Last week I found myself home after a long day, hungry, and scowering the kitchen for something tasty for dinner. My eyes went to a blue box of mac and cheese. Quick, easy, and delicious. However, as I'm trying to make healthier choices lately, I searched around for a healthier alternative to whip up. This is often a challenge of mine. Figuring out how to combine what I have left in the house into a meal. After taking inventory I decided on quinoa cakes! Im a big fan of the quinoa cakes from whole foods. But they are a but pricey, so why not try homemade?
Here's what you need:
- about 1/2 cup dry quinoa, cooked
- 1 c. shredded carrot
- 2 c. spinach
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp flax seed (optional)
- curry powder to taste (optional, but i liked it!)
- 1 egg, or flax egg if you're going the vegan route
- 1/4 c. bread crumbs
Cook quinoa and combine in large mixing bowl with other ingredients. Grab a handful of the mixture and form into a ball. The egg or flax egg is what helps everything stick together. I've found cooking the spinach before hand make the mixture a little easier to handle.
Pour a bit of olive oil into a non stick pan on medium heat. Place ball into pan and press down with spatula to form a patty. Cook on each side for several minutes until each side is browned.
A few of mine fell apart but they still tasted great and I felt better about having this healthy dinner in the place of box mac and cheese.
