Quinoa Asparagus Cakes Recipes

QUINOA ASPARAGUS CAKES

Steps:

• Rinse quinoa under cold water, (I put mine in a sieve).
• In a medium saucepan add the quinoa and 2 cups of water.
• Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
• Cook for 15-20 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed and the quinoa is doubled in size.
• Set aside until cool to touch.
• In a large bowl combine the quinoa, asparagus, parmesan, onion, garlic and salt.
• Gently mix all the ingredients together.
• Add beaten egg until all ingredients are well combined.
• Using your hands form the ingredients into golf ball sized balls and place on a cooking sprayed cookie sheet.
• Gently flatten each ball with your palm to about 1/4 inch thickness.
• In a large skillet heat vegetable oil over medium high heat.
• Add 5 cakes to the pan using a spatula and cook 5-7 minutes until golden brown.
• Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes.
• Transfer to a paper towel and repeat with remaining cakes.
• Can be eaten warm or at room temperature.

QUINOA AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Melt butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook onion and carrot in butter 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender. Stir in quinoa. Cook and stir 1 minute.
• Pour 1 cup of hot broth over quinoa and add seasoning packet. Cook uncovered about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed. Stir in asparagus. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Cook 15 to 20 minutes longer, adding broth 1 cup at a time and stirring frequently, until liquid is absorbed; remove from heat. Stir in remaining ingredients.
• *For softer grains increase broth and cooking time.

QUINOA, ASPARAGUS, AND FETA SALAD

Steps:

• Pour water into a saucepan and bring to a boil; add quinoa and salt, stir, cover saucepan with a lid, and reduce heat to low. Simmer mixture until quinoa is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat, let quinoa rest for 5 minutes, and transfer quinoa to a bowl to cool.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook uncovered until tender but still crisp, 2 to 3 minutes; drain in a colander and immediately immerse asparagus in ice water for several minutes until cold to stop the cooking process. Drain.
• Stir asparagus, feta cheese, almonds, green onions, parsley, thyme, and lemon zest into quinoa.
• Whisk lemon juice, olive oil, honey, garlic, Dijon mustard, and black pepper together in a bowl until dressing is smooth. Pour dressing over quinoa mixture and stir gently to combine.

QUINOA AND ASPARAGUS SALAD

Steps:

• Place the quinoa in a strainer and rinse several times with cold water. Place in a medium saucepan with 1 1/2 cups water and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 15 minutes, until the grains display a threadlike spiral and the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat, remove the lid and place a dish towel over the pan, then return the lid to the pan and let sit for 10 minutes or longer undisturbed. Transfer to a salad bowl and fluff with forks.
• Steam the asparagus for 3 to 4 minutes, until just tender. Rinse with cold water, pat dry and cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces. Add to the quinoa, along with the radishes, pine nuts, chives and tarragon.
• Whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, salt, olive oil, buttermilk and pepper. Shortly before serving, toss with the quinoa and asparagus mixture. Sprinkle the feta over the top and serve. If desired, drizzle a teaspoon of the lemon-scented olive oil over each serving.

CRISP QUINOA CAKES WITH ALMONDS, ROSEMARY AND DIJON

Steps:

• Put the quinoa, a large pinch of salt and 2 1/4 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, and then adjust the heat so that the mixture bubbles gently. Cover, and cook, stirring once, until the grains are very tender and begin to burst, 25 to 30 minutes. When they are starchy and thick, transfer them to a large bowl to cool for a few minutes.
• Heat the oven to 200. Fold the almonds, shallots, rosemary and mustard into the quinoa, and add a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. With your hands, form the mixture into 8 patties.
• Put 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is warm, cook 4 cakes at a time until the bottoms are nicely browned and crisp, about 4 minutes. Flip, and brown on the other side, another 4 minutes. Transfer the cakes to the oven to keep warm while you cook the second batch with another tablespoon of oil. Serve with lemon wedges.

QUINOA PILAF WITH SALMON AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Rinse quinoa thoroughly by placing in a fine-mesh strainer and holding under cold running water until water runs clear; drain well.
• In 2-quart saucepan, heat 2 cups of the water to boiling over high heat. Add quinoa; reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 10 to 12 minutes or until water is absorbed.
• Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet, heat remaining 4 cups water and bouillon cube to boiling over high heat. Add salmon, skin side up; reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 10 to 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork. Remove with slotted spoon to plate; let cool. Discard water. Remove skin from salmon; break into large pieces.
• Meanwhile, rinse and dry skillet. Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Add asparagus; cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in onions; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in peas, tomatoes and broth; cook 1 minute.
• Gently stir quinoa, salmon, lemon-pepper seasoning and dill weed into asparagus mixture. Cover; cook about 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

QUINOA AND CHARD CAKES

Steps:

• Fill a bowl with ice water. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously and add the chard leaves. Blanch for two to three minutes until tender, then transfer to the ice water. Drain, squeeze out excess water and chop medium-fine. Add the chard stems to the water, and cook four to five minutes until tender. Transfer to the ice water, then drain and cut in 1/4-inch dice. Measure out 3/4 cup of the stems, and reserve the rest for another purpose. Alternatively, steam the chard leaves, then the stems, above an inch of boiling water until tender. The leaves will take three to four minutes, the stems five minutes.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a medium or large skillet. Add the garlic. When it is fragrant, in 30 seconds to a minute, stir in the chard leaves and stems and the cumin. Stir together for about a minute, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl, and add the quinoa, Parmesan and egg. Stir together.
• Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the canola oil together over medium-high heat in a large, heavy skillet. Moisten your hands, and shape the quinoa and chard mixture into four hamburger-size patties (or make smaller, fritter-ish patties). Carefully place the patties in the hot oil, taking care not to crowd them in the pan. Press down on the tops of the patties with the bottom of your spatula to prevent them from falling apart; if they are thick enough, they should stay together. Cook for four to five minutes on each side until nicely browned. Remove from the heat and serve.