Recipe: Crispy Quinoa Cakes

As the sun stays out longer and the temperature gets warmer, I like to eat foods with a lighter taste. Ideally, I'd be out grilling pretty much every day, but I'm still in an apartment that doesn't allow legitimate grills. I have a Panini press that doubles as a grill, but it blew half the outlets in my kitchen the last time I tried to use it - most of which are still out of commission. My mom and I used her griddle yesterday to grill veggies and tofu indoors (she does have barbecues in the courtyard in her apartment, but it was just too hot out). Today, I decided to go for something different.

I like this recipe because it can be modified in so many ways. The feta cheese and pine nuts I included are completely optional. You can substitute the feta with goat cheese, the pine nuts with a different kind of toasted, chopped nuts, or just omit them altogether. I included them to give a more Mediterranean taste to the cakes.

As for topping, there's plenty of options for that, too! The original recipe suggests roasted red pepper sauce, but I opted to drizzle lemon juice over it to keep the flavors light.

Ingredients:
1 large egg
2 Tbs all-purpose flour (to make gluten free, substitute with almond flour)
1 1/2 Tbs tahini (can be substituted with nut butter)
1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa* (see note if you're unfamiliar with cooking quinoa)
1/2 cup finely grated sweet potato
6 ounces spinach, wilted and drained
1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (oil packed sun-dried tomatoes are best)
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 ounces feta cheese
2 Tbs finely diced onion
1 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro (can be substituted with parsley)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F and coat baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Combine egg, flour, tahini, and vinegar in bowl.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients, then mash together until mixture is firm enough to shape into cakes. 4. Shape mixture into 1/4-cup patties with wet hands.
5. Bake on prepared baking sheet 25 minutes, turning once, or until cakes are browned.

This yields about six servings, with one serving being two cakes. Serve with grilled zucchini or squash, or steamed broccoli.

What I like the most about this recipe is how easily it can be modified! You can add a variety of spices to your taste, change the cheese and nuts or omit them, or use one cup of lentils instead of one cup of quinoa. If you make this recipe with modifications, please let me know how you modify it and how it works out!

Bon Appetit!

* note on quinoa: to yield 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa, boil 1 cup water, then add 1/2 cup quinoa. Once the water returns to a boil, set it to simmer, cover the saucepan, and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the majority of the water has been absorbed. Let the saucepan sit, covered, for 3-5 minutes before using in recipe.