It's a bird, it's a plane, no it's superfood quinoa! Quinoa is the Superman of food: small but packs a lot of 'power' and arguably THE plant of choice for world-wide food security. Quinoa to the rescue?!When I first learned about this super grain in 2011, I hesitantly mumble it under my breath as I attempted to pronounce it, "kwuh-NO-uh." The correct pronunciation is actually "keen-wah" and it's not even a grain at all. A true grain comes from a plant that is a member of the grass family, so although quinoa is used and cooked like many grains, it is technically not one. Botanically speaking, quinoa is a seed that comes from a species of goosefoot plants- related to spinach, beets, and chard. Being a seed, and thereby not related to wheat at all, quinoa is a gluten-free super-seed, Pseudo-cereal.
This pin-size seed is an South American treasure used by Aztec warriors for stamina and quicker recovery. Although I'm no warrior, I use it as a muscle recovery after kicking (my own) ass at the gym. It is a ‘complete’ protein because it has all nine of the essential amino acids, which our bodies can not naturally produce and therefore must come from food. It’s also full of fiber, iron, magnesium, and manganese. Read about what all that means here. Since my diet is mostly Paleo- these little seeds are a great alternative to grains (or meat if you're vegetarian), I substitute it for pasta, rice, and couscous and add to soups, smoothies, or salads for an extra protein boost. I have been wanting to try the quinoa patties recipe I've seen all over Pinterest. My foodie sister-from-another-mister, Christina, came over to help me make them. We decided to put our own spin on the recipe and added poached eggs and avocado. Skeptical that the tiny-seeds would not form into patties, we were both surprise to learn how easy it was to make them. I used a gluten-free ingredients and added a little bit of curry powder for an Asian flare. COCONUT AMINO is an amazing gluten-free soy sauce alternative. Christina formed, fried, and flipped them in the pan like a little pro' while I poached the eggs.
From my kitchen to yours, happy eating!
Curried Quinoa Patties with Poached Eggs serves: 4 or about 8 patties | prep time: 15 min | cooking time: 20 minThe goods: 3 cups cooked quinoa, at room temperature 3 large eggs, beaten1 tbsp curry powder 1 tbsp coconut amino (or any gluten-free soy sauce) 1/3 cup fresh chive, minced 1/2 onion, finely chopped4 cloves garlic, minced1/2 cup flour (I used gluten-free all purpose)oil, for frying patties (I used ghee)greens to serve over like arugula or spinach poached eggs (one for each patty)salt and pepper, to tastechives to garnish DO THIS:
1. First cook the quinoa & let the quinoa cool before proceeding.
PREPARATION FOR QUINOA: Make sure you rinse your quinoa first! Just use one cup of quinoa to two cups water. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the grains have become translucent and appear to have “sprouted” (aka they get a little white tail).
NOTE: If you have a rice cooker, just cook it as you would with rice.
2. Brown the onion and garlic in a non-stick skillet. In a large bowl, add quinoa, chives, 3 eggs, salt, pepper, coconut amino, curry powder, and the onion and garlic you just browned. Mix in flour until combined. Form patties. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook patties for about 5 minutes per side or until brown. Do in different batches depending on how big your skillet is.
4. Poach Eggs: Bring water to an ALMOST boiling point in a shallow pan, add white vinegar (it helps the egg whites to congeal). Crack the egg in a small cup. Place the lid to a mason jar in the water. Slowly slip the egg into the ring and let it settle.Turn off the heat, cover for 3-4 minutes. Remove egg with slotted spatula and set it on paper towel to dry before putting it on the quinoa patty.
A Note from Christina: " I love to cook - but when I get to cook and hang out with my best friend, it's that much better! I had so much fun spending the day at Sabrina's: grocery shopping, cooking and styling the food. Both of us being foodies and perfectionists, we were totally in our element. Who would have thought we would enjoy these things; must mean we are getting old! I can't wait to work on the next blog together... Who knows what we will come up with next. Stay tuned!"
Instagram: @christinatrinh
