Basil Quinoa Cakes

Photo from Greatist.com

I stumbled on this recipe while searching for an old quinoa cake recipe. The "basil" caught my eye because... for goodness's sake... who doesn't love basil?!? Quinoa is one of the slightly out there foods to which Lauren introduced me, giving it a special place in my heart and kitchen.  The original recipe called for frying them in a few tablespoon of oil. I'm working really hard at eating better right now so I opted to bake them (I also fried a few to see the difference and was VERY surprised at how well the baked ones came out. To form the patties I used a pancake shaper (very technical cooking term - see right) because then I could pack the quinoa mixture and form a nice round patty which will make them less likely to fall apart. These freeze great, so double or triple the batch. And it really does require that many eggs... I tried with fewer and didn't get the right consistency.

They're great plain or dipped in sour cream or hummus. Later this week Amanda and I will be eating them in pita pockets with hummus, cucumber, and sprouts.

Ingredients:

 2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 large white or yellow onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2/3 cup bread crumbs (plus a few extra tablespoons if needed)

Directions:

1. Combine cooked quinoa, beaten eggs, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add basil, cheese, garlic, and onion, and stir until evenly mixed.
2. Add bread crumbs and let stand so crumbs absorb some moisture. The mixture should be easily formed into balls without falling apart. If needed, add a couple tablespoons of breadcrumbs and let stand a few minutes more.
3. Form patties by hand or with pancake shaper device and place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes.

Modified from Greatist.com