Fried Quinoa Cakes with Eggplant, Roasted Peppers, Tomatoes

While my baby girl was napping today, I decided to surprise her with chocolate chip cookies. She woke up, saw the cookies on the counter, and immediately started pointing at them. I love baking cookies because they make the entire house smell amazing. Anyway, while the cookies were baking, the baby was napping, and the husband was putting up trim in the living room, I decided to start typing out my new vegetarian dish that I made the other day. It isn't going to win any best looking dish awards, but it's definitely my new favorite way to eat quinoa. If you check out the original recipe, you will notice several complaints about the meal preparation --- don't worry about it. I didn't have any problems making it and the problems that could occur would be easy to remedy.

I have no idea why the picture is pink. Your quinoa shouldn't be pink. :)

Shape into small patties.

If you don't shape them into small patties, then the edges will fall off.

Before we get to the recipe, let me address a few issues....... 

Issue numero un: recipe calls for 1 egg, but trust me and add 2. 

Issue numero deux: do not make 4-inch patties, as I did, or when you lift them with a spatula and place them into the frying pan, they will fall apart. Whatever you use to place the cakes into the oil, make the cakes that size. I have a large spatula, so the next time I make these I will make them the same size as the spatula. They might be a little small, but I can always stack two on a plate, and honestly, I think that would make a prettier presentation.

Fried Quinoa Cakes with Eggplant/Roasted Peppers/Tomatoes:

Original Recipe: Chou, L. Gourmet, Feb. '08

Serving Size - About 5 cakes

Quinoa Cakes:

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup quinoa (thoroughly rinsed)
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 to 5 tablespoons olive oil (or canola)

For topping:

• 1 medium/large eggplant cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 small onion, roughly chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon oregano
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved (Anything will work. I chopped up a plain ol' tomato)
• 2 bell peppers, roasted and chopped (roasting instructions at the bottom)
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley (I was out, but it would be a nice addition)
• 1 ball of fresh mozzarella, chopped into bite size pieces

Making the Cakes:

1. Bring water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. When the water comes to a boil, stir in the washed quinoa. Cover and turn down to a simmer until the water is absorbed (20-30 minutes). Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. 
2. Pour quinoa into a bowl, stirring occasionally to cool for 10 minutes.
3. When cool, add the two eggs and stir well.
4. Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap and gently brush with oil (I didn't need the oil).
5. Lightly oil a 1/2-cup measuring cup and fill with the quinoa mixture. Dump the mixture onto the plastic lined baking sheet. Flatten into small patties that are the same size as your spatula (maybe 3 inches). Keep doing this until you are out of quinoa (about 5 cakes).
6. Chill the cakes, uncovered, in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.

Making the Topping:

1. Toss the eggplant with 1 teaspoon of salt and let drain in a colander for 30 minutes. Rinse the eggplant and squeeze off the excess liquid, then pat dry.
2. Cook eggplant, onion, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper in a large skillet until the eggplant is tender.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, roasted peppers, water and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally until eggplant is very tender and mixture is thick.
4. After the quinoa cakes have cooked, add the mozzarella to the eggplant mixture and cook for a minute or two until it starts to soften. Remove from heat and serve.

Cook the quinoa cakes:

1. Add 4 or 5 tablespoons of oil (I might have added more, just make sure you have a thin layer of oil across the skillet) to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. When the oil is hot, carefully add the quinoa cakes. Slide your spatula under the quinoa cake, and then slowly slide it into the oil. Hopefully, the entire cake remains intact, if not, no big deal. If anything breaks apart, you can reshape in the skillet with your spatula. Do not crowd them, only add a few cakes at a time.
2. Cook about 4-5 minutes per side. Each side should be golden brown and crisp. Remove to a paper towel. Continue cooking the rest.
3. To Serve:
4. Place a quinoa cake, or two, on a plate and spoon some of the eggplant mixture over the top.

How to Roast Peppers:

1. Grill: Place entire pepper on a grill and cook until the skin starts to blacken and peel away. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and let steam until cool.
2. Broiler: Preheat broiler. Broil whole peppers 2 inches under the broiler, turning every 5 minutes until skin blackens and blisters. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and let steam until cool.
3. Before Using: Remove the skin, stems and seeds. Slice into bite size pieces.

Now that I've typed this out, I realize it seems like a lot. I promise, it isn't a complicated recipe. The most difficult part of the recipe is reading the instructions. After you read them once or twice, you'll be able to make it without checking again. Trust me! :)

Linking to: Recipe Link Party, Vegetarian Foodie Friday, Food on Fridays, Foodie Friday, Friday Potluck