Quinoa Garden Cakes

I actually got this recipe from the Whole Foods website. We had lunch one day at Whole Foods, and I found so much inspiration in their various "salad" bar offerings. I couldn't find any of the recipes on their website of things I had tried, but I did find this recipe. It is now my favorite way to eat quinoa. I have recently started to look into the actual nutrients behind all of this healthy food I've been preparing. I know it's good for me, but I don't really know why. Apparently, quinoa is a complete protein. For vegetarians, this is like a miracle food. (Also, it doesn't look like it, but it's actually pronounced KEEN-wa. I know, I know. It sounds silly.)

Anyway, if that's off-putting, then just take away from this that these little cakes are super tasty! They're also very easy, and can be easily modified with whatever vegetables you have on hand. Here's the ingredients from the original recipe. Note - I have never followed this recipe exactly.

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons minced red onion
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2/3 cup grated carrot
2/3 cup grated yellow squash, seeds removed
1/2 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
Zest of 1 large lemon
4 tablespoons unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced

First things first, you have to rinse the quinoa well. I actually had to buy a mesh sieve specifically for this purpose, as my colander has holes that are too big. This is a necessary step, and if you skip it, the quinoa is very bitter. It might even be bad for you, I don't know. After the quinoa is rinsed, add it to the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until all of the water is absorbed. So easy! The quinoa will be light and fluffy. You will need to spread it out on a plate or cookie sheet to let it cool a bit. I know you're not supposed to do this, but I usually put it in the freezer for a few minutes to cool it off quickly. There will be an egg added to the mixture, and you don't want the quinoa to be so hot that it cooks the egg.

The various vegetables are the part that you can play with. I have always used a full package of frozen spinach (seriously, frozen spinach is the best. It is so easy, very cheap, and there's a lot of spinach packed in those little boxes). I've never tried it with the squash, but I bet that would be really good. And I've tried it both with and without carrot. I like the addition of it, even though I don't like carrot really. It adds a bit of sweetness, and it's a good way to trick myself into eating what I normally find a vile and invasive vegetable. I've also never actually measured the vegetables, and I don't think it's really necessary. You might end up with more or less cakes at the end depending on how many vegetables you use, but the ratios are very forgiving.

I do not think the red onion or the garlic are optional. And you really need the lemon zest.

The next step is to just mix together all of the ingredients. The flour, baking powder and egg help the mixture stay together. The dill is tasty, but other spices could be tried also.

I use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to portion out the cakes onto a well-greased baking sheet. This is important so they don't stick to the sheet, and then burn. There's no other oil in the recipe, so they will not come out super greasy. The 1/3 cup measurement is a good size, and it helps to keep all of the cakes a uniform size. They're baked at 400 degrees, so any difference in size really affects how they cook. After the cakes are portioned out, use a glass to squish the cakes down. They should end up being 3-4 inches in diameter, and not too thick. I think the recipe makes about 11 cakes if you use the same measurement that I did.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, turning them over once half-way through. They should be crispy and cohesive. I like them plain, but serving them with some yogurt mixed with some lemon juice is also very tasty. And a good way to use the lemon that you zested earlier!

Smashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich

I found this recipe at Smitten Kitchen. I've been loving chickpeas lately, and in addition to those it also has some of my very favorite things. It's super easy to make, fairly filling, and pretty cheap too!

The original recipe had actual measurements, but I think this is something that is better when you make with the ratios that you like best!

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
several black olives, roughly chopped
chopped red onion
chopped parsley - I used Italian flat-leaf
zest and juice of half a lemon
crushed red pepper (the original recipe didn't have this, but I put it in almost everything)
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Mix everything together, smash the chickpea mixture until it's the consistency you want. Smitten Kitchen described it as a "deconstructed hummus."

Spread on toasted bread.

Makes 3-4 sandwiches.

Lemony Chickpea Stir-Fry

It's hard to decide, but I really think this is my favorite recipe I've tried lately. The chickpeas got just a little bit crispy on the outside, and the lemon really brightened it up. I've also really been enjoying kale lately, and it went really well in this dish. It's probably my favorite of the dark greens that I've tried. Its flavor is much more mellow than chard.

Ingredients:

1 can of chickpeas
1/2 container of tofu, pressed (about 7 ounces)
2 shallots
about 1 1/2 cups of kale, chopped
zest and juice of half a lemon
1/2 t salt
bit of pepper
olive oil

First things first I set the tofu up to drain. I buy tofu packed in water, so for a meal like this it needs to be drained and pressed. I also rinsed and drained the chickpeas in a colander for a little while. They're added to a pan with hot oil, so you want to make sure you get as much liquid off of the chickpeas as possible so the water doesn't pop in the oil.

Add just enough olive oil to coat the pan at about medium heat and add the chickpeas and salt. Toss them around so they're evenly coated in the oil. Stir them occasionally and let them cook until they brown a bit on the outside, about 10-15 minutes. While they cooked I chopped up the shallots and added them about 10 minutes in. The pan was hot, and I didn't want the shallots to burn.


Then I added the tofu, cut in small pieces. The goal was just to get the tofu warmed through, so I stirred it often to prevent it from sticking. I wanted to keep the texture of the raw tofu. After a few minutes I added the chopped kale and stirred it around until it was wilted.

I finished it with a bit more salt, some pepper, and the lemon juice and zest.

I got this recipe from http://www.101cookbooks.com but I made some small changes.