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Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

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Quinoa Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Pesto, Goat Cheese and a Poached Egg

[heart_this] · Jan 11, 2012 · 33 Comments

Quinoa Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Pesto, Goat Cheese and a Poached Egg

Quinoa cakes served topped with roasted red pepper and toasted walnut pesto, goat cheese and a poached egg.

I have been a huge fan of quinoa ever since I first came across it and I am always looking for new ways to enjoy it. I recently came across the idea of quinoa cakes on Annie’s Eats and I immediately knew that I would have to try them! Quinoa cakes are essentially fritters where the ‘batter’ is made from cooked quinoa along with some eggs and flour to bind it and the batter is formed into patties and fried in oil until nice and golden brown and light and crispy on the outside. Although you could add pretty much any flavours that you want to your quinoa cakes I wanted to keep my first quinoa cakes nice and simple and I just added the standard onions, garlic and cheese to the basic batter.

Quinoa Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Pesto, Goat Cheese and a Poached Egg
Annie served her quinoa cakes topped with a poached egg and I have to admit that topping something with a poached egg is one of my favourite way of doing breakfast so I was sold on the idea! Since my quinoa caked themselves were not going to be packed with flavour I decided to add some to the dish in the form of a roasted red pepper and toasted walnut pesto since I have a freezer full of frozen roasted peppers that want to be used. I could not resist adding a bit more cheese to the mix and since a creamy and tangy goat cheese goes perfectly with a sweet roasted red pepper pesto, it was the natural choice. (Tip: Make sure that you place the poached egg on top while still hot and the goat cheese will start to melt and get really dreamy!)
The quinoa cakes turned out really well and they held together much better than I expected! They were crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside with an amazing texture. I could easily eat them as if they were ‘chips’ with something to dip them into! The roasted red pepper pesto and goat cheese quinoa cakes with poached eggs were simply amazing! It was a real treat to start the day with a breakfast like this! Now that my first quinoa cakes are under my belt, I am just itching to make some more and my head it just full of ideas for different flavours! Spankopita, spinach and feta, quinoa cakes anyone?

Quinoa Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Pesto, Goat Cheese and a Poached Egg
Quinoa Cakes
Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Pesto

Quinoa Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Pesto, Goat Cheese and a Poached Egg

Quinoa Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Pesto, Goat Cheese and a Poached Egg

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 15 minutes Servings: 4

Quinoa cakes served topped with roasted red pepper and toasted walnut pesto, goat cheese and a poached egg.

ingredients
  • baby spinach leaves to taste
  • 1 batch quinoa cakes – see below
  • 1 batch roasted red pepper an toasted walnut pesto – see below
  • 4 ounces goat cheese, sliced
  • 4 eggs
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • chives to taste, sliced
directions
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and reduce the heat to medium.
  2. Crack an egg into a bowl, swirl the water in the pot and pour the egg from the bowl into the water and repeat for another egg.
  3. Let the eggs cook until the whites are set but the yolks are not, about 2-3 minutes and fish them out.
  4. Repeat for the remaining 2 eggs.
  5. Place the spinach leaves down 4 plates, top with quinoa cakes, roasted red pepper pesto, goat cheese and the poached eggs, season with salt and pepper and garnish with chives.
Quinoa Cakes

Quinoa Cakes

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes Servings: 6

Quinoa used to make cakes or fritters that are fried until golden brown and crispy on the outside.

ingredients
  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 1/2 cups water (or broth)
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup onion, finely diced
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1/4 cup flour (gluten-free for gluten-free)
  • 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan cheese), grated
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • oil for frying
directions
  1. Simmer the quinoa in the water until the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes, turn off the heat, and let it sit, covered for 5 minutes.
  2. Mix the cooled quinoa with the eggs, onion, garlic, flour, parmesan, salt and pepper, adding more flour if required.
  3. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.
  4. Spoon the mixture into the pan, form patties of any size that you desire and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2-4 minutes per side, before setting aside on paper towels to drain.
Nutrition Facts: Calories 252, Fat 13g (Saturated 2g, Trans 0), Cholesterol 57mg, Sodium 110mg, Carbs 23g (Fiber 2g, Sugars 0.3g), Protein 8g

Nutrition by: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Pesto

Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Pesto

Prep Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 5 minutes Servings: 16(~1 cup or 16 1 tablespoon servings)

A roasted red pepper pesto with toasted walnuts and basil.

ingredients
  • 2 roasted red peppers
  • 1 handful basil leaves
  • 1 clove garlic,
  • 2 tablespoons walnuts, toasted
  • 2 tablespoons parmigiano reggiano (parmesan cheese), grated
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
directions
  1. Puree everything in a food processor.
Nutrition Facts: Calories 35, Fat 3g (Saturated 0.6g, Trans 0), Cholesterol 0.8mg, Sodium 16mg, Carbs 0.8g (Fiber 0.1g, Sugars 0.4g), Protein 0.6g

Nutrition by: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
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Breakfast, Food, Fritter, Low-carb, Quinoa, Recipe, Vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sarah Mac says

    January 11, 2012 at 1:44 am

    You'll have to try buffalo chicken quinoa cakes and kimchi quinoa cakes. 🙂

    And what about a quinoa grilled cheese?

    Love your blog. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    January 11, 2012 at 3:04 am

    Mmm so yummy looking! Love it!

    Reply
  3. Mandee says

    January 11, 2012 at 4:22 am

    that looks good, I might try a quinoa cake in place of the biscuit for eggs benedict!

