October 10, 2011

Red Pepper Quinoa Cakes

This has probably been the warmest Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend I can remember.  Everyone had a chance to get rid of their sweaters and jackets, roll up their shirt sleeves and bask in the warm glow of the sun.
It's supposed to warm up even more today, so it looks like I'll be wearing sandals when I head out. :o)  

I recently purchased some organic quinoa and quinoa flour for some recipes, but silly me, I forgot my quinoa cookbook back in LA.  After searching for a bit on the Internet, I came across this recipe from the Cooking Quinoa site.  The first time I made the cakes, the only ingredient I changed was the organic corn- I used diced red pepper.  The second time I made the cakes, I added more spices because I found that the original recipe didn't have enough flavour.

Red Pepper Quinoa Cakes


2 cups cooked organic mixed quinoa (you can use yellow quinoa if you can't find one that is mixed)
1 red pepper, finely chopped by hand or in a food processor
3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 shallots,  finely chopped by hand or in a food processor 
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp paprika
t tbsp olive oil
tsp balsamic vinegar
1 shallot, chopped
1 tsp freshly minced garlic


In a medium-sized bowl, combine cooked quinoa, chopped red pepper, 2 tbsp parsley, chives, breadcrumbs, shallots, and flour.  Mix until combined and add eggs, sea salt, and spices.  Form the mixture into small patties.   Heat a skilled to medium-low. Add the olive oil to the heated pan and cook patties 5 to 7 minutes per side.  Drain on paper towel and repeat with remaining patties.

In a small bowl, combine tomatoes, vinegar, shallot, garlic and parsley.  Mix well.  Serve on the side with the quinoa cakes.



4 comments:

  1. Blessings.....
    this looks interesting.

    have a blessed day
    peace
    rhapsody
    http://twitter.com/rhapsodyphoenix

    ReplyDelete
  2. My family really enjoyed it. I hope you do too. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have a box of organic quinoa but it looks white.. do I need to cook it? if yes, how?

    Gia

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes, you do need to cook it. If there are directions on the box, follow them, if not here are the steps:

    1. Rinse the quinoa in a metal sieve or strainer.
    2. Use the two to one ratio. Two parts water, 1 part quinoa.
    3. Put the quinoa and water in a pot and let it come to a boil.
    4. Reduce and simmer the quinoa until all the water is absorbed. The qunioa will have turned transparent and the spiral shaped germ has separated.
    5. Fluff up with a fork.

    ReplyDelete