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.

Blue Cheese, Walnut & Quinoa Chopped Salad

You know when you go through eating phases? Where you seem to eat a derivative of the same ingredients over and over for a while til you somehow switch to something new?

For example, I recently had a chicken phase. I had to eat chicken everyday. My favorite was a whole roasted chicken. I would eat the wings, my husband would eat the legs, and then we would use the breast meat in sandwiches, salads, and pastas. And when we were almost out of chicken (usually within a couple of days), I would get chicken anxiety, and I would run to the store and buy more chicken. Perhaps chicken legs or chicken breasts, but it had to be chicken. Nothing else was acceptable.

Now, I am in a salad phase. But not just any salad. Nope, that would be far to easy. It's got to be a salad with blue cheese and walnuts. Somehow, the richness of the cheese and the crunch of walnuts has made salads irresistible. And even though my pantry and fridge are stocked with tons of great ingredients, I have to run to the store to buy more stuff to make some kind of blue cheese and walnut salad. Go figure.

Chicken Stew with Acorn Squash & Quinoa

So, I went a little quinoa crazy last month and bought a couple of huge bags of organic quinoa because they were such a great deal. What I failed to consider is what I was going to do with all of this quinoa.  I already felt that I had exhausted all quinoa salad possibilities (okay, don't get me wrong... I love quinoa salad like this one with chicken and apple, but, well, you can't eat it everyday) and was just getting sick of the same old quinoa preparations.

So then I made these Sundried Tomato and Olive Quinoa Cakes which I have to admit, renewed my interest in the whole quinoa thing. However, it still didn't help in reducing my massive pantry stash of quinoa.  I had to keep looking.

Then, I came across a recipe by the Cookin Canuck. Hmm.... a stew with quinoa? Had to be worth a shot. So, I modified the recipe a little according to what I had around, and made an acorn squash, chicken, quinoa stew. And it was surprisingly fantastic! I kinda thought that the quinoa would turn to mush, but it really manages to hold it form and texture. And the olives gave a great saltiness to each bite. Really, it was phenomenal. And another quinoa recipe to add to my repertoire.

Chicken Stew with Acorn Squash & Quinoa

Adapted from recipe from www.cookincanuck.com

Serves 6

1 Acorn Squash, peeled, seeded & chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

3 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2 tsp kosher salt

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 can (14 oz) petite diced tomatoes

2/3 uncooked quinoa

3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, oregano and squash and sautee for a few minutes. Add about 1/4 cup of water, cover, and let steam for about 5-8 minutes, until squash just starts to soften.

Add chicken and broth. Cover and let simmer for another 8-10 minutes.

Stir in the tomatos and quinoa. Cover and cook for another 15 minutes.

Pull out the chicken, remove the bones, and shred.

Stir the chicken, olives and pepper into the stew and simmer, uncovered, to heat, about 5 minutes.

Sundried Tomato and Olive Quinoa Cakes

I have definitely been on a quinoa kick lately. I absolutely love the stuff. It's easy to make, has a great nutty texture, and is really good for you.

However, this quinoa kick has put me in a little bit of a rut. I find myself making the same things with quinoa. I cook it, then mix it with veggies and turn it into a salad of sorts like my Summer Quinoa Salad with Chicken & Apple.

I mean, don't get me wrong. These one meal wonders with quinoa are delicious. But I felt the need to break out of this quinoa rut and try something different.

For starters, I figured I should make something warm. Like a warm quinoa side dish. But of course, I got caught up in adding stuff to the quinoa, and before I knew it, it was another room tempurature salad of sorts. Again.

So, this time, to break out of the mold, I decided to use the quinoa as a basis for pan fried cakes. I added sundried tomatoes, olives, onions and zucchini for flavor; I added eggs to bind everything, and pan fried them. Then, for a final burst of flavour, I mixed up a little garlic mayo.

I served these cakes with some pan seared wild coho salmon and a little salad and it was a fantastic dinner! The perfect dish to make quinoa interesting again!

Sundried Tomato and Olive Quinoa Cakes

Makes 8 cakes

2 Large Eggs

1/3 cup Onions, finely chopped

1/3 cup Sundried Tomatoes, finely chopped

1/3 cup Olives, finely chopped (whatever kind you like)

1/2 cup Zucchini, finely diced

2 cups Cooked Quinoa, room temperature

2 tbsp Whole Wheat Flour

Salt and Pepper

Olive Oil canola oil for pan

Garlic Mayo

1 clove Garlic, minced

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

2 tbsp Grainy Mustard

Salt and Pepper

In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the onions, sundried tomatoes, olives and zucchini. Then add the quinoa and flour. Mix until incorporated. Let rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.

In the meantime, combine all ingredients for the garlic mayo in a bowl. Mix and set aside.

Heat some oil in a large pan over medium heat. Form the quinoa mixture into balls and place in the preheated pan, pressing down to form patties. Cook until browned on both sides (about 5 minutes per side).

Serve warm with the garlic mayo.

Summer Quinoa Salad with Chicken & Apple

Nothing says summer like barbeques, picnics on the beach, and tasty, light summer food.

This salad is great because it is both a fresh and light accompaniment to any meal, or a healthy summer lunch or dinner! I love quinoa, but you could use couscous, bulgar, rice or even pasta in this recipe, and it would be fantastic.

I like to make this salad one evening for dinner, and keep the leftovers for lunch the next day! The perfect tasty timesaver!

Summer Quinoa Salad with Chicken & Apple

Serves 4

1 1/2 cups Quinoa

3 cups Water

4 Chicken Thighs, boneless and skinless

Juice and Zest of 1 Lemon

1 Large Apple, peel on, diced small (I used a Fuji apple but you can use whatever you have)

2/3 cup Yogurt

1/2 Red Onion, diced small

1 Zuchinni, peel on, diced small

1 can Black Beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup Raisins

1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped

Salt and Pepper

Place the quinoa and the water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 12 minutes until the water is soaked up. Remove from heat and let sit for another 10 minutes or so. Fluff with a fork.

Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Place in a pan over medium heat with a drizzle of oil and cook for about 4 minutes on both sides until cooked through. Let cool then shred with your hands.

In a large bowl, mix together lemon juice and zest and chopped apple. Stir in the yogurt. Add the onions, zuchinni, black beans, raisins and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper.