Lemon, Olive, and Parsley Quinoa Cakes - Item #6

Well my to do list attack plan has been haphazard to say the least. I checked off the Moroccan spiced spaghetti squash and made plans to take on the chard-sweet potato gratin next. Despite the fact that I precooked the chard/butter/onion component 5 days ago, I have yet to assemble the rest of the gratin. *shrugs* I did already make a second batch of the almond butter banana granola bars though - and replacing the 1/4 c. of raisins with 1/3 c. unsweetened coconut plus baking it in an 11x7 pan (the bar mixture only spread over 3/4 of the pan) was the perfect adjustment to the sweetness level and bar thickness!

In the meantime I got distracted by Item #6's recipe from Joy the Baker. My first impression upon taking a bite of these cakes (as a vegetarian) was OMG this is the most wonderful texture ever!  Topped with ketchup, it's like the best non-seafood cake in existence (but still full of protein!). Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, with the green olives' brined flavor providing a nice undertone to the saltiness.

My only disappointment was the lack of lemon and parsley flavor. I expected the brightness of the parsley and citrus tartness/acid to really stand out and it just didn't live up to it. When I make these again (is tomorrow too soon??), I will increase the parsley to 1/2 c. and add 1-2 Tbs lemon juice in addition to the zest. Also, I did sauté the onion and garlic briefly before stirring into the batter as I've had previous traumatic experiences of bites of raw onion in fried patties  --  but in retrospect I'm wondering if that may have contributed to the lack of punchy flavor? So next time, I'll try adding those ingredients in raw. The quiona batter was actually quite moist and I ended up adding an extra 4 Tbs of spelt flour + a couple Tbs of panko rather than having to add in any liquid to get the batter to stick together.

Lemon, Olive, and Parsley Quinoa Cakes
1 cup raw quinoa
2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, beaten
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/3 cup coarsely chopped green olives
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper (or heaping 1/4 tsp of powdered ground black pepper)

1. In a medium saucepan, bring quinoa, water, and 1/4 tsp salt to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer, covered, for ~20-24 minutes until quinoa is cooked.  Remove from heat and transfer to a metal bowl to let cool (can put in fridge to speed this along).
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients from the onion through black pepper and add the cooled quinoa in.  Stir thoroughly.

3. Whisk the eggs together and then stir into the large bowl of ingredients. The mixture should be fairly moist, but if needed you can add a bit of water or flour/more panko. If you're not sure of the consistency, you can do a "test cake" and see if ti holds up!
4. Shape quinoa mixture into patties (dipping your fingers in cool water will help). We got 14 patties that were about 3 inches in diameter.
5. In a frying pan, heat 2-4 Tbs olive oil (I probably used closer to 4-5Tbs olive oil in a cast iron skillet). On medium heat, fry the quinoa patties until nicely browned on each side. Set on paper towel to cool.