Crispy Quinoa Cakes

Quinoa is good in any season, but I often make it  with lentil soup and greens when it’s cold outside. I may add some grilled salmon, but the quinoa cakes are a great main dish. Cooking with quinoa is still new to me. I’ve eaten quinoa as a side dish like rice, added it to salads, and had quinoa cakes at a local restaurant, but it wasn’t until I made these Crispy Quinoa Cakes that I began to love quinoa.

QUINOA CAKES

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup cooked quinoa (any color or mix of colors)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 6 Tablespoons buttermilk
• 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon toasted (optional) sesame oil
• 6 scallions, thinly sliced
• 6 Tablespoons olive oil (or other cooking oil)

RECIPE

• Use quinoa leftover from another meal or cook ahead of time. To cook quinoa, bring 2 cups of water and 1 cup quinoa to a boil in a pan with a tight fitting lid. Once the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes. Let the quinoa set and cool. A variation on this is to cook the quinoa in a mixture of 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock and 1 cup water.

• Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a cast iron pan.

• Whisk together eggs, buttermilk, cornstarch, sesame oil, and salt. Fold in quinoa and 4 scallions.

• Once the oil in the cast iron pan is smoking, ad spoonfuls of the quinoa batter, about 4 spoonfuls at a time, depending on the size of your pan. Keep them small. Don’t crowd them. Cook them in batches.

• Turn heat down to medium high. Press the quinoa cakes down to 1/4 inch thickness. Cook until brown, about 3 minutes per side, on medium high. Drain on paper towel or parchment paper. Serve with dipping sauce.

THE DIPPING SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 Cup soy sauce
• 3 Tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 Teaspoons sugar
• 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1 Teaspoon Sriracha
• 2 scallions thinly sliced

RECIPE

Whisk all ingredients together soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, sesame seeds, Set aside.

Here’s a great recipe for a nutrient dense quinoa energy bowl.

ABOUT QUINOA

Quinoa is a highly nutritious food. Its nutritional quality has been compared to that of dried whole milk by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. Quinoa has more protein than any other grain. A complete protein, Its amino acid content is considered well balanced for human consumption, similar to casein.

Like all grains, quinoa is alkaline forming. It is naturally gluten free, low in calories and has a low glycemic index. Quinoa or quinua (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is native to the Andes Mountains of Bolivia, Chile, and Peru and has been eaten continuously for 5,000 years by people who live on the mountain plateaus and in the valleys of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Chile. Quinua means “mother grain” in the Inca language.

GROWING QUINOA

Unlike most rice, quinoa can be grown in North America. I got USDA certified organic quinoa seeds (Brightest Brilliant Rainbow) from Botanical Interests. The package says that quinoa is an annual that needs full sun. It blooms from late summer to fall and grows four to six feet high. The packages suggests that quinoa be planted several weeks after the last frost as it likes the soil to be 60 °. I’m excited to try growing quinoa this year. I’m at nearly 8000 feet so I’m encouraged by the fact that it has been grown so successfully at high altitudes, but have no idea how much it will yield. Have any of you grown your own quinoa? Any tips?

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About Peggy O’Mara. I am an independent journalist who edits and publishes peggyomara.com. I was the editor and publisher of Mothering Magazine for over 30 years and founded Mothering.com in 1995. My books include Having a Baby Naturally, Natural Family Living, The Way Back Home and A Quiet Place. I have conducted workshops at Omega Institute, Esalen, La Leche League, and Bioneers. I am the mother of four and grandmother of three. Please check out my email newsletter with free tips on parenting, activism, and healthy living.