The Best Quinoa Patties

2013 is “The International Year of Quinoa” according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. An important recognition given to the Andean indigenous peoples, who have maintained, controlled, protected and preserved quinoa as food for present and future generations.
The international organization wants, in particular, to focus world's attention on the role that quinoa’s biodiversity and nutritional value plays in providing food security and nutrition.
Over the last decade quinoa has become a “global food” thanks to its high nutritional value and health benefits. Nowadays, you can find quinoa in almost every grocery store around the country. The price has also become much more "democratic".
Quinoa is one of the staple foods in my diet, and these patties are definitely one of my favorite recipe involving this wonder seed.

We cook a good amount of quinoa. Add some egg whites (or eggs), Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic and seasoning. A couple of minutes in the pan and that’s about it. That easy.
We just made awesomely tasting patties, full of precious nutrients and calorie considerate.
One further thing: these patties are quite versatile. You can eat them with a salad on the side; or dip them into some tomato sauce or use them in a sandwich (just like falafel).



The Best Quinoa Patties Print this Recipe!
Adapted from Super Natural Every Day

Ingredients
Makes 28 bize size patties (or 14 larger ones)

2 ½ cups / 12 oz / 340 gr cooked quinoa (you’ll need to cook a little over 1 cup of quinoa)
4 large free-range organic eggs beaten
⅓ cup / 0.5 oz / 15 gr parsley, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
⅓ cup / 0.5 oz / 15 gr grated Parmesan cheese or Romano cheese
1 cup / 3.5 oz / 100 gr gluten-free breadcrumbs (or whole wheat breadcrumbs)
½ tsp salt
Olive oil

Directions

Combine quinoa, eggs, and salt into a bowl.
Stir in the cheese, onion, garlic, and parsley. Whisk well until fully incorporated. Add breadcrumbs and stir in well. Let mixture sit for a couple of minutes so that the breadcrumbs can absorb the moisture.
Scoop two tablespoons of the mixture and form 1 ½ inch size patties (or use ¼ cup of mixture to shape larger ones).
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet with a thick bottom. Add patties leaving some room between each. Cover and cook on medium to low heat for around 7 minutes or until the patties are browned.
With the help of a spatula, flip the patties and cook on the other side for 7 minutes. If there’s no browning, turn the heat up and cook until golden.
Remove from the skillet, cool on a wire while you cook the other patties.

Nutrition facts

One patty yields 48 calories, with 7.7 grams of carbs, over 3 grams of protein, and just 1 gram of fat.