The weather is getting a little warmer here in Austin and I have to say after all this rich comfort food craze that’s been going on I felt like something a little lighter and spring-ish. My first thought was a delicious crispy crab cake and what better source to turn to than Cooking Light for something light and more nutritionally sound for you? For the record, I love Cooking Light, when a new issue arrives I spend at least an hour on my couch with some tea thumbing through it lovingly and marking recipe after recipe to try.

This lovely Crab Cakes with Roasted Vegetables and Tangy Butter Sauce recipe was on the cover in the spring last year and it does not disappoint. What I love about Cooking Light is that even when you follow their recipes exactly you do not miss any of the flavor or fat in the dish, sure it’s a little more measuring and pairing back on fats, salt etc but I do not mind or miss it.

When I first saw this recipe I thought it was a bit much for a weeknight meal but actually it all worked out pretty quickly. While the crab cake mixture chills/melds in the fridge you can easily get your veggies ready to roast and the sauce takes four minutes on the stove! I followed the recipe exactly as said and the crab cakes were crispy and golden, the vegetables were roasted perfectly and the sauce is amazing and tangy and buttery. I did add sliced red bell peppers when I put the haricot verts in just for good nutrient measure.

I do have one note here and I’m saying this from personal experience, please, please use the good, and yes a little more expensive, real crab meat, you cannot substitute with imitation crab. I did this one time because I was trying to save a few dollars and it was a real untasty disaster.

On a scale of 1 – 10, I would give this recipe a 7.5.

Enjoy!