Moroccan quinoa cakes

Quinoa is nature’s superfood and a great addition to salads, stir-fries or even as porridge. It can be used in a multitude of ways and making these delicious little cakes is a great way to use any leftovers that you may have in your fridge.

• makes

  10

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  18 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked quinoa (see Note) 
• zest of 1 large lemon 
• 4 tbsp pine nuts, toasted 
• 2 tbsp sultanas or raisins 
• 1 large carrot, grated 
• ½ cup baby spinach, roughly chopped 
• 2 tbsp mint 
• 1 tbsp honey, warmed until runny 
• 4 tbsp breadcrumbs 
• 100 g fetta 
• 4 eggs 
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Moroccan spice blend

• 2 tsp cumin, ground 
• 2 tsp coriander, ground 
• 2 tsp paprika 
• 2 tsp dried ginger, ground 
• 1 tsp white pepper, ground 
• 1 tsp dried turmeric 
• ¼ tsp chilli, ground 
• ¼ tsp nutmeg, ground 
• ½ tsp cinnamon, ground

Instructions

Mix all spices together and store in a jar.

In a large bowl place the quinoa, lemon zest, pine nuts, sultanas, carrot, spinach, mint, honey, crumbs and 4 teaspoons of the spice mixture (save the remainder in a jar with a lid for another meal). Stir until combined.

In a separate, small bowl beat the eggs well, crumble the feta into the egg mixture and mash together with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture into the quinoa and mix until thoroughly combined. If the mixture is too runny, add some more breadcrumbs.

Grease 6 egg rings and set aside. Heat a large fry pan on medium heat, add half the oil and put egg rings into the pan. Fill each ring with the quinoa mixture, flatten the top with a spatula, and cook for 4-5 minutes. Flip over and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from the pan and gently run a knife around the edge of the ring to release the cake. Repeat with the remaining oil and mixture. Serve warm with fresh salad and hummus.

Note

• To cook quinoa: Rinse one cup of quinoa under water and strain. Place in a saucepan with two cups of chicken stock (or water). Bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the liquid has soaked up completely. Remove from heat and rest for 20 minutes until grains are light and fluffy. Fluff up with fork. This recipe is best made with quinoa that has been cooked the day before.

Recipe from The Whimsical Wife by Melissa Darr, with photographs by Melissa Darr.

This recipe is featured as part of our online column, Eat well: In defence of whole grains. View more recipes from this column.

View previous Eat well articles.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.