Sardine Crunchies

Sardine Crunchies

Anti-inflammatory diets have long been recommended for heart disease, weight loss, depression, acne, anti-aging, arthritis, Crohn's disease, and multiple sclerosis

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This recipe may be used as appetizers or a meal for one. Another idea for appetizers would be to mince the sardines with lemon juice and horseradish sauce for spreading on the crackers. See the full recipe below:

Ingredients

1 brown rice frozen tortilla shell

1 can, single layer sardines

6 artichoke hearts

1 tsp. minced garlic (sautéed or raw)

10 sprigs parsley

lemon juice

Preparation

Begin by removing six artichoke hearts from the bag, can or jar. (I buy Trader Joe's frozen artichoke hearts.) Canned artichokes would also be tasty, though the ones packed in water may be preferable if you have selected sardines packed in oil (purchasing those packed in olive oil, would be ideal).I defrost my frozen hearts in the microwave. These are tender, straight from the jar or package, but can be sautéed in a little chicken broth and minced garlic.

Step one: wash your hands thoroughly. Begin warming the frozen tortilla shell in the oven until it's pliable enough to trim with a pair of kitchen shears. (I purchase my frozen brown rice, gluten-free shells from

 Whole Foods. Unfrozen ones -- when they have them - can be found at Trader Joe's in the open refrigeration section with packaged "ready - to - cook" dough).

Step two: cut the thawed, circular tortilla in half, then fourths, then sixths. 

Step three: place the triangles on a pizza pan or cookie sheet and broil on the middle rack until brown. Leave oven door cracked open. Do not leave the oven unattended while browning the tortilla. This will take only a few minutes; if your attention is taken away for even a short while, you will soon be carrying a charred, smoking pan outdoors, smoke alarms screaming.

Step four: while the tortilla wedges cool, open and drain the sardines. Split the sardines down the middle and place one half on each wedge with an artichoke heart. Sprinkle with minced garlic, either sautéed or raw, according to taste. Top each wedge with a parsley sprig. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Serve as an appetizer or as a meal with sliced, ripe pears on the side.

Anti-inflammatory Salmon Cakes

Rather than breadcrumbs, the main binding agents are egg and mashed, cooked sweet potato.

 Anti-inflammatory Salmon Cakes

This recipe uses mashed, baked sweet potatoes, collards, tumeric, one egg, a small can of wild-caught salmon, is gluten-free and can be found at This is a tasty, anti-inflammatory meal that can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It could also be the solution to having eaten a regrettable lunch out. I try to avoid highly inflammatory foods, period. But on those rare occasions when I've eaten from the wrong menu, these salmon "cakes" are a healthy antidote for an evening meal.

Gluten-free

These cakes can be assembled quickly, the cooking time is minimal, and are great for those moving away from flour-based breads or for those seeking gluten-free recipes.  Just remember that the integrity of the "cake" has all the world to do with the soft consistency of the sweet potato and its thorough integration into the other ingredients.

Anti-inflammatory ingredients

This recipe has five central ingredients listed as "strongly anti-inflammatory, " according to NutritionData, http://www.nutritiondata.com: the salmon (canned, wild-caught) has an anti-inflammatory score as high as 3308; the sweet potato, an anti-inflammatory score of 358, one cup of collards (my recipe is for 1/2 cup), has a score of 466; and the turmeric - 451. Two cloves of garlic would probably have an anti-inflammatory rating of around 214. In addition, the salmon and sweet potato provide a wallop of Vitamin A.

Cooking method

The method of cooking is important here, because sauteing in corn oil, for instance, would probably reduce the meal's anti-inflammatory effect as corn oil has a highly inflammatory rating. And while olive oil has

 wonderful anti-inflammatory properties, cooking at high temperatures is not recommended. I have tried sauteing the cakes in chicken or vegetable broth, but the cakes absorb much of the moisture and lose their integrity. A well-oiled iron skillet may be the best choice, sprinkled with a tiny amount of course salt to keep the cakes from sticking to the pan. Also, a pastry brush for brushing olive oil on the pan while cooking could be used if needed.

Ingredients:

2 small, cooked sweet potatoes, mashed

1 raw egg

chopped yellow onion (to taste)

1 or 2 pressed and chopped cloves of garlic

1/2 cup chopped frozen collard greens

1 tsp turmeric

pinch of cardamom

pinch of garam masala

a quick shake of pepper flakes

sprigs of parsley

Wash hands thoroughly. Mix all in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Squeeze mixture, shaping into three to four round patties. Cook only as long as needed for the egg - about two to three minutes on each side, or until lightly browned.This dish has wonderful aroma and flavor. Serve with sprigs of parsley and sliced apple.