Quinoa Cakes with Poached Eggs

 

Superfoods.  Do they really exist?  I mean, honestly, is there ever NOT a new trendy product out there that is recently discovered as the new “It Girl” of the food industry?  There is always something out there that is deemed the “latest, the greatest, the best for…..(insert medical issue, environmental issue, weight loss, etc).

Enter quinoa.  I’m sure you have heard of it.  And, if you haven’t yet, then you will.  It’s an almost-grain cereal-like seed (have I confused you yet?) that has been around for ages-even the ancient Incas considered it “like gold”.  And it’s a superfood. Why?  Because of it’s incredible bounty of nutrients and minerals:  manganese, magnesium, iron (yay! for the strict vegetarians and vegans…), and copper-just to name a few.  It’s also incredibly high in protein; it’s actually a complete protein, meaning that all nine essential amino acids are present in these tiny, nutty little bits of tastiness. So, if you ARE a vegan or vegetarian, a little bit of quinoa can do a whole lot of proteinaceous good for you.

In my opinion, the best part of quinoa is its versatility in preparation.  True, on its own, it’s (to me) like brown rice…add a little soy sauce, butter or seasonings, and you have a great side dish on your hands. Or, you could also mix it with some black beans, corn, and tomatoes for a Southwestern themed cold salad.  Better yet, why not make it into little patties to put some poached eggs on for breakfast?

I haven’t had meat now in a very long time, but, for whatever reason, when I ate these quinoa patties with poached eggs, my taste buds suddenly remembered what bacon tasted like.  Sounds weird, I know, but these earthy, savory patties had a little bit of that bacon-y taste to me.  They were like hash browns without the grease, with more flavor and nutrients, and less of a carb crash afterwards.  They also keep really well in the fridge (or even frozen!) if you want to make a large batch to store for later use.  I made a batch of six and ate them for dinner the following week alone or with eggs.

Seriously.  Quinoa patties? I never would have thought I might like them.  I love being proved wrong…by myself. 🙂

Quinoa Patties with Poached Eggs

Servings: 6 patties

 

Ingredients

2 cups cooked quinoa. at room temperature

2 large eggs, beaten

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup fresh chives, chopped finely, plus more for garnish

2 large shallots, finely chopped

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup whole wheat or whole grain bread crumbs, plus more if needed

Olive oil, for frying the patties (I used about 1-2 tablespoons total)

6 eggs, poached (one for each patty)

Parmesan cheese, thinly sliced, if desired

Instructions

1.  In a medium bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, beaten eggs, salt, chives, shallot, Parmesan, and garlic, mixing well with a spatula.

2. Add the bread crumbs to the mixture and stir to mix completely.

3.  Gently form six individual patties with the quinoa mixture, adding more bread crumbs if necessary.  I made mine about 3-inches in diameter-feel free to make yours any size you want.

4. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat until shimmering.

5.  Add the patties (I cooked them 3 at a time due to the size of my pan), cover, and cook, about 5 minutes or so, until lightly browned on one side.

6. Uncover the patties, and flip (VERY gently) with a spatula, cooking uncovered on the opposite side for another 5 minutes or so, or until each side is browned.

7.  Top each patty with some sliced Parmesan cheese and a poached egg.  Garnish with sea salt, pepper, and chives.  Serve immediately.

 

Source:  Adapted from Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson.

 

 

July 16, 2011 - 6:25 am

Aly H. - Mmmm sounds delicious! Do you think cooked bulgur could be used in lieu of the quinoa?

July 16, 2011 - 8:02 am

srlacy - Hey Aly-

My guess is that you can use anything that will bind together in patty form. Let me know how they turn out-sounds delicious!

July 16, 2011 - 8:21 am

Julia - I just bought quinoa, yesterday, and will be using them for THIS burger. SOOO pumped to try it!

July 16, 2011 - 8:22 am

srlacy - Yay! I love it when things like that happen…Let me know how they turn out for you, Julia!

July 16, 2011 - 12:50 pm

DessertForTwo - Heidi’s quinoa patties have got me addicted too! I’ve been sliding them on top of salads mainly, but I never thought of having them for breakfast! Thanks 🙂

July 16, 2011 - 2:25 pm

miri leigh - Wonderful inviting recipe. Thank you!

