In honor of the fact that spring has sprung, I’m here to share with you one of my favorite springtime meals! Have you heard of “bagels and lox?” Apparently this combination of bagels and cured salmon (lox) was created by a group of Jewish immigrants in NYC. This popular dish also usually contains cream cheese, red onion, dill and capers. The first time I was introduced to it was at an Easter brunch at a country club in Nashville, when I lived there right after college for a year. I remember thinking it was so delicious!
Fast forward several years to when I was doing my first elimination diet and trying to come up with some creative lunch ideas. It occurred to me that I could adapt bagels and lox into a ‘rice cakes and lox’ combo that would fit into my diet plan at the time. I swapped the bagel for gluten-free brown rice cakes and the cream cheese for a dairy-free cream cheese alternative, and voila! It has been a regular lunch staple for me ever since! I still eat it this way even when I am not strictly avoiding gluten and dairy, because I don’t even miss the bagel and cream cheese version.
One of the great things about this dish is that it contains something that is widely considered to be one of the healthiest foods in the world… salmon!
Who doesn’t love something that is quick and easy to prepare, but also makes you feel kinda fancy!? What you need for this recipe is brown rice cakes, smoked salmon (wild caught or responsibly farm raised are best), dairy-free cream cheese alternative, red onion, dill and capers. If you have never had capers, you are in for a treat!
Often I will finish it off with fresh cracked pepper on the top. Yum! I consider 3 rice cakes and lox, like the picture above, to be one serving. I use about 2 oz. of smoked salmon for myself or 4 oz. if Corey is eating with me, too! Typically smoked salmon comes in 4 oz. or 8oz. packages.
If you decide to give this easy & healthy meal a try, I hope you like it as much as I do! Best enjoyed on a patio in the sunshine 🙂
Although I am a nurse by trade, I am not a doctor or an expert, and the information I provide on this blog is for educational purposes only. Each person is unique and their needs and circumstances vary, so I always recommend that you consult your medical provider before making any changes.
This fancy sandwich looks like such a light and heathy meal! I love eating salmon, but can you believe I have never made anything with it…yet? I can see that needs to change. Thanks for sharing.