Tuna Cakes & Sauteed Spinach

This recipe comes from The Allergy Self Help Cookbook . I bought this cookbook online when I found out that my summer would be spent eliminating the 23 foods I tested as being reactive to. The recipes in this book are free of all common food allergens (corn, gluten, egg, sugar, wheat, milk, soy, yeast). I saw the book in Barnes & Noble and was thrilled!

It gives a great deal of hope for those who are just starting on their allergy-free journey. I will say one thing - if you are new to gluten-free flours and the tastes, just keep an open mind with some of these recipes! Before you know it you will love these natural, earthy flavors and your body will be much happier as well.

The recipe for these Tuna Cakes, or Tuna Burgers as called in the book, are as follows:
1 can (6 oz) no-salt added water-packed tuna, drained
1/4 c. minced onions
2 tbsp honey-sweetened or fruit sweetened ketchup (I used Annie's)
1 tbsp prepared mustard (I used Dijon)
2 tbsp mayonnaise (or vegenaise) 
2 tbsp minced parsley or cilantro (optional)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
1 starch: 1 small cooked white potato OR 1/4 c. toasted amaranth flakes OR 1/3 c. quinoa flakes OR 1/4 c. oat bran
1 - 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil (canola is fine)


To Prepare:
Combine all ingredients except oil in a food processor, process for 10 to 20 seconds or until well mixed (you'll need to stop halfway to scrap the sides into the middle).
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Shape mixture into 4 very small tuna cakes or 3 normal sized cakes and place on pan. (The book says to drop the mixture onto the pan and flatten with a spatula, but my method worked perfectly and I think held the cakes together better.) They will cook about 5 minutes per side, or less if your pan is hotter - you'll know when to flip them when the sides begin to turn golden.

*Note: The recipe says "serves 4" but it was just enough for the 3 tuna cakes. If you want leftovers I would suggest doubling the recipe. You could try adding one more can of tuna but you'd probably need to add more of the wet ingredients for it to hold together.

For the Spinach:
Semi-thaw one bag of chopped spinach. Place contents into a medium skillet, add 1/3 cup water and cover. Let boil until all of spinach has thawed and is warm. Drain excess water. Add 1/4 cup chopped onion and 1 - 2 garlic cloves, chopped. Add a sprinkling of red pepper flakes, a good dose of salt & pepper, italian seasoning or any of your favorites. I added a few drops of rice wine vinegar - this seemed to make the flavors stand out a bit more. And finally add in your choice of cheese (if you can tolerate it). I am just now beginning to try dairy again but parmesan seems to be okay (thank goodness!) If you cannot tolerate cheese don't worry, the spinach still tastes delicious and fresh.

Enjoy!

I had to add this one to showcase the wine, essential for this meal :)