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25
Mar
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PPS: Moroccan Spiced Quinoa Cakes with Mint-Yogurt Sauce |
This dish is featured as part of my Passover Prep Series – a collection of recipes to enjoy whether you celebrate Passover or not! If this is your first time visiting Cara’s Cravings during the PPS, click here to read more about it.
As I mentioned the other day, I first discovered quinoa during Passover. But, that doesn’t mean it should only be eaten at one time of year. Packed with more protein and fiber than other starches, quinoa is actually my grain (or, not grain, since it isn’t really one) of choice. But in honor of Passover, I decided to test out a new way of enjoying quinoa: in the form of a spiced patty with raisins and pine nuts. Paired with a mint-yogurt sauce, these had wonderful flavor. I cooked them on a skillet, though I think baking would work too and I hope to give that a try as well. These make a perfectly substantial main course with a side of Moroccan Carrot Salad (love this stuff!), but a smaller serving would be a great companion to a filet of roasted salmon (which may or may not have been my original intent, until I decided I had put in enough effort for the day already!)
Moroccan-Spiced Quinoa Cakes with Mint-Yogurt Sauce
Printable Recipe
Quinoa Cakes
3/4 cup quinoa
2 eggs
30gm raisins
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Sauce1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt (114gm)
1 clove minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped mint
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Combine the quinoa with 1 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Cool. (I like to do this step the night before.)
Combine the quinoa with the rest of the ingredients for the quinoa cakes and mix thoroughly. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Scoop mounds of the quinoa mixture onto the hot skillet and flatten gently. Cook for about 5 minutes or until set and lightly browned on the bottom; flip and cook for another 5 minutes.
Whisk together the sauce ingredients (or, like I did, use an immersion blender, because those things are just so great!)
Serve the hot quinoa cakes with the mint-yogurt sauce.
Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 2
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 487.2
Total Fat: 14.9 g
Cholesterol: 212.5 mg
Sodium: 95.0 mg
Total Carbs: 67.5 g
Dietary Fiber: 13.1 g
Protein: 23.4 g
I'm Cara, lover of creative, clean food and healthy living. Pumpkin, goat cheese, and eggplant make me swoon. I have an insatiable sweet tooth and desire to lift heavy things. 
yumventures — March 25, 2010 @ 1:21 pm
Ok, you've convinced me! I need to buy some quinoa! As a GF person as well, I can't believe I've never cooked it before! These little cakes look amazing…is it often that Passover foods have Moroccan flavors? It seems that many of your dishes this week has those flavors to them (which have subsequently made me bookmark each recipes, I love Moroccan food!). Amazing dish, can't wait to try it myself!
Tyler — March 25, 2010 @ 1:47 pm
i love finding creative recipes for quinoa! i discovered quinoa a couple years ago, and i usually just sub it in place of brown rice or couscous in recipes. this recipe sounds delicious…especially with the yogurt sauce!
Dawn — March 25, 2010 @ 2:51 pm
I just know I would love this with the raisins and mint in there. Quinoa is going on the grocery list!
ChubbyNewlywed — March 25, 2010 @ 3:23 pm
Wow, that looks so easy and so delicious! I am definitely going to try this.
Julia — March 25, 2010 @ 3:25 pm
That looks delicious. Exactly something I love!
TJ — March 25, 2010 @ 3:30 pm
YUM! This looks GREAT! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Cara — March 25, 2010 @ 4:02 pm
Sophie, that's an interesting question! I'll say that most of the recipes I have been sharing this week are not necessarily traditional or special Passover recipes – they are just things that happen to be appropriate for Passover (ie, do not contain wheat, barley, oats, spelt, and rye.) I chose recipes that I feel like eating – so I guess I'm on a Moroccan-inspired kick lately 🙂 But who can resist? Such awesome spices and sweet/savory combos.Anyway I wanted to get people thinking outside the matzoh box. A lot of people get bored with Passover foods because there are only so many days you can take of matzoh "pizza", matzoh "lasagna", chicken cutlets coated with matzoh meal, etc. I suppose it can be heard if you're used to eating a lot of pasta or breading in general – I just wanted to show that there are plenty more delicious options that could be eaten during Passover or anytime 🙂
Bridget — March 25, 2010 @ 5:00 pm
You really can't go wrong with pan-fried food in cake form; you have a bunch of recipes like that that always looks so good to me (like the Thai fish cakes that I still haven't made, argh!). I especially love that these look like oolitic limestone. My husband and I are geology dorks, so we'll get a kick out of that. 🙂 http://www.earth.ox.ac.uk/~oesis/micro/medium/limestone-oolitic_pm21-35.jpg
Nicole Chow - HealthyChow.com — March 25, 2010 @ 9:36 pm
OK, are you reading my mind? I was thinking today about some fresh new ways to eat quinoa and making them into patty form was one of them! I love how your recipe is Moroccan-inspired! Mint and raisin? Genius! Quinoa is so yummy; I love how delicious and nutritious it is!
Kathleen — March 26, 2010 @ 5:40 am
Wow this sounds really good. I'm going to go buy some quinoa this week.
grace — March 28, 2010 @ 9:44 am
i love so much about that plate of food! quinoa is quickly becoming an old favorite, and that combination of spices is a new preference. the sauce must also be tremendous. see? there's nothing NOT to love!
Lori — April 2, 2010 @ 5:36 pm
I am so drooling over this. It looks fantastic!
Susan (peebsmama) — April 3, 2010 @ 1:04 am
I love quinoa and morrocan flavors so the combo of the two would have to be good. And it was. I found the mixture to be a little wet/loose so I added a tbl of flour to help keep the patties together. I cooked them on each side in a little oil then finished them in the oven. Really delicious and a definite "make again" recipe.
Susan (peebsmama) — April 5, 2011 @ 1:15 am
I love quinoa and morrocan flavors so the combo of the two would have to be good. And it was. I found the mixture to be a little wet/loose so I added a tbl of flour to help keep the patties together. I cooked them on each side in a little oil then finished them in the oven. Really delicious and a definite "make again" recipe.
Cara — April 5, 2011 @ 1:15 am
Sophie, that's an interesting question! I'll say that most of the recipes I have been sharing this week are not necessarily traditional or special Passover recipes – they are just things that happen to be appropriate for Passover (ie, do not contain wheat, barley, oats, spelt, and rye.) I chose recipes that I feel like eating – so I guess I'm on a Moroccan-inspired kick lately 🙂 But who can resist? Such awesome spices and sweet/savory combos.Anyway I wanted to get people thinking outside the matzoh box. A lot of people get bored with Passover foods because there are only so many days you can take of matzoh "pizza", matzoh "lasagna", chicken cutlets coated with matzoh meal, etc. I suppose it can be heard if you're used to eating a lot of pasta or breading in general – I just wanted to show that there are plenty more delicious options that could be eaten during Passover or anytime 🙂
TJ — April 5, 2011 @ 1:15 am
YUM! This looks GREAT! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
yumventures — April 5, 2011 @ 1:15 am
Ok, you've convinced me! I need to buy some quinoa! As a GF person as well, I can't believe I've never cooked it before! These little cakes look amazing…is it often that Passover foods have Moroccan flavors? It seems that many of your dishes this week has those flavors to them (which have subsequently made me bookmark each recipes, I love Moroccan food!). Amazing dish, can't wait to try it myself!
Tyler — April 5, 2011 @ 1:15 am
i love finding creative recipes for quinoa! i discovered quinoa a couple years ago, and i usually just sub it in place of brown rice or couscous in recipes. this recipe sounds delicious…especially with the yogurt sauce!