spinach quinoa cakes

Okay, so I know quinoa (and grains in general) might be on the up-and-out right now according to all you food-fad-followers and super-food enthusiasts. First kale was the new spinach, now cauliflower is the new kale, blah blah blahhh. No—I don’t like any of it. First of all, spinach will always hold a special place in my heart (not that I dislike kale, that’s just the nerdy nutrition student in me), and second of all, regardless of the whole ‘grains are bad’ controversy--quinoa is still immensely good for you. Carbs for our little brains, protein for our muscles, and whole grains for fiber and other good stuff.  

Taste on the other hand, is a different story. Maybe some of you health nuts out there can eat quinoa by the spoonful and lovingly enjoy every second of it—but not I. I actually really hate the taste of quinoa. That’s why I mash up as many veggies, nuts (yes nuts) and other flavors as possible into these quinoa patties. Realistically, all you need for this recipe is four eggs to every one-cup of uncooked quinoa, and the rest is up to you.

What you need:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup cheese (mozzarella, parmesan, whatever) 
• 1/2 cup shaved carrots (or less, or more, if you like carrots)
• 2 cups chopped spinach (or kale, or whatever you like)
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
• 2 cloves garlic, minced  (or more, or less--do you see a pattern here?)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. olive oil 

Steps:

First cook the quinoa—put the cup of uncooked quinoa in a pot/ pan with 2 cups of water. Let it cook for about 20 minutes or until the quinoa has absorbed all the water.

Next, let this cool! I tend to get excited when I’m cooking, and don’t have the patience to let things cool, but trust me its wise to do so with this recipe.

After the quinoa has cooled, combine all of your chopped, shaven, diced, minced and other ingredients into the bowl. Be sure to whisk the eggs first and then pour them in.

Stir this mixture around until it is soft—it should not be runny. But, lucky for you, if it is runny, this can be fixed! Simply throw the bowl in the fridge for a few minutes, or pour out the mixture into a muffin tin, and then stick that in the fridge. (This is what happens when you get too excited and you mix everything in while the quinoa is still hot). The muffin tin actually makes a nice patty shape that’s easy to pop onto the skillet once they’ve firmed up.

Once you have your quinoa mixture, scoop out about ¼ cup sized patties, and cook them on the skillet like you would little mini pancakes. Flip them after a few minutes, and eat up.

(Side bar: would go great with a slice of cheese or a fried egg on top)