Crispy Crunchy Quinoa Cakes

• July 27, 2012  |
• by Kirstin Uhrenholdt

We are huge fans of our quinoa cakes. They are crispy, crunchy and tasty…perfect for Meatless Mondays, and they are great for using up veggie leftovers! Just take this recipe and replace the 1 cup of spinach with any 1 cup of cooked vegetable you have in the fridge, some of your leftover black beans, sauteed mushrooms or a cup of Sunday’s roasted vegetables chopped up. All would be fabulous!

And this is just the beginning. Next time, throw in some lentils and curry and call them Indian koftas. Or add a bunch of parsley and stuff them into a pita bread with lettuce and tahini sauce. Now you have a healthy quinoa falafel! Hurrah! You now have a whole world of quinoa cake possibilities!

YOU NEED

2 eggs
¼ cup flour
3 tablespoons tahini, almond butter or peanut butter
1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
3 cups cooked quinoa
1/4 cup finely diced onion
2 garlic cloves minced
1 cup finely grated sweet potato (this is a secret ingredient, it holds the batter together)
1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed squeeeeezed-dry
½ cup chopped nuts (pine nuts, walnuts or your very favorite nuts), optional
½ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley, dill or cilantro
1 Teaspoon salt
Black pepper, cumin and/ or cayenne to taste
Vegetable or grape seed oil

TO MAKE 6 SERVINGS

In your favorite mixing bowl mix the first 4 ingredients, then add all the other ingredients except the oil. Stir until everything is well combined. Let the mixture chill in the fridge for about a ½ hour.

Preheat your oven to 400º. Make the quinoa cakes by placing 3-4 tablespoons of the mixture into your wet hands and firmly forming it into a round flat “patty,” then put it onto a well oiled baking sheet. Bake, flipping halfway through, until lightly browned and just crisp, about 25 minutes. Serve with quick roasted red pepper sauce (see recipe below), tzatziki, chutney or tomato sauce.

Quick Roasted Red Pepper Sauce:

YOU NEED

1 ½ cup drained fire roasted red peppers from a jar
½ cup toasted almonds
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste for seasonings.

Kids can:
Peel and grate the sweet potato
Mix mix mix
Patty cake the quinoa cake into shape