Recipe from “Cookin’ up a Storm” by Laura Dakin (Giveaway for the Flock, Too!)

Laura Dakin is chief cook on Sea Shepherd’s flagship, the Steve Irwin. In COOKIN’ UP A STORM: Sea Stories and Vegan Recipes from Sea Shepherd’s Anti-Whaling Campaigns (Book Publishing Company, 2015), Laura shares the crew’s favorite recipes so that you can make them for your own crew! Stories and photos from Sea Shepherd’s missions to halt the illegal slaughter of marine wildlife are interspersed among the recipes, and allow readers to better understand the work of these dedicated activists.
Flock members, be sure to read on after the recipe for your chance to win a copy of this book! Not yet a flock member? Join us today! You can get presents, win stuff, and feel good about helping Our Hen House to change the world for animals. (Plus, your contributions are tax-deductible.)
***
Recipe from COOKIN’ UP A STORM
by Laura Dakin
My work in the galley begins at 6:00 a.m. This is my favorite time of day. The ship is just about as quiet as an underway 1,017-ton diesel vessel can be! All I can hear is the chug of the engines and the smack of the waves slapping against the side of the ship. The first thing I do is turn on the ancient hot plates, which take a half hour to heat up. Around this time I like to go up on deck to catch the sunrise over the ocean, which is never disappointing. It’s a time to prepare for what the day may bring.
The crew is usually slow moving and sleepy at breakfast, except for the folks who have just finished a four-hour shift in the engine room or on the bridge. The ship runs twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, so there must always be a crew on duty in the engine room to make sure the engines are running smoothly and on the bridge to keep us on course and steer clear of icebergs. These duties are divided into four-hour watches, which means that breakfast is always somebody’s lunch or dinner. For that reason, I make sure there’s something hot in the mess every morning.
[print_this] Fish-free Cakes
(Printed with permission from the Book Publishing Co. Thank you!)
From COOKIN’ UP A STORM.
The best thing about these fish cakes is, of course, that they’re not made of fish. The addition of nori, a sea vegetable, and vegan fish sauce gives them the taste of the ocean.
Makes 8
Ingredients
1 sheet nori, cut into thin, short strips
1¾ cups (435 ml) no-salt-added cooked or canned chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and finely chopped
¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil, plus more for the skillet
1 medium potato, peeled, cooked, and mashed
3 ounces (85 g) firm tofu, mashed
¼ red onion, minced
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegan fish sauce
1 tablespoon (15 ml) tapioca starch or potato starch, plus more as needed
1 tablespoon (15 ml) nutritional yeast flakes
1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
1 cup (250 ml) bread crumbs or potato flour
Put the nori in a large bowl. Add the chickpeas and oil and stir until well combined. (The oil will help prevent the nori from clumping as it tends to do when wet; avoid clumping as much as possible.) Add the potato, tofu, onion, fish sauce, tapioca starch, nutritional yeast, and salt and mix with your hands until well combined.
The mixture should be cohesive enough to form firm patties. If the mixture doesn’t hold together, add up to 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of additional starch, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) at a time, until it does.
Put the bread crumbs on a large plate. Divide the chickpea mixture into eight equal portions and press each into a small patty using your hands. Press both sides of each patty into the bread crumbs and transfer to a large plate.
Line a large plate with paper towels. Oil a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Carefully put the fish cakes in the skillet; the oil may splatter, so take care that you don’t get burned. Cook on each side until deep golden brown, about 7 minutes per side. Transfer to the lined plate to remove any excess oil. You may need to cook the patties in two or three batches, depending on the size of your skillet.
Serving suggestion: These patties can be served sandwich-style or on a plate with a side of brown rice. Either way, they’re great accented with a squeeze or two of fresh lemon or with vegan tartar sauce.
Nutritional Data:
Per fish-free cake: 170 calories, 5 g protein, 9 g fat (2 g sat), 16 g carbohydrates, 326 mg sodium, 37 mg calcium, 2 g fiber
Note: Analysis does not include extra tapioca starch, if needed. [/print_this]
***
Flock members, swim on for a giveaway of  COOKIN’ UP A STORM: Sea Stories and Vegan Recipes from Sea Shepherd’s Anti-Whaling Campaigns. (Everyone else, it’s time to become a flock member!) #PRIVATE# 
Ahoy, Flock Mateys!
You can win this booty…eh, book! Enter by sending an email to me — anne [at] ourhenhouse [dot] org — by midnight EST on 3/27/15. Include your postal address; you know I love data.
Anne