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I grew up eating salmon patties made with canned salmon. We always had them with peas and mashed potatoes. Since moving my diet to the Med Way, I decided to resurrect a childhood favorite and give it a modern twist. Using canned salmon makes this dish an easy go to even with salmon is not on sale. I choose to remove the skin and bones which takes a minute but gives the final product a better look and taste, in my opinion. This step is optional as are some of the modern twists I suggest. The recipe is a good basic one that you can add to as you like with different vegetables (such as green pepper) or spices. The canned salmon has a bit of salt already so I don’t add any more.

Salmon Patties

Serves 4

Serving Size: 1 Pattie

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10-15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 can salmon, skin and bones removed

½ cup finely chopped green onion (about 3)

¼ cup breadcrumbs (preferably whole wheat Panko)

1 egg

1 teaspoon grated ginger (optional)

juice from 1 lime (optional)

2 teaspoons olive oil or non-stick spray

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix until combined but do not to over mix.
2. Shape into 4 patties.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet so that each patty has plenty of room.
4. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes per side. Lower the heat if needed to keep from burning.

Serving size – 1 patty

Vegetable – 1/8 cup

Fruit – 0

Calories – 190

Carbohydrates – 6 grams

Fiber – 1 grams

Protein – 22 grams

Fat – 8 grams

Sodium – 444 mg

Whether you are throwing a backyard cookout or preparing a dish to pass, consider placing a healthy twist on traditional Memorial Day favorites. Holidays have quite the knack for throwing us off track from making healthy eating decisions. After all, nothing quite beats a burger with a little char and a cold glass of lemonade on a warm day. By flipping this meal the Med way, you can have the best of both worlds; a juicy burger and fruit drink, but without the guilt.

The Mediterranean eating pattern emphasizes the importance of including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and beans into your diet. A traditional ground-beef burger can be made the Med way by substituting the ground beef with a different source of protein, such as beans. Or, replace a portion of the ground beef with vegetables, such as these Mushroom Beef Burgers. See the recipe below for Med-style burgers you are sure to love. For more Mediterranean recipes, visit MedInsteadofMeds.com.

Quinoa Pinto Bean Burger

Serves: 8-10 people

Serving size: 1 patty

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cool Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 (16-ounce) cans pinto beans
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne
• 1 carrot, peeled and grated
• ½ cup minced onion
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt (use a little less if using Homemade Taco Seasoning)
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour
• ½ cup whole-wheat bread crumbs
• 1 cup quinoa, cooked (you can use any type of quinoa)
• 2-3 tablespoons canola or other vegetable oil

Directions

1. Drain and rinse the canned beans.
2. Cook the canned beans in water over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Drain well.
3. Place ½ of the beans in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.
4. Add the spices and pulse again to combine.
5. Add the carrot, onion, and egg and process until mixed, the mixture will not be smooth.
6. Place the bean mixture in a large bowl and add salt, pepper, flour, bread crumbs, quinoa, and remaining beans. Combine.
7. Form into patties (form 8-10 depending on how large you want the burgers).
8. Refrigerate the burgers for at least an hour. Can be overnight.
9. Cook the burgers in a large skillet with vegetable oil over medium-high heat, approximately 3-4 minutes per side.

Nutrition Information per Serving:

Serving Size: 1 patty; Vegetables: ¼ cup; Fruits: 0 cups; Calories: 141 calories; Carbohydrates: 19 grams; Fiber: 4 grams; Protein: 5 grams; Fat: 5 grams; Sodium: 382 mg

Fruity drinks, such as lemonade, are delicious; but they contain loads of added sugar.  Mixing a smaller portion of fruit juice with club soda enables you to still enjoy this sweet treat, but with half the calories.

Cranberry Lime Soda

Serves: 1

Serving Size: 1 cup (8 ounces)

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup cranberry juice
• 2/3 cup club soda
• 1 lime juice

Directions

1. Combine cranberry juice and club soda. Splash with lime.

Nutrition Information per serving:

Serving Size: 1 cup; Vegetables: 0 cups; Fruits: 1/3 cup; Calories: 31 calories; Carbohydrates: 9 grams; Fiber: 0 grams; Protein: 0 grams; Fat: 0 grams; Sodium: 39 mg

I have gotten a lot of questions recently about cooking with olive oil. Seems there are some claims out there on the web indicating cooking with olive oil is dangerous. The thought is that at high temperatures, olive oil oxidizes. Let’s take a closer look.

Every oil has a smoking point. This is the point at which the oil begins to burn, smoke, and change chemical makeup and flavor. The smoke point for olive oil is anywhere from 370-390 degrees Fahrenheit depending on the source. This is a high temperature. If you are sautéing, you would more than likely have no issues unless you left your pan of olive oil to heat for too long. What about roasting, we recommend roasting at 375 degrees so you would be ok there as well.

If that is not enough evidence for you, how about this. Eric Decker, an oil expert and chair of the Department of Food Science at the University of Amherst says “for the amount of time you’re going to cook, and the temperatures you’re going to get to, your oil is not going to undergo oxidation, what’s more, olive oil naturally contains vitamin E, which is an antioxidant. Extra virgin olive oil has another plus, it isn’t refined, so it has naturally occurring antioxidants.”

So, those that say use other oils for cooking such as coconut – think again. For heart health, choose olive oil for salads and cooking.

Try these recipes that feature olive oil: Olive Oil Toast and Cucumber Olive Oil and Sea Salt Yogurt.

This May, we are celebrating #MedMonth by eating the Mediterranean way and sharing our favorite recipes. One easy way to start eating the Med way is to swap your meat for plant-based proteins. Beans such as chickpeas, black-eyed peas, red kidney beans, and black beans are not only a great source of plant-based proteins but also rich in fiber and other key nutrients. One cup of cooked chickpeas has 15 grams of protein. In addition to being nutritious, they are also delicious and can be cooked fairly easily depending on whether you use canned or dry beans.

Below is an easy recipe to make chickpea curry – it calls for some spices to add flavor but any of these can be omitted or adjusted in quantity to suit your individual taste.

Quick Chickpea Curry

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cans chickpeas (approx. 15.5 oz. each), drained and washed
• ½ cup crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp curry powder
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper or red chili powder (optional)
• ½ tsp garam masala (optional)
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
• Chopped cilantro to garnish (optional)
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Once hot, lower the flame and add bay leaf, cumin seeds, turmeric, curry powder, cayenne pepper and garam masala. Sauté for 20 seconds.
2. Add crushed tomatoes and ginger. Sauté for 2-3 minutes with occasional stirring.
3. Add chickpeas, salt, and enough water to cover the chickpeas. The quantity of water can be adjusted based upon desired thickness of the dish.
4. Cover the skillet and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
5. Remove bay leaf, add lemon juice and garnish with cilantro.
6. Serve hot. It goes well with whole-wheat pita, brown rice, or as a soup if made into a thinner consistency. Using vegetable stock instead of water will add more flavor if making this dish as a soup.

Note:

The recipe above uses canned chickpeas but the same recipe can be made with dry chickpeas that have been soaked overnight (about 1:2 ratio for chickpea : water for soaking) and washed well before cooking. If using dry beans, cook them in a traditional pressure cooker or an Instant Pot to ensure that the beans get soft enough. In an Instant Pot, use the sauté mode for steps 1 – 3. Put the lid on and cook on bean/chili mode for 20 minutes for step 4.

Nutrition Information per Serving:

• Calories – 245
• Fat – 10 grams
• Protein – 11 grams
• Fiber – 13 grams