Quinoa-Walnut Patties for Pesach (Passover)

I start this post with a disclaimer. I am not a Rabbi nor a Halachic (Jewish Law) Authority of any sorts. I know there has been debate about whether quinoa is kitniyot (a legume) and whether Ashkenazi Jews can eat quinoa on Pesach. We do eat quinoa on Pesach which is very helpful in feeding my two vegetarians. This recipe is great all year round and is gluten free so I recommend that you continue reading no matter what your background.

I served these patties at lunch on Shabbat (Saturday) and they were enjoyed by the vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.

Directions

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed

2 cups boiling water

1 medium onion finely diced

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

6 oz (approx 180 g) ground walnuts

salt

freshly ground pepper

2-4 eggs

non-stick spray or oil for greasing baking pan

Cook quinoa and cool. 

Heat oil and saute onions until carmelized, add the garlic for the last minute or two of cooking.

Mix all quinoa, onion-garlic sautee and the rest of the ingredients until well mixed. 

Form into approximately 12 patties and place on greased baking pan.

Bake at 225 C(450 F) or broil/grill in oven for approximately 15 mins and then flip and cook for approximately 5-10 mins on the second side.

Serve as is or with the sauce of your choice.

Can be frozen and can be reheated.

B'Teavon-Enjoy!

Getting Back on the Wagon and a Basic Quinoa Recipe

Ok, I admit it, I've eaten a lot of "garbage" this week.  Sunday night had a family get together for dinner at a dairy restaurant.  Although we did start with salad and I ate quite a bit, we proceeded to soup (not too bad) and then creamy pastas complete with ice cream for dessert. Monday I took my daughter and some friends to the gourmet ice cream place in Machane Yehuda in Jerusalem and ate a lot of delicious ice cream. Tuesday, I behaved and yesterday (Wednesday) I ate two, albeit small, eclairs at a work function and then came home and ate the last two pieces of Pizza Hut pizza.  My first pizza in three months!  In short, forgive me father for I have sinned.  Have I mentioned that I haven't done any exercise since my Zumba class on Sat. night.  How many "Hail Moseses" must I say? (I'm Jewish).

It is so easy to "fall off the wagon". Although I am not soooo strict with my diet...three day food orgies of this sort are not acceptable.  I can just feel my blood glucose catapulting.

I'm trying to get my husband on the wagon, his LDL is quite high, 171, to be exact.  Not an easy task.  His doctor is giving him 6 months to get the cholesterol down or she is putting him on meds.  I think I will send him to my dietician and get him on track...

Anyway, on to the recipe!

Quinoa Pilaff

Quinoa is a great pseudograin for those watching their carb intake.  Quinoa is actually a seed and not a grain.  It is a complete protein, rich in fiber, iron, magnesium, manganese, ribloflavin and lysine. See this link to learn more about quinoa's benefits.

I think that this was my first quinoa recipe or maybe my first quinoa recipe after learning how to cook plain quinoa.  I got it from Suite 101. com and the author of the recipe is Stephanie Gallagher and have minorly adapted the recipe. It's a great warm side dish and also kosher for Passover (without the peas) if you hold that Quinoa is not kitniyot or if you are Sefardi (and then you can have the peas, too). 

Ingredients

2 T olive oil

1 med onion, chopped finely

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup finely diced carrots

1 medium red pepper chopped

2 cups quinoa, rinsed thoroughly through a fine sieve

4 cups water

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a a pot over medium high heat. 

Add onion and cook until soft, 3 minutes.

Add garlic, carrots and red pepper, cooking until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add quinoa and water and bring to a boil over high heat and then simmer 20 minutes or until water is absorbed.  Stir in frozen peas and salt and pepper.

B'Teavon! Enjoy!

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato and Spinach

Quinoa Past and Present

Even though quinoa was a staple in the diet of the Andean people 3,000 years ago in South America, it only become popular again over the last six years or so.  It is so popular these days, that the United Nations declared 2013 as the "International Year of Quinoa".  Contrary to what you might think, quinoa is a seed, not a grain and is in fact a complete protein containing all of the nine essential amino acids.

Quinoa and Diabetes

According to Stacey Hugues, a registered dietician:  "I often recommend using it (quinoa) in place of white rice or pasta.  The extra fiber allows the digestion of carbohydrates to be slowed, assisting with blood sugar control." Yes you will find mixed opinions on the internet but to be quite honest, I like this one so I hope that it's right.

The Recipe

In April, when my husband and I were in Italy, we met up with my sister in law and her husband who travelled all the way from Australia. At this special meeting one of the presents that we were showered with was the "Quinoa for Families" cookbook by Rena Patten.  This recipe is my adaptation of one of the recipes in the book and has been a real hit in my house especially with my 19 year old vegetarian twins.  The original recipe called for mushrooms (despised by my twins) and dijon mustard ( despised by me).  I did not replace the mushrooms but I did replace the mustard with Silan/date honey. Yummarooney!

Ingredients

1kg (2 lb 4 oz) sweet potato

1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

3/4 cup quinoa (the original recipe calls for red quinoa--to date I've only used white but only because that's what they sell at our supermarket)

1 1/2 cups water

200 g (7 oz) baby spinach leaves

1 red onion haved and thinly sliced

Dressing

2 Tbsp Date honey 

juice of 1-2 lemons

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and ground blck pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180 C(350 F) and line a tray with non-stick baking paper.

Peel and cube sweet potato, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Toss well and place on the baking tay in a single layer.

Roast in the over for 20-30 minutes until sweet potato is tender and crisp.

In the meantime place the quinoa in a small pot with the water, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes until all the water is bsorbed.  Remove from heat and cool.

Place sweet potato, quinoa, spinach and onion in a bowl and gently toss together until combined.

Mix together all dressing ingredients, pour over salad and gently toss. Leave to stand for about 1/2 hour before serving.

Serve at room temperature.

Serves 4-8 (depends on if you serve it as a main course or as a side dish)