. It was the first time we met in person, so it feels even more incredible to be reviewing yet another recipe from her cookbook.
So, these vegan crab cakes. Jenné describes them as Happy Hearts “Crab” Cakes in her cookbook, and for good reason. One, these will make you happy, for sure. Two they’re made with hearts of palm and chickpea for that texture, which is so perfect! She goes into great detail in the recipe for how to make these vegan crab cakes, so be sure to check it out and definitely give it a try.
Look at that photo friends, can you see that flakiness?! These vegan crab cakes plus her Roasted Red Pepper Aioli sauce really takes this meal over the top. I added raw kale in these photos, but the second time I ate them I had kale chips which added a beautiful textural element, so definitely try those. Arugula is my favourite kind of greens, so I can’t wait to get some fresh to try with this!
I hope you enjoy friends! All of her recipes are vegan as stated above, so you can make anything from this cookbook . It’ll give you a real soulful experience from a true Southern girl, with a true gift for veganising the phenomenal recipes she grew up with.
PIN THIS RECIPE:
Ingredients
- 2 14-ounce cans hearts of palm, drained and chopped into large pieces
- 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas , see page 125 or 1 (15-ounce) can, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs , plus ½ cup for coating
- ¼ cup vegan mayonnaise
- 1 jalapeño pepper , seeded and rinsed
- 1 ½ tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ume plum vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 6 tablespoons grapeseed , canola, or safflower oil
Instructions
- Place the hearts of palm and chickpeas in a food processor and pulse to combine and mash. Don’t overprices it; you still want some “crabby” texture.
- Scrape the hearts of palm mixture into a large bowl and add the 1 cup panko, vegan mayonnaise, jalapeño, Old Bay seasoning, vinegar, and mustard. Stir well to combine.
- Line a large plate with paper towels and keep nearby.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Place the ½ cup panko in a shallow dish. Form the “crab” mixture into 2 inch-wide patties, making sure to pack the mixture tightly, and then coat them in the panko in the shallow dish. Place the patties in the skillet (do not overcrowd) and pan-fry for 3 minutes on each side. Transfer the patties to the prepared plate. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
- Serve with a dollop of Red Pepper Aioli (page 209) and fresh greens.
Notes
Vegan Crab Cakes (Happy Hearts “Crab” Cakes) from Sweet Potato Soul
Ingredients
- 2 14-ounce cans hearts of palm, drained and chopped into large pieces
- 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas see page 125 or 1 (15-ounce) can, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs plus ½ cup for coating
- ¼ cup vegan mayonnaise
- 1 jalapeño pepper seeded and rinsed
- 1 ½ tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ume plum vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 6 tablespoons grapeseed canola, or safflower oil
Instructions
- Place the hearts of palm and chickpeas in a food processor and pulse to combine and mash. Don’t overprices it; you still want some “crabby” texture.
- Scrape the hearts of palm mixture into a large bowl and add the 1 cup panko, vegan mayonnaise, jalapeño, Old Bay seasoning, vinegar, and mustard. Stir well to combine.
- Line a large plate with paper towels and keep nearby.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Place the ½ cup panko in a shallow dish. Form the “crab” mixture into 2 inch-wide patties, making sure to pack the mixture tightly, and then coat them in the panko in the shallow dish. Place the patties in the skillet (do not overcrowd) and pan-fry for 3 minutes on each side. Transfer the patties to the prepared plate. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
- Serve with a dollop of Red Pepper Aioli (page 209) and fresh greens.
Notes
Nutrition
Vegan Crab Cakes (Happy Hearts “Crab” Cakes) from Sweet Potato Soul https://jessicainthekitchen.com/vegan-crab-cakes/ May 16, 2018
This strawberry panzanella salad is made with only 6 main ingredients and is SO delicious! It’s perfect for any get togethers or parties, or even a delicious lunch or dinner!
Can’t get enough when it comes to panzanella salads? Then you’ll want to try Greek Panzanella Salad and Chickpea Panzanella Salad , too!
Happy almost summer! The sun is warmer, the sky is bluer, and it’s outdoors weather. Gav and I have some fun memories, even before we were married, of co-hosting summer parties either at my parents house or now at our apartment. They’ve always been small, but filled with lots of love and of course, amazing food, which equals to love. As we get constantly busier each summer, we’ve been implementing a strategy of making easy and delicious dishes, that taste like hours of labour went into them. Whether that’s a 10 minute summer drink, or a 20 minute Strawberry Panzanella Salad, the goal is always to please our guests, which keeping things nice and simple for us. Win win for everyone!