    Reply
  4. Restaurant Brugge says

    January 11, 2012 at 6:03 am

    great post thanks

    Reply
  5. Rosa's Yummy Yums says

    January 11, 2012 at 6:45 am

    Scrumptious and so healthy! A wonderful combination.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  6. foodess says

    January 11, 2012 at 6:59 am

    Yummy, the quinoa cakes look delicious! Golden and crisp.

    Reply
  7. Joanne says

    January 11, 2012 at 11:20 am

    That title may be a mouthful, but so will be my forkful when I make these! Sounds A.MA.Zing.

    Reply
  8. Jessica says

    January 11, 2012 at 11:24 am

    These looks great! Love the idea of using pesto, and a poached egg just makes everything right!

    Reply
  9. Jenny @ Savour the Senses says

    January 11, 2012 at 12:26 pm

    Ah love this idea! Especially the poached egg and goat cheese additions! Added to the list to try.

    Reply
  10. gwl says

    January 11, 2012 at 3:21 pm

    Yummy.

    giftwithlove.com

    Reply
  11. Margaret says

    January 11, 2012 at 4:54 pm

    oh yum ! Wish I saw talented enough to make it <3

    Reply
  12. Bee (Quarter Life Crisis Cuisine) says

    January 11, 2012 at 5:55 pm

    I'm skeptical about quiona still, BUT the roasted red pepper pesto sounds FANTASTIC!

    Reply
  13. Rocky Mountain Woman says

    January 11, 2012 at 9:14 pm

    lovely!

    Pretty much all of my favorite flavors in one dish!

    Reply
  14. Cookin' Canuck says

    January 11, 2012 at 9:30 pm

    Quinoa is one of my favorite ingredients, but I must say you have taken it to a whole new level with that beautiful poached egg and savory pesto.

    Reply
  15. Baltic Maid says

    January 12, 2012 at 2:33 am

    This looks really tasty and healthy, too. I love it!

    Reply
  16. Deborah Dowd says

    January 13, 2012 at 1:21 pm

    I love quinoa and with the poched egg this would be a great meatless meal!

    Reply
  17. giz says

    January 14, 2012 at 12:46 am

    My experience with quinoa hasn't been this sophisticated but wowza, this must be delicious.

    Reply
  18. sarahsic says

    January 14, 2012 at 12:03 pm

    My husband made this last night – it was fantastic! The only adaption he made was to fry the eggs over easy. Thanks for another great recipe!

    Reply
  19. Chef Fresco says

    January 16, 2012 at 3:06 am

    Quinoa cakes?! Yum! This looks amazing.

    Reply
  20. Jamie says

    January 16, 2012 at 11:34 am

    I have been tempted more and more by quinoa from so many recipes posted on food blogs. Yours looks so fabulous – roasted red pepper-walnut pesto and goat cheese must add amazing flavor to a meal healthy and complete. Another perfect dish, Kevin!

    Reply
  21. Joquena says

    January 17, 2012 at 7:12 pm

    I've been wanting to use some non wheat/corn grains more. I'll have to try this it looks SUPER YUMMY. If I love it as much as I think I will I'll have to add Quinoa to my garden this year 🙂

    Reply
  22. Sami says

    January 18, 2012 at 4:07 pm

    FYI, it's not 'chinese' new year. It's Lunar new year.

    Reply
  23. Montserrat Migoya says

    January 21, 2012 at 8:23 pm

    Hola Kevin, tienes un blog muy bonito, y unas recetas muy interesantes, seguro podré coger alguna idea para mi blog.

    http://www.http//buenoparacomer.blogspot.com

    http://www.http//migoyacomedores

    Reply
  24. Rowena says

    January 30, 2012 at 10:03 pm

    Would buckwheat flour be suitable? And do you think skipping the Parmesan would would trying to candida diet friendify this?

    Reply
  25. Kevin says

    January 30, 2012 at 10:30 pm

    Rowena: The buckwheat flour will work.

    Reply
  26. Anonymous says

    March 29, 2012 at 6:20 am

    When I was a vegetarian [years back] I used to try to fit quinoa into my diet as often as I could for it's protein benfits, but I got so bored of it, not knowing how to spice it up. You have made me LOVE quinoa again and I can't thank you enough!

    I've made these fritters twice now and not only are they easy to make, but they're deliciously addictive!

    Reply
  27. Anonymous says

    April 1, 2012 at 8:13 pm

    Making the cakes today but adding Basil to them.

    Steph

    Reply
  28. Anonymous says

    June 20, 2012 at 2:50 pm

    Made your recipe last night and it turned out fantastic. Will definitely have to make these for company! Thanks for sharing

    Reply
  29. Michael says

    July 5, 2012 at 11:43 am

    Has anyone ever made these ahead of time? What's the best way to reheat?

    Reply
  30. Kevin says

    July 7, 2012 at 4:37 pm

    Michael: Yes you could make these ahead of time and reheat them in the oven or in the mircowave.

    Reply
  31. Anonymous says

    August 24, 2012 at 9:02 pm

    Hi, is there anyway that these fritters could be modified to be baked instead of fried?

    Reply
  32. Kevin says

    August 26, 2012 at 12:34 am

    Anonymous: Yes bake then on a lightly greased baking pan in a preheat 425F oven until golden brown and crispy, about 15-20 minutes, flipping one in the middle.

    Reply
  33. multikulinaria says

    October 18, 2012 at 7:57 am

    These look great. I fell for quinoa cakes when I first discovered any at sevenspoons (recipe from Heidi Swanson). Since then I reprouce them regualarly. They are great to be eaten cold as well or taken to picknick. [http://www.multikulinarisch.es/567-quinoa-patties.html]

    Reply

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