Mock Crab Cakes with Lemony Quinoa

As I said in an earlier post, my parents are in Baltimore this week. We lived there when I was a kid, and frequently ate crab cakes. This was my first attempt at a vegan version. The main ingredient is peeled and shredded zucchini, which is combined with Old Bay Seasoning, breadcrumbs, Nayonniase, egg replacer, and onion. I realized too late that I should have added more breadcrumbs, because the batter was pretty mushy and by the time it firmed up in the pan, the patties were very dark brown. My friend Jodi, an expert potato latke chef, confirmed that they sounded too mushy and needed to be dried out more. I'll definitely make these again, because they were really easy to prepare and the flavor was great. Like crab cakes without the fishy taste, if that makes sense.

Mock Crab Cakes
2 cups peeled and grated zucchini
1 onion, grated or finely chopped (I just grated mine in the food processor)
1 cup bread crumbs (more if needed)
1 tablespoon Nayonnaise
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
egg replacer equivalent to one egg (I used Ener-G egg replacer)

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl If it's too dry, add more egg replacer; if it's too wet, add more bread crumbs. Heat some oil in a skillet (I used Canola). Form mixture into patties and fry over medium heat until golden brown on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Makes 4 big or 6 medium cakes.

The Lemony Quinoa was a nice compliment to the pan-fried cakes. I cooked the quinoa first, then added about a cup of chickpeas, some diced red pepper, and some tahini sauce (tahini blended with lots of lemon juice, 1 clove garlic, salt, and a bit of water to get the consistency you want).