Our Veggie Kitchen

I've been working on these for a while now. I made zucchini cakes earlier this summer and, on a whim, decided to add some quinoa. They tasted great, but the patty squished out the back of the bun with every bite. I've been playing with consistency and cook times and arrived on this fairly simple version. This is a great weeknight meal, because you can make the dough a day ahead of time and just form the patties and pop them in the oven after work. They freeze and reheat well too.

These patties had an unexpectedly meaty tooth. I intended to make zucchini cakes that were not meat and didn't try to be meat. I rather enjoyed the texture. I'm making some sausage tomorrow and I think I'll try some quinoa in a batch of Italian Sausage.

Anyway, here it is:



Zucchini Cakes
3 medium zucchini, grated
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/3 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup water
2 tbs Earth Balance Margarine
1/4 cups shallot, minced
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning (a little more if you like)
Vegetable oil for baking sheet.

Shred zucchini into a colander and sprinkle salt over the shreds. Allow to drain for 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and put into cheese cloth. Twist and squeeze to remove any remaining moisture.

While the zucchini drains, rinse quinoa. Bring 1 cup of water and quinoa to a boil. Simmer, uncovered until the water has been absorbed. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until cool. When zucchini and quinoa are ready, combine all ingredients, stir thoroughly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight.

Pour just enough oil to coat a cookie sheet and put in oven while it preheats to 425°. Fashion zucchini mixture into six patties. Place patties onto cookie sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, turning once.