Quinoa Patties

• After washing your quinoa very well in a fine sieve to remove the bitter saponins, cook your quinoa (instructions here). If you have time to soak the quinoa in water with a splash of apple cider vinegar (for up to 12 hours) this will improve its digestibility.

  Once cooked set aside to cool.
• In a food processor or powerful blender, grate your cheese and chop your garlic and spring onion. Set aside in a large mixing bowl.
• Now process your bread (works well from frozen) to a crumb.  Add to the cheese mix.
• Without rinsing your bowl, process you eggs and greens until the greens are a chopped up as necessary. I like them a little in tact, but for veggie phobic kids, you may like to process them to a liquid.
• Now mix all the ingredients together until well combined and season well.
• In a large frypan, add a good couple of tablespoons of coconut oil or butter (or a mix of both).
• Heat over a moderate heat and drop a good heaped tablespoon of the quinoa mixture into the oil. This recipe should make approx. 15-16 patties.
• Press down a little with the back of a spatula.
• Cook until the edges start to brown. Carefully turn and brown the other side.
• Eat immediately or allow to cool and store in the fridge.

Thermomix method

• Soak the quinoa overnight, drain and rinse. If no time to soak, rinse several times, rubbing it so the bitter saponins are washed away. Cook in the basket with 700ml of water, Varoma temp, speed 4, 12minutes if soaked, 15minutes if just rinsed or until the little white tail on the seed appears.
• Set aside to cool and dry your TMX bowl.
• Process you cheese, garlic, and onion, 10 seconds, speed 4. Set aside.
• Make your breadcrumbs by processing frozen bread (broken into pieces), 10 seconds, speed 6. Set aside.
• Chop the leafy greens, 5 sec, speed 4. Add the eggs and process 5 seconds speed 4.
• Add back the cooked quinoa, breadcrumbs and cheese/onion mix. Season and mix on reverse, 10 seconds, speed 3 (you may need to scrape the sides).
• In a large frypan, add a couple of tablespoons of coconut oil or butter (or a mix of both).
• Heat over a moderate heat and drop a good heaped tablespoon of the quinoa mixture into the oil.
• Press down a little with the back of a spatula.
• Cook until the edges start to brown. Carefully turn and brown the other side.
• Eat immediately or allow to cool and store in the fridge.

Serve

• With avocado salsa (pictured) or guacamole
• With pesto or hummus
• With salad
• With grilled meat or fish and salad for a larger meal

Make-ahead

• They can be eaten cold or re-heated in the oven or a sandwich press.

Store

• Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
• Can also be frozen.
• My kids love these in their school lunchbox.