2022 is here and in full swing! I can’t believe how crazy it’s already been: I’ve been hitting the gym hard, but while that is good for you in one way, it means you are a little more crunched for dinner time!

This has been one of my favorite things I’ve made in the new year: a blood orange tuna cake! I love tuna and yet I don’t eat it often enough. I need to get better at remembering it’s there in my cabinet.

The best thing about these? They’re pure protein. I mean, there’s a few veggies and things in there. But they are a high-protein meal that’s quick to make and easy to make conform to many dietary restrictions.

I’m heading into a few weeks of busy work and personal travel, so getting healthy meals in is more important to me than ever. And sneaking in time at the gym whenever I can.

This past weekend we got out of town together with some friends and got in a beautiful hike – it was so needed! It was a good reminder that a healthy lifestyle is more than just exercise in a building and healthy meals. Good times with friends, and quality time with Mother Nature, are just as important.

Oh – and one more thing: if you don’t have blood oranges handy, grapefruit will work just fine. Easy peasy.

Ingredients

• 6 oz tuna, drained
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup almond flour or panko breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbsp. blood orange or grapefruit juice
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup blood orange or grapefruit juice
• Optional, to round out a salad:
• 4-6 very thin round slices of blood orange
• 4 cups salad greens
• 1 Tbsp. pumpkin seeds
• Additional green onions and cilantro

Instructions

1. Add the tuna to a medium bowl and use a fork to separate it into small flakes.
2. Next, mix in the eggs, flour/breadcrumbs, 1 Tbsp. juice, green onion, cilantro and salt, stirring until evenly combined.
3. Add enough neutral vegetable oil to a skillet to lightly cover the bottom of the pan and set to medium heat. Use your hands to form six patties out of the tuna mixture. Before cooking, they will be loose. Form them slightly smaller than you’d like them to be at the end.
4. In a small saucepan, bring the 1/2 cup of juice to a simmer, and allow it to reduce while you fry the patties. Optional: If you’re making the full salad, add your thin citrus slices to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and put under the broiler on high. Keep an eye on them and pull them when they start to look like they are drying out – 5-7 minutes.
5. Carefully use a spatula to transfer the patties to the oil – they will collapse a little bit initially. Use the spatula to gently flatten and re-compress – this will increase the size a little bit to their final shape (that’s why we made them a little small to start!).
6. Fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the bottom is browned and crispy. When you reach this stage, the patties should not stick, but to be gentle with them you may want to use a wooden spoon in your other hand to gently guide them onto the spatula to flip. Flip and cook another 1-2 minutes until the other side is equally toasty. By this time, they will be more solid and easy to handle. Transfer to a paper towel to rest while you fry the rest, if you are working in batches.
7. By this time, your orange juice should have reduced to only a couple tablespoons. Remove from the heat.
8. To serve, add 2 cups of salad greens to each plate and top with tuna cakes. Chop the thin, broiled orange slices (yes, peel-on!) and add as well. Top with pumpkin seeds, chopped green onions, chopped cilantro, and a drizzle of best-quality olive oil. Finally, divide the juice reduction between the plates.