July 16, 2011 - 3:17 pm

Natalie - I love quinoa in salads but I’ve never tried to make patties with it. I’m intrigued about the bacon flavour, and anything with a poached egg on top has to be good!!

July 16, 2011 - 7:02 pm

Claire - Too funny, I made these two days ago with poached eggs. Yum!!

July 16, 2011 - 7:27 pm

Annie - I want this right now, and we just ate dinner. I haven’t tried a poached egg yet but they always look so incredible when you post them. I think you pushed me over the edge.

July 17, 2011 - 7:53 am

Lauren at Keep It Sweet - Those quinoa cakes sound delicious, such a good idea to top them with an egg!

July 17, 2011 - 10:24 am

Alissa @ Just Eat Love - Yumm this looks really delicious. I am loving quinoa at the moment 🙂

July 18, 2011 - 1:22 pm

Nicole@HeatOvenTo350 - Well, you had me at quinoa, but the patty part sealed the deal. Superfood or not, I love the taste and texture of quinoa, and I love new ways to make it. Thanks for the inspiration!

July 21, 2011 - 1:32 am

Kelsey - This looks so beyond delicious, especially with the egg yolk running down the side. I can’t wait to try this!

July 22, 2011 - 7:50 pm

Koko @ KokoLikes - Wow, what a gorgeous photo- I would find it hard to find anyone who didn’t want to eat this healthy treat after seeing this photo. Just beautiful.

July 31, 2011 - 7:02 pm

Quinoa Cakes with Poached Eggs | Jambalaya - […] Cakes with Poached Eggs Adapted from The Curvy Carrot Servings: 3 […]

August 7, 2011 - 3:09 pm

Peachie - I never knew one could have quinoa in patty form so thanks for sharing! the poach egg looks perfect!

September 1, 2011 - 9:41 am

Delicious Dish: Quinoa Cakes | More Than Mary - […] Quinoa Patties with Poached Eggs […]

November 28, 2011 - 7:08 pm

Recipe: Quinoa Cakes with Poached Egges « Core Conditioning - […] found this recipe on “The Curvy Carrot” blog and tested it out.  It was great.  I think you could even substitute one of the […]

November 29, 2011 - 12:03 am

Ruth - Super food or not, that looks absolutely delicious! Looks good, tastes good, and it’s good for you. Looks like win-win to me 🙂

December 5, 2011 - 5:31 am

Quinoa Cakes with Poached Eggs » Annie's Eats - […] Source: Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson via The Curvy Carrot […]

December 13, 2011 - 9:39 pm

Quinoa Cakes with Poached Eggs | Annie's Eats - […] Source: Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson via The Curvy Carrot […]

December 27, 2011 - 5:31 pm

10 New Year’s Food Resolutions for 2012 | The Cream Blog - […] Whole grains continue to gain ground on the supermarket shelves and there’s good reason for it.  Whole grains are a great sort of antioxidents, fiber, iron, and vitamins and can help reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and strokes.  While there are two categories; quick and slow-cooking, we prefer the quick cooking grains (less than 30 minutes) like quinoa, polenta, buckwheat, and bulgur.  Each grain has its own unique flavor and uses but all of them make flavorful (and healthy!) accompaniments to mains.  The Stone Soup featured Quinoa in a post this year including a recipe for a delicious Warm Salad of Roast Cauliflower & Quinoa and we fell in love with The Curvy Carrot’s recipe for Quinoa Cakes with Poached Eggs. […]

January 24, 2012 - 5:01 am

The Curvy Carrot » Cheese and Vegetable Quinoa Bites - […] already talked about the health benefits of quinoa from one of my favorite blog posts of all time (check it out!), so I don’t need to repeat myself there.  But if you’ve got a box or bag of quinoa on […]

January 28, 2012 - 5:26 am

Spiders - equipped for long stays. among the facilities…

on which account the alfonso highlight: solarium, swimming pools overlooking the center of zaragoza, rooms for meetings and corporate events and parking for the convenience of our guests.and this one is located in cadiz:hotel playa victoria ****the pla…

April 2, 2012 - 8:26 pm

Shiloh Barkley - amazing! GREAT recipe!

