Quinoa Cakes with Caramelized Onion and Roasted Red Pepper

The other day a friend of mine sent me home with a delicious salad she had made: dark leafy greens with strawberries, oranges, grapes, celery, red onions and sugared almonds; I was in heaven. I decided there was enough of this leftover salad that my family and I could make a meal of it.

With 1 hour until dinner, I needed a little protein to go with the salad.

Quinoa to the rescue!

Quinoa is gluten-free, high in protein, high in fiber, low in colesterol, packed with plant-derived calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, potassium... I could go on, but I'll stop here.

Bottom line, Quinoa is a delicious powerhouse food.

When making these I used a 1 1/2 inch cookie scoop. I wanted them to be bite sized and cook quickly.  After seeing how cute they were I thought: Hey, fantastic appetizer idea here!

Quinoa Cakes with Caramelized Onion and Roasted Red Pepper
((Printable Recipe))

2 cups vegetable stock or water (if you use water, season it with salt)
1 cup dry quinoa
1 cup grated cheese (I used Monterey Jack)
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 roasted red pepper, diced

In a skillet, add the oil and caramelized the onion with a pinch of salt on medium low heat, stirring occasional. This will take 20-30 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.  (You can also do this step the night before.)

Cook the quinoa with the vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to low and simmer for 20 minutes.  Fluff with a fork and add to a bowl.  Allow to cool for about 5 minutes.  (You can cook the quinoa the night before.)

Stir together the quinoa, onions and roasted red pepper.  Add the grated cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add the egg and stir.

Heat a skillet to medium high heat, add a little oil.  Use a small cookie scoop to make your "cakes".  Add to the hot oil and with a greased metal spatula, gently press down the cakes to flatten slightly.  Cook until golden brown, 3-4 minutes, and continue cooking on the other side until golden.

Enjoy!

Linked to: Jam Hands