cartoon by marc johns.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Kale and Quinoa Patties

Like very healthy latkes.
These patties are delicious, crunchy, and healthy.  Feel free to put any vegetable into the quinoa patties that you like (or just make plain quinoa patties); I happened to put kale into them this time.  Spinach, mushrooms, or onions are all also great options.  This is a fantastic vegetarian meal as well because of all the protein in the quinoa.  I like to serve these two ways: 1) with melted white cheddar cheese and avocado on top, and 2) with a fried egg on top (which is also a great breakfast).  They are both delicious options - but feel free to use any toppings that sound good to you - hot sauce, salsa, roasted garlic, or teriyaki sauce would all also be delicious.  These patties also happen to be easy to make and they keep well and make for excellent leftovers.  I say to those that are tempted by this recipe - try it!  You'll be glad you did.


1 cup quinoa (or 2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa)
4 eggs, whisked
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 green onions, sliced thin
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
about 1 cup steamed kale, chopped, or another veggie of your choice (I just steamed 1 bunch of kale from the grocery store, and it came to slightly more than 1 cup)
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon olive oil
optional: any toppings for the patties (avocado, cheese, salsa, eggs, etc.)

1.  Cook the quinoa:  rinse the grain thoroughly and then let soak in a medium sauce pan in 2 cups of water for about 15 minutes.  Put a lid on the pan and bring water up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Allow quinoa to cook until the liquid has been absorbed; about 20 minutes.  Put quinoa to the side in a large bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.  

Cooked and cooling.
2.  Steam the kale: cut the leaves off of the kale, removing the thicker stems, and rough chop the leaves.  Bring a pot with a little bit of water and a steamer inside to boil.  Add the leaves and cover the pot.  Allow kale to steam until bright green in color and reduced to about half the original size.

In pot.
Done steaming.  
3.  Put the kale in the bowl with the quinoa and allow it to cool as well.  (You will be forming the patties with your hands, so you don't want any ingredient to be so hot it will burn you; also, you don't want the egg that will be added later to be cooked by the heat of the kale or quinoa).  While everything is cooling, chop the green onion and garlic.

Chopped green onion.
4.  Once the quinoa and kale are cooled down, add the green onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese.

Breadcrumbs, green onion, Parmesan, kale, and garlic atop the quinoa.
5.  Whisk the four eggs together in a separate bowl and pour over the quinoa, kale, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and green onions.

Adding the egg.
6.  Mix everything together using your hands until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.  Allow the mixture to soak up the egg for a few minutes; you want the patties moist, but they should not be runny.

7.  Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat.  Form the mixture into patties.  I generally cook about 5 or 6 patties at a time.  Place the patties on the skillet and cover with a lid.  Cook each patty about 7-10 minutes per side, or until each side is a nice, crunchy deep brown.  Let the patties rest on a cooling rack while you cook the next batch; that way, any residual oil can drip off.

Freshly in the skillet. 
Side 1 nicely browned.
8.  If you don't want to make all the patties right away, you can refrigerate the mixture and make the rest later.  This recipe should make about 12 patties (of course, it depends how big you make the patties).  Serve warm, with topping of your choice on them, and enjoy!

Pile of finished patties.
With melted cheddar and avocado: yum!
Recipe adapted from Heidi Swanson's "Super Natural Every Day" and from Yummy Supper blog.

1 comment:

  1. Right now I am drooling over these vegetable patties though i dont like vegetables much,but it looks super delicious. But this petty is must try.


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