I just noticed a trend I’ve been unintentionally doing. I’ve made a panzanella salad aka a Tuscan Tomato & Bread Salad every summer for the last two years. First, it was a Greek Panzanella Salad. Then there was Chickpea Panzanella Salad, and now this gorgeous Strawberry Panzanella Salad with a Balsamic Glaze . They’re all delicious in their own ways, and I love the fruity element to this one!
A very fun fact about this entire post? Everything I used – the ingredients, the salad spoons, the platter, even the measuring cups – were ALL bought at Walmart ! I’m so excited to be collaborating with Walmart on this post to bring you this bright and fresh Strawberry Panzanella Salad since I was so excited to get everything there! This will definitely be my one stop shop for summer.
Let’s talk about how Walmart has been going hard on the locally-grown fresh produce game. Most people might not be aware of Walmart’s commitment to selling locally grown produce. But, they are using their scale to support local communities by working with farmers across the U.S. to provide an abundance of locally grown produce to customers. The produce section is huge across their stores. I’m talking endless options. And, since I was there for a few hours (yup, I’m that girl wandering the aisles of the supermarket for hours in her happy place), I got to actually see the restocking process!
Not only does Walmart restock their produce at least once a day, they now have an organic produce section stocked with veggies! Even though I love slowly getting produce in store when I have the time, it’s amazing to know if you’re short on time, you could also use their Online Grocery Pickup for convenience!
I was really impressed by the selection there and in the entire store. It was so great to get everything I needed in just one stop. I checked out a few of their collections, like the Pioneer Woman collection, which I loved . Ree’s blog was one of the first that I followed, so I grabbed some mixing bowls and measuring cups. I even grabbed one of her knives from her Pioneer Woman collection. In fact, Walmart’s Brand Promise Mission is “to provide the utmost quality fresh locally grown produce at a price that saves customers money.” They are definitely fulfilling this. I found the prices affordable, and loved that everything I needed for this vegan salad was all there.
The strawberries, as you can see, where bright and gorgeous, along all the other veggies I used for this post. I followed Walmart’s Quick Tips for Selecting the Best Fruit which came in pretty handy, so the ones I ended up with were nice and sweet. Like, I literally had to stop myself from eating them before they went into the salad. I really wanted this since the strawberry flavour stands out, yet beautifully complements everything else at the same time, especially that balsamic glaze .
How to Make Strawberry Panzanella Salad
Putting together this salad was very easy. You toast the bread, chop the ingredients, and toss them together. Ridiculously easy, right? For the balsamic glaze, you could either buy a pre-made balsamic glaze in Walmart, or make your own like I did from Walmart ingredients. I prefer the second option because I love everything from scratch and love that you can control the sweetness. You can also control the viscosity and any other factors involved in the glaze.
The balsamic glaze adds a sweet, umami flavour to the whole dish that has me wanting to eat this all over again for lunch today. The textural and flavour elements of sweet, crunchy, brine-y and fruity make this a definite crowd-pleaser. Your guests are bound to find something in this salad that they love! Other ideas? You can just make this for a bright summer salad for a weeknight dinner for one or two with all that fresh produce that you picked up!
The final point before I give you the recipe for this Strawberry Panzanella Salad? You definitely HAVE to toast the bread. You should purchase a fresh bread, then let a day or two pass so it gets a bit crusty and stale. That’s the perfect texture for this recipe. It’ll crisp up beautifully in the oven, and remain that way even after the balsamic drizzle is added. Enjoy, friends!
Watch This Strawberry Panzanella Salad Come Together
Want to see the step-by-step guide to making strawberry panzanella salad? Here it is:
Ingredients
Panzanella Salad
- 3 cups gluten free crusty bread , chopped into 1 inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
- ⅓ cup red onion slices
- 1 ½ cups sliced strawberries
- 2 cups spinach , washed and dried
- 1 cup cubed English cucumber
Balsamic Glaze
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons raw cane or coconut sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
Panzanella Salad
- Preheat oven to 450°F/ 230°C.
- Add the bread cubes to a silicone mat on a baking sheet or a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper or foil. Drizzle with oil, then rub into the cubes to combine.
- Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the spinach, toasted bread cubes, strawberry slices, the cherry tomatoes, red onions and cucumber cubes. Toss until combined.
Balsamic Glaze
- In a pot over medium high heat, heat all the ingredients and stir. Watch carefully – the glaze should begin to thicken after 5 minutes and you want it thick enough to stick to the back of a spoon, but not to thicken into a glob. It becomes very thick very quickly so watch carefully.
- Once glaze has thickened, remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly – it will thicken while it cools too.
- Top with herbs.
- The glaze can be stored in the refrigerator once it has cooled down for at least a month.
Putting it all Together
- Plate the salad and drizzle the balsamic glaze over it. Only drizzle glaze right before you’re about to serve it.
- Serve and enjoy!
