(Recipe can be found on the Shopgirl site here.)
Step by Step Instructions:
Here’s what you’ll need to make these scrumptuous Cheesy Quinoa Broccoli Patties: Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper, Quinoa, Breadcrumbs, Broccoli (I used a small-ish head of broccoli), Cheese (Sharp Cheddar for me), a small onion, and one Egg (or I went with egg substitute which worked great).
This recipe is all about cooking everything first and letting it all cool. Begin with the quinoa. Rinse your quinoa (about 1/2 cup) in a fine mesh strainer. Add it to a small saucepan with a cup of water and bring it to a boil. Cook it according to the package directions.
While the quinoa cooks, dice an onion into small pieces.
In a medium-sized skillet (which you’ll see I used a lot for this dish), bring water to a boil and cook the broccoli until it’s tender.
After about 5 minutes the broccoli was good to go. I removed it from the water and let it cool on a cutting board.
In the same pan that I rinsed out, I heated about 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat.
Then add the onions and a bit of salt and pepper just to season.
It takes about 5-7 minutes and the onions will be cooked. You want them to be translucent and tender.
Then move the onions to a plate and let them cool there in a single layer.
AT this point the broccoli was cooled, so I chopped it up into pretty small pieces. I did use some of the stems cuz I like them.
And then the quinoa was cooked. You want all the liquid to be absorbed and fluff it with a fork.
Then, just like the onions, spread the quinoa on a large plate so it can cool faster.
Once all the cooked stuff is cool, add the onions, broccoli, quinoa, 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup of cheese to a large bowl. Season with plenty of salt and pepper to taste.
Combine the mixture and add one beaten egg. Like I mentioned earlier, I used egg substitute, which I think I actually prefer simply because I can add a touch more to make the mixture the consistency I wanted.
Here’s the mixture for the patties. You’re looking for it to be fairly smooth and can stay together when shaped.
Add another 1/2 tablespoon or so to the same pan and heat over medium heat.
Once the oil is hot, shape the patties iinto about 1/4 cup amounts. Shape them into a ball and flatten them just a bit. This is what they’ll look like.
Cook the patties for about 7-8 minutes on each side. You really want to develop a nice brown, crispy crust like you see here. This is after 7 minutes of cooking.
Cook the second side for another 7-8 minutes then remove from the pan. I let them sit on a plate lined with paper towels for a few minutes. Then serve these up and devour! I had a couple of these patties with a tilapia filet and the next day with a salad. They pretty much are perfect any time! Hope you enjoy! Happy browning!!
Makes approximately 6-8 patties
Ingredients:
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
5 large broccoli florets (or a small head of broccoli)
1 small onion, diced
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup shredded cheese
1 large egg (or Egg Substitute)
Salt and Pepper for seasoning
Olive oil for cooking
Preparation Instructions:
1. Begin by cooking your quinoa. Just follow the package’s instructions. Be sure to rinse the quinoa first and mine took about 25 minutes or so to absorb all the water. Then remove the quinoa and spread it onto a large plate to let it cool completely.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, bring a medium to large skillet of water to boil. Add the broccoli and cook about 5 minutes or until tender. I had a small head of broccoli so I used the upper stems and broccoli florets.
3. As the broccoli cooks, dice an onion pretty finely. Once the broccoli is tender, let it sit and cool on a cutting board. When the broccoli is cool, dice it into small pieces.
4. I wiped out my pan I cooked the broccoli in and add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and heated it over medium-high heat. I added the onions along with some salt and pepper to taste and sauteed for about 5-7 minutes or until the onions were tender and translucent. Then transfer them to a plate and let them cool completely.
5. When you have all of the cooked ingredients cooled (and you could do steps 1-4 in advance if you’d like), combine the onions, broccoli, quinoa, 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup of shredded cheese, along with some salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the egg at the end and combine. You’re looking for a mixture that is pretty smooth and can hold its shape. (That’s why I prefer egg substitute with this recipe, so that you can add just a tad more if you need some extra liquid to bind it all together.)
6. Using the same pan I did for the broccoli and onions, heat about 1/2 a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Once it’s hot, shape about 1/4 cup of the mixture into balls and then press slightly to flatten. Add to the pan and cook for 7-8 minutes on each side. You could cook about 4 patties at a time easily. When there is a golden, crispy crust (mine took 7 minutes), flip and continue cooking.
7. Once you’re done, let them cool for a couple of minutes on a paper towel-lined plate, and serve these them up. Hope you enjoy!!
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