Skip the boxed cereal and make your own! This is a recipe that I created for Bliss but it’s just too good not to share it with you all. This is granola with a twist, it substitutes quinoa for the traditional oats for a super crunchy high protein breakfast to start your day the right way.
If you’ve never cooked with quinoa it is actually a seed and related to the beet and chard family not a true grain. It is a complete protein, meaning that it contains all nine essential amino acids and has 6 grams of dietary fiber per serving. Besides lending a lovely spicy note, pumpkin is a great substitute for some of the fat called for in most recipes. If you want a more traditional granola substitute 2 cups of oats for 2 cups of the quinoa and feel free to add raisins, cranberries or a different nut to the mix once it has cooled. Click the link below for the full post and recipe. Enjoy!
These little quinoa cakes are adapted from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Everyday and they never disappoint. If you haven’t read or purchased Heidi’s book I highly recommend it. It’s full of recipes that utilize whole foods in a new and fresh light. Heidi’s blog 101 Cookbooks is one of my favorite blogs, she take the most beautiful photographs and everything she does is stunning in it’s simplicity and originality.
This is one of my favorite recipes from the book. I did make a few changes, I added some millet for a little crunch and sauteed beet greens to add a little bit more substance and nutrition. They are delicious hot or cold, keep well for 4-5 days in the fridge and freeze well. I prefer to cook my grains like I would pasta in a bit pot of boiling water and then let them steam for a few minutes after draining the water to finish the cooking. It keeps the grains from getting gummy or mushy and the technique never fails.
Quinoa Patties
adapted from Super Natural Everyday
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch beet greens
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 1/2 cups/12 oz/340 g cooked quinoa and millet, at room temperature
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
- 1 yellow or white onion, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup/.5 oz/15 g goat cheese
- 1//3 cup chives, finely minced
- zest of 1 lemon grated
- 1 cup/3.5 oz /100 g whole grain bread crumbs, plus more if needed
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or clarified butter
Method:
Wash and dry the greens and then cut off the stems and finely chop them, cut the leaves into ribbons and set aside. Heat the teaspoon of olive oil in a medium skillet, add the garlic and saute for a few minutes until it’s fragrant and translucent. Add the stems and cook them for 3-4 minutes until they soften slightly then add the leaves and continue to cook for another 3 minutes until the greens are wilted. Set the mixture aside to cool slightly while you combine the rest of the ingredients.
Combine the quinoa, millet, eggs, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the chives, onion, lemon zest and cheese, . Add the bread crumbs, stir, and let sit for a few minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. At this point, you should have a mixture you can easily form into twelve 1-inch/2.5cm thick patties. I err on the very moist side because it makes for a not-overly-dry patty, but you can add more bread crumbs, a bit at a time, to firm up the mixture, if need be. Conversely, a bit more beaten egg or water can be used to moisten the mixture.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat, add 6 patties, if they’ll fit with some room between each, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms are deeply browned. Turn up the heat if there is no browning after 10 minutes and continue to cook until the patties are browned. Carefully flip the patties with a spatula and cook the second sides for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties. Alternatively, the quinoa mixture keeps nicely in the refrigerator for a few days; you can cook patties to order, if you prefer.
To cook the grains:
Combine 1 1/2 cups of well-rinsed uncooked quinoa and 1/2 cup of uncooked millet with 8 cups water and 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 13 minutes, then drain the grains return the mixture to the pan and cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it steam for an additional 5 minutes.
I like one bowl meals, especially when cooking solo. When I cook for myself I take a clean out the fridge kind of approach, the other day I had some leftover quinoa and way too much asparagus so I put it all together, added some asian inspired seasonings and lunch was served. This recipe is super flexible, you can mix up the flavorings and veggies to suit your taste. Lately, I’ve been trying to make a big batch of quinoa at the beginning of the week, make a stir fry like this one and then I’ll make quinoa patties with the leftovers.
This time of year, the garden is just starting to deliver little treasures like this romesco that I picked right before lunch. I love it’s exotic alien look and it’s delicious roasted. The beauty of growing your own vegetables is that you can try unusual varieties that go way beyond what you would normally find in your local market.
I started by sauteing some garlic and ginger, threw in some mustard greens, the romesco and asparagus and let them cook for a few minutes. I added the quinoa, seasoned it up with soy sauce and sesame oil and then finished it off with some roasted cashews and black sesame seeds. Vegan, healthy, quick and just about the perfect lunch!
Sesame quinoa bowl
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4 cups cooked quinoa *
- 1 pound asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces
- 4 cups leafy greens (spinach, mustard greens, arugula)
- 1/2 pund romesco or broccoli cut into florets
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 inch piece of peeled ginger coarsely grated
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sriracha or garlic chili paste
- 1/4 cup cashews roughly chopped
- 4 tablespoons black sesame seeds
Method:
- Heat olive oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking, add garlic and ginger and stir for a minute until fragrant.
- Add asparagus and romesco and cook for a few minutes, then add the greens and a pinch of salt, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes more until greens have wilted.
- In a small bowl combine soy sauce, sesame oil and chili paste then add to the pan with the quinoa. Cook until everything is heated through.
- Take a taste and if desired add a little more soy sauce or sesame oil it should be pronounced but not overpowering.
- To serve top with the cashews and sesame seeds.
To cook quinoa: Combine 2 cups of well rinsed dried quinoa with 3 cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes until quinoa is tender.
nutritional information: per serving, calories 375, total fat 11.9 g, fiber 8.4 g, protein 14.5 g
