Quinoa Cakes

Quinoa is an interesting thing. It is a grain, but it sort of looks like couscous and tastes sort of nutty or earthy. It is delicious – not wonder it is a “superfood”. Very high in protein but not in fat. Aka you feel like you have eaten a humungous plate of your favorite pasta, but without the calories. I love tricking my body with this kind of thing – it makes being healthy so much easier.

Quinoa Cakes with Lemon, Capers and Parsley

1 ½ cups raw quinoa

2 ¼ cups water

Chicken stock cube

1 cup unseasoned bread crumbs (or panko)

½ yellow onion
1 can artichoke hearts

1/3 cup parmesan

2 cloves of garlic minced

¼ cup capers

1/3 (ish) cup flat leaf parsley

Juice of 2 juicy lemons

Zest of one lemon

4 eggs

S and P

Splash of water – up to ¼ cup

About 3 tbsp olive oil for cooking

Rinse the uncooked quinoa in cold water before cooking. Add the chicken bullion cube to your cooking water. According to package directions boil the water then add the quinoa, cover and simmer for about 15 mins until all the water has been absorbed. Cool. This can all be done in advance.

In a bowl combine the quinoa, breadcrumbs, garlic, onion, capers and parsley. Drain and roughly chop up the artichokes and through them in For the parsley I don’t measure exactly. Instead, wash your whole bunch and take a pair of kitchen scissors and cut the parsley over the bowl until you feel like there is enough. Remember you want a little bit per cake – so it will seem like a lot until you stir it in. Add the parmesan. Squeeze in the lemon juice. Then carefully cut off thin slices of lemon rind with your knife (if you don’t have a zester or cheese grater – I don’t). Cut these slices into tiny strips and add them to the mix. Add the eggs and the salt and pepper.  Stir a LOT until the mixture becomes sticky. If it is not wet enough add a splash of water.

With your hand pick up a ball of the quinoa and press it into a pancake in your hand. It should be about ¾ inch thick. Place them in a pan with some olive oil and sauté about 3 mins per side.

Tips for this:

•           The bigger the cake the easier – start big and work your way to small. The small ones look better, but fall apart more easily. This recipe makes about 18 cakes so you have some room to experiment.
•          Don’t try to do too many at a time. I do three or four maximum. They can be tricky to flip and can be delicate so for best results, don’t overcrowd the pan.

Serve over salad.

Salad:

1 box spring salad mix

1 bag carrot chips (buy precut at the grocery store – maybe buy some hummus for the left over carrots too)

1 cucumber

1 box beansprouts (mung beans)

Dressing:

Olive oil

2 tbsp dijon mustard

2 tbsp lemon juice (fresh)

Lots of salt and pepper

Cut the carrot chips into thin slices. You can buy whole carrots it is just more if a hassle to cut them. Cut up the cucumber. Assemble all of the salad components in a bowl – use a handful of mung beans, carrots and cucumbers – mix everything together and divide onto plates. Mix the dressing in a separate bowl.

Add a few quinoa cakes per plate right on top of the salad – I did three but was feeding hungry boys. Just before you’re about to eat pour the dressing over top – that way the cakes will stay crispy but still absorb some of the flavor of the dressing.