I loveee kale and I loveee quinoa! Two things smacked together- perfection! I was first introduced to quinoa by my dear friend and cookie monster and have been learning about the grain ever since. It is high in protein, gluten-free, from the Andean culture, and has gained so much traction these past few years. Some people don’t really like the quinoa smell/taste, but if you soak it for about 5-10 min before you cook it, the ‘bitter’ smell/taste will go away. Or you can cook it with things that hide the taste! I happen to like the weird taste and texture. It is a great substitute for rice, if you ever get bored or tired of it. Kale is another vegetable that has grained traction these past few years and I, like any other human rabbit out there, love it. I love the hard texture and the strange bitter taste. Both of these food items have become staple in my everyday diet. I am just glad to be a human rabbit who enjoys veggies, grains, and weird healthy stuff. Anyway, enough with my rabbit talk. These kale and quinoa cakes are great for breakfast, lunch and dinner! I dip the cakes with some Trader Joe’s Garlic Aioli Mustard and it becomes that much better. I hope that I have opened some taste buds to some noob kale and quinoa people!!! ❤

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups raw quinoa
2 1/4 cups water
4 large eggs
olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch chopped kale [or you can use 1/2-3/4 bag of the chopped Trader Joe’s kale]
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup parsley
1 cup regular bread crumbs [or panko if you prefer]
salt and pepper

1. Cook quinoa. [I cook it in a rice cooker. Cook it the same way you cook rice, and add the same amount of water as you do when you cook rice.] [If you cook on stove, use the amount of water from above]. Once done, place it in the freezer or fridge to let cool a bit.
2. Cook the onions and garlic.

3. Cook the kale.

4. In a mixing bowl, mix the cooked onion, garlic, kale with the cheese, vinegar, sundried tomatoes, parsley, and eggs

5. Add the bread crumbs to the mixture. Mix

6. Take out the cooked quinoa. Dump it in the mixture. Mix

7. Heat some oil on the pan- medium heat

8. Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop out and form little ‘cakes’. Place it on the pan

9. Let the cakes turn golden/brown on each side [about 5 min each on med heat]

Enjoy with toppings or mustard!

Recipe adapted from Joy the Baker.