This flavorful, protein-packed recipe carries a big nutritional punch.
When you work out as hard as you do, you want the food you eat to help you achieve your goals, not hinder them. And while striking a balance between preparing meals that simultaneously power you through your workouts and help trim your waistline can be tricky, it doesn’t need to be.
Naples-based chef Anne de Piero’s salmon cakes with cucumber dill sauce are not only a treat for your taste buds, they also deliver much nutritional value and—best of all for athletes—protein.
Plenty of additional vitamins and minerals are hidden in this recipe, including the calcium, omega-3 fatty acids, potassium, zinc and iron in salmon, and vitamins A, C and B in cucumbers. To top it off, dill acts as a digestive aid and promotes relaxation, so you can eat and sleep happy. —Brooke Zalis
FRESH SALMON CAKES
12 oz. fresh Atlantic salmon
1 large egg
1 cup low-fat milk
2 tbsp. non-fat Greek yogurt
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
½ cup scallions, diced
pinch of salt and white ground pepper
1 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped
2 oz. coconut oil
Poach salmon in low-fat milk for 10-12 minutes. Remove and let cool.
In a bowl, whisk the egg, yogurt, lime juice, mustard, salt and pepper together.
Mix in salmon and onion.
Form salmon mixture into 4 oz. patties.
Heat a skillet and add 1-2 oz. coconut oil.
Cook patties 4-5 minutes on each side.
Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
CUMBER DILL SAUCE
1 large English cucumber
½ cup Greek yogurt
1 tsp. lemon juice
zest of ½ lemon
pinch of salt
Peel cucumber, cut in half, remove seeds and dice whole cucumber into small pieces.
Mix yogurt, lemon juice, zest and salt together.
Stir in diced cucumber, and serve with a lemon wedge.
Calories: 230
De Piero has 30 years of experience in the culinary field. As the oldest of a family of 11 whose parents grew all their own produce, de Piero has had the love of health-based cooking ingrained since childhood. She is currently a chef at Sur La Table in Naples.