Okay, hold on, wait a minute...it is September? When did this happen? Did I miss August?
I think a lot of people are feeling like this. The end of summer just blew past us all and the kids are back to school and work is picking up. We are all feeling a bit more busy. The weather is still beautiful though and there is always the weekend right? Time to pick up and head to the lake or the river and absorb as much vitamin D as you can before winter. You must. We all must.
So we are all feeling busy these days but that is no excuse to start heading through the drive-thru instead of coming home and cooking a meal that is hearty and healthy. No need to start packing on the "winter coat" just yet. I am obsessed with the end of summer and early fall vegetables and I just needed to use them in these cute little quinoa cakes.
Do you know what quinoa is?
It is awesome and I must say underused. Although, I think it might be trending on Pinterest so I'm sure it will be flying off the shelves. You can make it by itself as a side dish or stuff it into peppers. Or you can use it just like this with some farm fresh vegetables all roasted and delicious. You can literally throw just about anything into the mix and it will taste delicious, just don't overdue it.
I thought about making these cute little cakes on a drive home after a long day, and well this is what I was listening to:
On the Way Home (Spotify Link)
Ben Sollee - Something, Somewhere, Sometime
Ivan & Alyosha - I Was Born To Love Her
Josh Rouse and the Long Vacations - Oh Look What The Sun Did
Ha Ha Tonka - Hide It Well
The Moondoggies - Empress Of The North
The Lumineers - Dead Sea
Farewell Milwaukee - Coming 'Round To Get You
River City Extension - If You Need Me Back In Brooklyn
Bird Courage - A Promising Flee
Aunt Martha - Wherever You Wanna Go
Inspired by Super Natural Every Day
1 medium butternut squash, seeded, peeled, and cut into small chunks
2 cups of fresh baby tomatoes, halved
1/2 tsp garlic salt
4 Tbls Olive oil
3 cups of cooked quinoa
5 large eggs beaten
1 white onion, finely chopped
1 bunch of fresh chives, snipped
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 Tbls Mediterranean herb blend seasoning
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
olive oil for frying
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Take two parchment-lined baking sheets and place the tomatoes on one and the butternut squash on the other. Toss the tomatoes in 2 Tbls of olive oil and sprinkle with the garlic salt. Toss the squash in 2 Tbls of olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Bake until the tomatoes are shriveled and the squash is tender. About 30 minutes.
While the squash and tomatoes are roasting cook your quinoa if you haven't already. Combine the quinoa, eggs, herb blend and a little salt in a large bowl. Mix with your hands or rubber spatula. Take your chopped onions, chives, Parmesan and minced garlic and add to the quinoa. Mix to combine.
Once your squash and tomatoes have cooled slightly mix very well into quinoa. Now add a pinch more salt and a little pepper and fold in the breadcrumbs.
Now let the mixture sit so the breadcrumb can absorb some of the liquid. You can add more breadcrumbs if you think the mixture is too wet but you do want it on the moist side. Too much breadcrumb will make for dry cakes.
Now you can use an ice cream scoop to measure out the quinoa for forming into the little patty cakes. Or just eyeball about 1/3 of a cup. Form into cakes in your hands. Set on some wax paper as you heat your skillet.
Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium low heat. Cook the quinoa cakes for about 5 minutes on each side or until the are very browned on each side. Remove from skillet and cool on a wire rack. Repeat until all cakes are cooked. I made about 18.
These little patty cakes can be served warm or at room temperature. I like to serve with an avocado dressing or perhaps a little hot sauce.
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