Cajun Quinoa Cakes with Lemon-Dill-Sriracha Rémoulade
Not the fanciest picture in the world, but it was just something I snapped with Instagram while recipe testing for my NEWEST BOOK. Whaaaaaat?! That’s right! If you hadn’t heard, I’m working on a follow-up to The Sriracha Cookbook. The next little literary tome I’m beyond proud of, and beyond grateful to be able to share with you fine folks, is The Veggie-Lover’s Sriracha Cookbook, due out in July 2013.
It’s full of 50 plant-based recipes, with no gross overly processed “fake meat” crap to be found within its pages. Nay, this book is a celebration of humble vegetables, grains, fruits, rice, beans, and legumes, plus their glorious marriage with the almighty rooster sauce! All the recipes, like this one, are completely vegan, and they are all delicious if I may say so myself. (Some will have side notes on how to simply make them vegetarian, if you are inclined to include dairy and/or eggs.)
Anyway, more to come on all of that soon, but I wanted to give you an early peek at one of the recipes to get you as excited about this project as I am. This was one of the first recipes I’d tested while writing the book, so I thought it would be great to have it be the first I shared with the world. Hope you enjoy! (You will.)
(Did I mention that you can already pre-order The Veggie-Lover’s Sriracha Cookbook? Cuz you totally can. Just sayin…)
Recipe: Cajun Quinoa Cakes with Lemon-Dill-Sriracha Rémoulade
For the quinoa cakes:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups vegetable stock, or water
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
3 tablespoons water
¼ cup whole-wheat or all-purpose flour
½ medium red onion, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
½ green bell pepper, seeded and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Lemon-Dill-Sriracha Rémoulade:
½ cup vegan mayonnaise, or flax mayonnaise
¼ cup Sriracha
1 large clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh chopped dill, plus more for garnish
1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
The method behind the madness:
In a small pot set over a medium heat, combine the quinoa and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil. Cover and lower the heat immediately. Simmer until all the liquid is absorbed, and the germ protrudes from the grain like a small white spiral tail, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, fluff with a fork, and let cool to room temperature.
While the quinoa is cooling, prepare the rémoulade. In a small mixing bowl, combine the vegan mayonnaise, Sriracha, garlic, and dill. Peel the zest from ½ of the lemon and mince it finely. Add to the vegan mayonnaise mixture, along with the juice from the entire lemon. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and set aside. (This can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept in the refrigerator.)
In a small mixing bowl, stir together the flax seeds and water. Set aside, and the mixture will form a gel after several minutes. In a medium bowl, combine the flax gel with the quinoa, flour, onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic. The mixture should be moist enough to stick together, remaining slightly tacky. Feel free to adjust with water or flour until desired consistency is reached. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Form into 8 to 12 patties, about ½-inch thick. (Patties can be made a day in advance and kept in the refrigerator.)
Preheat the oven to 200°F. Heat the olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the patties, and cook, undisturbed, until nicely browned on one side, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and repeat, cooking for an additional 4 to 5 minutes.
Keep the finished quinoa cakes on a wire rack set over a baking sheet (or on a foil-lined baking sheet) in the preheated oven until all of them have been cooked. Plate the hot quinoa cakes with a generous dollop of rémoulade and additional dill for garnish. Serve immediately.
Other notes:
If you’ve no aversion to eggs: Feel free to substitute 1 large beaten egg in place of the flax and water mixture in the quinoa cakes. For the rémoulade, feel free to substitute traditional mayonnaise for the vegan mayonnaise.
Getting baked: If you’re looking to make a larger batch of these, or if you’re just trying to cut down on frying, you can also bake these bad boys! Simply arrange them in a single layer on a lightly greased baking sheet, and bake at 400°F until golden brown and heated through, about 25 minutes total, flipping once after the first 15 minutes.
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