Quinoa Cakes with Summer Garden Ratatouille

The inspiration for these delicious quinoa cakes came from a family hiking trip in the White Mountains hosted by the Appalachian Mountain Club. At the lodge before our hike, the unassuming kitchen served up some savory quinoa muffins which were both moist and chewy. We had never tasted something so delicious. The kitchen staff refused to share their recipe. Even though I have not been able to duplicate the same cakes, I discovered another recipe that is even better. After tinkering with it for years, we have a classic vegetarian winner for all seasons.

This summer, with an abundance of spring and summer rain, we have been delighted with an unexpected hydrangea bonanza! Bushes that I planted for almost a decade but never flowered are in full bloom. My vegetable garden is brimming with sugar peas and tender herbs. Grocery stores, in their 4th summer since the Pandemic, are again stuffed with an abundance of fresh produce at low prices! I am as busy as a bear before hibernation… My quinoa cakes seem to be the perfect plate to showcase the summer’s bounties.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups (rice cooker measuring cup) quinoa (either white or mixed in with red quinoa)

• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

• Smoked gouda (can substitute with other cheeses like cheddar, feta, or mozzarella, but smoked gouda’s taste is rich and intense), cut into small cubes or slices

• Salt and pepper

• 1 1/2 pounds eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

• 1 large Vadalia onion, half chopped, and half sliced

• 5 cloves of garlic, chopped

• 1 tsp dried oregano or a generous bunch of fresh oregano (using leaves only)

• 1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil

• 3 medium tomatoes plus a handful of cherry tomatoes or 1 cup of cherry tomatoes

• 1 red or orange pepper, chopped

• 3/4 cup water

• 1 bunch of chopped parsley leaves

• 1 bunch of chopped basil leaves

• 1/2 to 1 pound smoked mozzarella, diced

• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Wash quinoa at least three times, add into rice cooker with the amount of water required for brown rice. Add a teaspoon of salt and a dash of oil, and cook at white rice setting until done. If you prepare quinoa at stove top, I suggest making the quinoa to water ration slightly less than 1:1.5 and referred to the linked recipe above.

• Once cooked quinoa is cooled, beat in eggs and mix well.

• Put about 1/3 of quinoa in blender or food processor, and blend until you get a sticky mixture. Add back to the remaining quinoa and mix well.

• Use a round biscuit cutter (lightly oiled) to make quinoa cakes, sandwich a piece or two of smoked gouda in the middle of quinoa, press hard for a well-formed cake, taking care that the cheese hides well inside and not exposed

• Unmold finished cakes onto jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper and freeze for at lease one hour

• Pan fry quinoa cakes in generous amount of canola oil until both sides are crispy and golden brown. Cakes can be frozen and reheated (microwave first and toast).

• Ratatouille:

  • Toss eggplant with 1 teaspoon of salt and drain in a colander for 30 minutes

  • Heat olive or canola oil, and cook eggplant, onion, pepper, garlic, oregano, and 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper in the same fry pan over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes

  • Add tomatoes and water, cover and simmer for 10 minutes until eggplant is very tender, and adjust salt and pepper to taste

  • Turn off heat, mix in chopped herbs, and layer smoke mozzarella pieces on top of ratatouille until half melted.

  • Serve with quinoa cakes and enjoy!