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Greek Quinoa Patties

Greek Quinoa Patties with Tzatziki

Of the many cookbooks on my shelf, there are a few standouts that I’m able to read and reread over and over and always feel newly inspired.  Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Every Day is one of those books.  Heidi’s writing is warm and inviting and her approach to healthy cooking is simple yet interesting and full of flavor.  Here I’ve taken the quinoa patties from her book and put a little Greek spin on them.  I swapped the parmesan for crumbled feta and added fresh oregano, bits of kalamata olives, and some finely chopped red onion.  As the patties cook, a crisp and chewy crust forms which makes these especially wonderful.  Serve  along with some whole grain pita and a generous dollop of tzatziki.

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Curried Quinoa with Grilled Zucchini and Toasted Curry Lime Pepitas

Curried Quinoa with Grilled Zucchini and Curry Lime Pepitas

Our family just returned home from spending a beautiful four days at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.  We are exhausted, but have full hearts.  We made new friends, went on peaceful walks, relaxed by campfires, and our kids were able to experience music and art in new and inspiring ways.  It was a refreshing break from tv, computers, and the internet.  Camp food was… well, camp food, and after four days, I was ready to get back to whole grains and fresh produce.  I told Ryan that as soon as we were home again I was going to make a big quinoa salad, and I think he thought I was joking, but no, this was the first thing I made after we returned home.  It was just what I needed and hit the spot.  This dish is healthfully seasoned with curry, cumin, turmeric, and smoked paprika, has plenty of green from the grilled zucchini, grilled scallions, and parsley,  and is generously garnished with crunchy toasted curry lime pepitas. Toasting the pepitas on the stove with some curry and lime zest only takes a few extra minutes and it makes all the difference. This can be served warm or at room temperature, but if making ahead of time, keep the pepitas stored separately until ready to serve so they don’t lose their crunch.

Curried Quinoa with Grilled Zucchini and Curry Lime Pepitas

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Curried Quinoa with Grilled Zucchini and Toasted Curry Lime Pepitas
Serves: 4-6
 
Ingredients
Curried Quinoa
  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon curry, divided
  • ¾ teaspoon cumin, divided
  • ¾ teaspoon turmeric, divided
  • ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika, divided
  • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ¾ pound zucchini (about 2 medium zucchini), trimmed and quarter lengthwise
  • 1 bunch scallions (about 6 scallions)
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Toasted Curry Lime Pepitas
  • 1 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon muscovado sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon curry
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • zest from 1 lime
Instructions
Curried Quinoa
  1. In a small sauce pan, combine quinoa, salt, ¾ teaspoon curry, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon paprika, and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until water is absorbed, about 15-17 minutes. Set aside.
  2. Preheat the grill to medium heat. Place zucchini and scallions on a large plate or tray. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle with remaining ¼ teaspoons of curry, cumin, turmeric, and paprika. Season with salt and pepper. Use hands to evenly coat vegetables.
  3. Grill zucchini 5-6 minutes, rotating after a few minutes, until tender and browned. Grill scallions 2-4 minutes, until slightly wilted and browned. Chop zucchini crosswise into small chunks and thinly slice the scallions.
  4. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, zucchini, scallions, and parsley. Gently toss together and season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Serve with a generous sprinkle of toasted curry lime pepitas.
Toasted Curry Lime Pepitas
  1. In a small bowl, mix together the muscovado sugar, curry, lime zest, and salt.
  2. In a large skillet over medium heat, toast the pepitass with olive oil until they start to brown, about 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle the curry lime mixture over the seeds and stir constantly until seeds are evenly coated and sugar is melted, about 1-2 additional minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool. Season to taste with additional salt if needed.
Notes
inspired by Bon Appetit
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Baked Salmon and Lentils with Quinoa, Shaved Cucumbers, and Dilled Yogurt Sauce

salmon-lentil-plate-4

Last week I had the opportunity to attend Sprouted Kitchen’s food photography workshop at Cannelle et Vanille’s beautiful studio in Seattle.  After being a quiet admirer of Sara and Hugh’s work for so long and then finally being able to meet them and learn from them was like a dream for me.  Both of them are so remarkably talented, yet they are so humble and approachable.  It was a weekend full of refreshment and inspiration and I’m still processing it all.  Our lunches and snacks were all from Sara’s new cookbook, Bowl + Spoon, and after those meals, I seriously wanted to come home and cook through her entire cookbook.  Sara’s approach to “bowl foods”- mixing favorite foods with different colors, textures, toppings, and sauces- is the inspiration behind this salmon and lentils plate (could also be easily eaten in a bowl).  Since both salmon and lentils are favorites in this house, I started with those then added quinoa as our grain and shaved cucumbers with microgreens for a raw vegetable.  I topped it off with a creamy dilled yogurt sauce and sprinkled on some lemon muscovado sunflower seeds for crunch.  Setting out all of the components and letting everyone assemble their own plate is such a beautiful way to serve and enjoy a meal.  Everyone can have more of what they like, less of what they don’t like, and it seems that kids especially enjoy having some ownership of what goes on their plate.  There’s lots of flexibility to this meal- you could use rice or millet instead of quinoa, chicken instead of salmon, or other shredded greens instead of the cucumbers and microgreens.  Don’t leave off the lemon muscovado sunflower seeds though; it really adds the perfect finishing touch to the whole meal.

salmon and lentil plate with dilled yogurt-1 salmon and lentil plate with dilled yogurt-2

salmon-lentil-plate-3

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Baked Salmon and Lentils with Quinoa, Shaved Cucumbers, and Dilled Yogurt Sauce}
 
Ingredients
Dilled Yogurt Sauce
  • 1 cup whole milk or lowfat plain yogurt
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3-4 tablespoons fresh dill
  • ½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Muscovado Sunflower Seeds
  • 1 tablespoon muscovado sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • ½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
  • 1 cup sunflower seeds
Lentils
  • 1 cup french green lentils, sorted and rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced scallions
  • fine-grain sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Cucumbers
  • 1 English cucumber
  • 1 cup micro greens
Assembly
Instructions
Dilled Yogurt Sauce
  1. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until creamy and smooth. Season to taste with additional salt and lemon juice. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Muscovado Sunflower Seeds
  1. In a small bowl, mix together the muscovado sugar, lemon zest, and ½ teaspoon sea salt.
  2. In a large skillet over medium heat, toast the sunflower seeds until they start to become golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle the lemon sugar mixture over the seeds and stir constantly until sugar melts and coats the seeds, about 1-2 additional minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool. Season to taste with additional salt if needed.
Lentils
  1. Place lentils is a small pot and cover with water by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until lentils are tender and soft, about 30 minutes. Drain, reserving ½ cup cooking liquid. Toss warm lentils with vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Allow lentils to rest for 5 minutes. Taste again and season with additional vinegar and salt if needed. Add olive oil and scallions and stir to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl and set aside. If lentils seem dry when ready to serve, stir in some of the reserved cooking liquid.
Cucumbers
  1. Use a vegetable peeler to shave cucumber into ribbons, stopping when you get to the seeds. Place cucumber ribbons in a serving bowl and toss with the micro greens.
Assembly
  1. Serve each plate with a portion of quinoa, salmon, lentils, and cucumbers with greens. Drizzle a generous amount of dilled yogurt sauce over each plate and garnish with a sprinkle of sunflower seeds.
Notes
-inspired by Sprouted Kitchen's Bowl + Spoon
-lentils from Alice Water's The Art of Simple Food
-muscovado sunflower seeds from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Everyday

 

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