This recipe is a funny combination of words, isn’t it? Quinoa kale patties may seem a little weird to some, but I’ve been wanting to try these for the longest time. Well, the good news is they ARE as good as I thought they would be! I served this for dinner with a friend and she admittedly thought they were an odd idea…but I was able to win her over!

Even though quinoa is hard to say (keen-wah), it’s seriously nutritious, and even considered a superfood. It sounds like a grain, but it’s actually a seed. Quinoa contains all eight amino acids, making it a great food for vegetarians (like me)! Although this recipe would be great to serve for meat eaters, too, as it’s quite filling (Nick loved them). You can also cut down on time by making the quinoa ahead, then just mix the ingredients and cook the patties that night. It’s a tasty and satisfying meal; the fresh toppings are a must! I cooked only what we ate for that meal, so we could keep leftover batter in the fridge and it was great to make the patties fresh over the next couple of days. They were so good that I thought I’d share!

Quinoa Kale Patties (adapted from Yummy Supper)
(Time: about 45-60 minutes; Makes about 14 patties)

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
4 eggs, whisked
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese (optional)
3 spring onions, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
fresh ground pepper
1 cup steamed kale, chopped with stems removed
1 cup breadcrumbs* (could be gluten free)
1 teaspoon olive oil
Toppings: avocado, cilantro, lime juice, garlic or olive oil, salt and pepper

Directions:

To make the quinoa:
Rinse 1 cup of quinoa thoroughly and place the grains in a medium sauce pan with 2 cups of water. Allow quinoa to soak for 15 minutes. Then, with the lid on the pan, bring the water to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook until quinoa is tender and the liquid has been absorbed – about 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

Over the stovetop, steam chopped kale.

*To make the breadcrumbs:
Toast up a few slices of bread (for a typical size loaf, 3 slices is about 1 cup of breadcrumbs) until they’re dry. Tear the toasted bread up into chunks, toss them in the blender. Pulse a few times and you’ve got homemade breadcrumbs! (No need to buy pre-made breadcrumbs packed with preservatives!)

In a large bowl, mix together cooked quinoa, eggs, parmesan (optional), spring onions, garlic, salt, steamed kale, and breadcrumbs. Let everything sit for a few minutes to absorb the liquid, making sure the batter is still moist. Form patties (about the size of a small burger) for cooking.

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil (per patty) in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook up a few patties at at time (allowing ample space between them). Cover the pan and let them cook for 7-10 minutes until the underbellies are a deep rich brown. Flip and cook the other side for another 7-10 minutes until both sides are nice and brown.

Top the patties with generous amounts of avocado, chopped cilantro, lime juice, and salt and pepper. You could also drizzle a little garlic or olive oil.

Enjoy! : )

Wednesday, January 30th, 2013, 7:00 am   |   Eats & Sweets, Granola Files  |  RSS feed |  Respond  |  Trackback