Quinoa Patties

Incredible. Incredible. Incredible. I have been looking for ways to use some extra quinoa I had and I also have been on the hunt for recipes with whole grains that would be easy for my one year old to feed himself. I served them with grilled zucchini rounds but I also think they would taste great on the side of an omelet or for a simple snack. The only changes I made to the original recipe is I used pearl onions instead of white, and I sauted them before adding them to the quinoa mixture, and also used half the salt. I also used sprouted whole grain bread to make my bread crumbs for added nutritional value. I made 24 patties instead of 12 and it is the perfect snack size. My 1 year old fed himself three of these patties yesterday and LOVED them!

Ingredients
2 1/2 ( 340 g) cooked quinoa, at room temperature
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt (I used 1/4 teaspoon)
1/3 cup (15 g) finely chopped fresh chives
1white onion, finely chopped (I used pearl onions)
1/3 cup (15 g) freshly grated Parmesan
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup (100 g) whole grain bread crumbs, plus more if needed (I used sprouted bread)
Water, if needed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or clarified butter

Combine the quinoa, eggs, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the chives, onion, cheese, and garlic. Add the bread crumbs, stir, and let sit for a few minutes sot that the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. At this point, you should have a mixture you can easily form in to twelve 1-inch thick patties (1 made 24 1/2 inch thick patties). I err on the very moist side because it makes for a  not-overly-dry patty, but you can add a mroe bread crumbs, a bit at a time, to firm up the mixture, if need be. Conversely, a bit more beaten egg or water can be used to moisten the mixture.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-pow heat, add 6 patties, if they'll fit with some room between each, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms are deeply browned. Carefully flip the patties with a spatula and cook the second sides for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties.

Alternatively, the quinoa mixture keeps nicely in the refrigerator for a few days; you can cook the patties to order, if you prefer.

Makes 24 little patties (50 calories each)

Adapted from Super Natural Every Day