Quinoa Zucchini Cakes with Sriracha Aioli

Yesterday, we pulled out all of our zucchini plants and turned over the beds. Sigh... as the weather cools down, it seems to be the end of the growing season for me. I can't really complain though. As a first time gardener this year, I was very fortunate to get a huge crop of veggies throughout the season. Some of the veggies were more successful than others, but overall, it was definitely worth the hard work.

So, as I turned over a majority of our beds last night in preparation for perhaps a little bit of fall/winter gardening but mostly to prep for spring, I reflected on what the growing season looked like for us and all the great recipes that came out of it.

Fortunately, before calling it a season, I was able to get a few more zucchini out of the plants and thus able to make one more great garden fresh meal.


What did I do with these final zucchini? I decided to make some zucchini cakes. I have made other variations of zucchini cakes before, but this time, I wanted to incorporate some quinoa as well and served them with a sriracha aioli which was tangy sweet and spicy. They turned out really well and would actually be really good as a side dish or even an appetizer. We ate them as a meal with salad and roasted veggies and they were to die for!

Quinoa Zucchini Cakes with Sriracha Aioli
Makes about 15-18 cakes

3 1/2 cups Cooked Quinoa, room temp
2 cups Zucchini, grated
1 1/2 cups Cheese, grated 
(I've used both mozzarella and cheddar, but you could use whatever cheese you have around)
1/3 cup Flour
1/2 cup Green Onions, thinly sliced

2 Eggs, beaten

Salt and Pepper

Olive Oil or non-stick spray for cooking

Sriracha Aioli

1/2 cup Mayonnaise
2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup Sriracha
Salt and Pepper

Place all the ingredients for the cakes in a bowl and mix lightly until combined. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Heat a fry pan over medium-high heat and drizzle with olive oil or non stick spray. Drop by large spoonful in the warmed pan (like you are making pancakes) and flatten lightly with the back of the spoon. Cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side until nicely browned. Once cooked, place on a paper towel lined plate and continue until all cakes are cooked.

To make the aioli, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.