April 21, 2012 - 11:38 am

Rachele - This is delicious! Perfect balance of favors and a great start to my day. Thank you!!!

April 26, 2012 - 8:17 am

Pat - This would be a perfect GF recipe if Gluten Free bread crumbs were used. Delightful recipe. Lovely photos.

May 16, 2012 - 2:35 am

Staci @ ClickandCookRecipes - Loving quinoa right now and topping with a poached egg is just perfect. thanks for sharing the recipe! can’t wait to make this!

June 27, 2012 - 9:15 am

Keen Whaaaaa? – Mother of all Grains | Didi's Food Adventure - […] recipe for the quinoa salad pictured above is coming soon, but in the meantime here’s a tasty little breakfast idea using quinoa. Related Posts :Minestrone, Quinoa & 10 VegThe Adventure Begins!Baked Beans with […]

August 24, 2012 - 12:36 am

Keen whaaaaa? - mother of all grains | Didi's Food AdventuresDidi's Food Adventures - […] recipe for the quinoa salad pictured above is coming soon, but in the meantime here’s a tasty little breakfast idea using quinoa. Related Posts :Minestrone, Quinoa & 10 VegBrussel sprouts just got moreishThe […]

November 19, 2012 - 4:10 pm

Christina Kenny - I JUST made these. I saw this article today and had to try it out as soon as possible. Amazing!! Just what I needed. They were crispy on the outside, full with flavor, and I shall test them on my boyfriend when he comes from Kosovo. That’s saying something because they have the best food I have ever had! Thank you for posting this delicious recipe! 😀

December 20, 2012 - 8:19 am

7 Alternative Proteins for Meatless Mondays — And How to Use Them | Greatist - […] Go-to Recipes: Quinoa with Broccoli Avocado Pesto, Quinoa Vegetable Soup, Warm and Nutty Cinnamon Quinoa, Quinoa Vegetable Paella, Quinoa Cakes with Poached Eggs […]

March 27, 2013 - 6:32 pm

andrea - i made these this weekensd. inserved the cales with quarters of hard boiled eggs and asparagus with a chive-lemon yogurt sauce. is was yummy! i made them GF so i used a little mashed up baked potato in place of the crumbs. it worked great. i made more tonight with the left over quinoa and coated them in panko before frying. even my 10 year old said yumo. thanks for the recipe.

May 12, 2013 - 2:12 pm

Quinoa Patties with Poached Eggs - […] For recipe visit:    thecurvycarrot.com […]

July 18, 2013 - 5:01 am

Black Bean and Quinoa Soft Tacos » The Curvy Carrot - […] it’s nutritional capacity: the little powerhouse of protein that it is.  You can make cute little patties, cute little bites, breakfast, muffins, or even just a salad.  I get it.  It’s versatile. […]

December 9, 2013 - 3:09 pm

7 PROTEINS FOR MEATLESS MONDAYS (AND HOW TO USE THEM) | HealthFit Magazine - […] Go-to Recipes: Quinoa with Broccoli Avocado Pesto, Quinoa Vegetable Soup,Warm and Nutty Cinnamon Quinoa, Quinoa Vegetable Paella, Quinoa Cakes with Poached Eggs […]

February 21, 2014 - 3:08 pm

Seeking Sanity | The Falco Project - […] triple batch of my favorite Quinoa Cakes. I make them with gluten free breadcrumbs and, while I’ve had them with the recommended […]

March 29, 2014 - 12:35 pm

Kristin - I am so excited to make these !!!!! I will need to substitute the bread crumbs though. Any suggestions ? Ground up oats maybe or almond flour ? I will have to experiment 🙂

March 29, 2014 - 1:14 pm

srlacy - Hi Kristin-
I love using panko when substituting for bread crumbs. I’m not too sure about the other options you listed, as I haven’t had much experience playing with them. I would think that the ground oats would probably work, too.

April 3, 2014 - 5:00 am

Cheesy Polenta with Caramelized Onion, Mushroom, Kale, and Egg » The Curvy Carrot - […] be honest here:  I put poached eggs on pretty much anything (like this or this or this).  I’m not going to lie.  They are quick, relatively simple to make and […]

January 8, 2015 - 5:00 pm

Margaret - Do you have nutritional information for this?