A Delicious, Nutrient-Dense, Make-Ahead Snack: Spicy Tuna Cakes

These little guys are delicious, nutritious, easy to whip up and will keep in your fridge for several days. I have eaten them for breakfast, post-workout and snacks! What are they? Spicy tuna cakes via Nom Nom Paleo’s new cookbook. Speaking of – have you visited the Nom Nom Paleo site? Michelle Tam’s recipes are fantastic! Many have an Asian element, all I’ve tried are fairly easy (and she gives you warning if they’re not, she’s a mother, she understands) and HIGH in flavor. I am addicted to her cauliflower rice, her Asian meatballs (always do mine with a combo of pork & beef) and her Slow Cooker Kalua Pig recipe is PHENOMENAL. The new cookbook was one of the first things on this year’s Christmas list!

If you are into macros, these have equal amounts of carbohydrate and protein (8 g. each for every 82 calorie cake) . . . making them a perfect post-workout snack to feed your muscles. I think these would work great with salmon, too, if you’re not a canned-tuna fan. In any case, these only take a few minutes to prep, about 20 minutes to bake, and will (hopefully) keep you snacking healthy through the holidays . . . .

Save Print Spicy Tuna Cakes
Author: Inspired by Nom Nom Paleo
Ingredients

Coconut oil spray (or olive oil spray will do), for greasing the muffin tin
11 oz. canned albacore tuna packed in water, drained
3 scallions, thinly sliced (about ⅓ c.)
4 T finely minced fresh cilantro
1⅓ c. mashed sweet potatoes (I used a 15 oz. can of unsweetened sweet potato puree – find a brand with a BPA-free liner!)
2 large eggs
1 T minced jalapeño pepper
½ t. red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle position, and use the spray oil to grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
In a large bowl, gently mix together the tuna, scallions, cilantro, mashed sweet potato, eggs, jalapeño, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Scoop a quarter cup of the mixture into each greased muffin cup (a large cookie scoop works great for this), and flatten with the back of a spoon. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Transfer the cakes to a wire rack to cool.

Notes They’re fantastic right out of the oven or cold from the fridge (would be great in a packed lunch!), but if you want to get fancy, you can also pan-fry them in some melted fat in a skillet over medium heat to crisp the edges and give ‘em some crunch.
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