Last week I spotted beautiful bundles of mustard greens from a local farm, Wellington’s, at my co-op and immediately wanted to make these crispy quinoa cakes, a widely adored Heidi Swanson recipe. In sum, you blitz mustard greens in the food processor and mix them with cooked quinoa, toasted cumin seeds, and raw onion; then you shape the mix into patties and fry or bake them. In place of mustard greens, you can use chard, kale, broccoli rabe, etc. — this recipe is endlessly adaptable. I like serving them with naan and tahini sauce. The cooked patties are so nice to have on hand—I find myself snacking on them all day—and the “batter” can be prepared ahead of time, stored in the fridge, and baked or fried as needed.
5 from 1 review Notes:
Use: any variety of quinoa and any number of greens: kale, broccoli rabe, Swiss chard, etc. To bake instead of fry: preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, a Silpat, or grease it lightly with oil. Place as many ball as you wish to bake on the prepared pan. Flatten gently with your hand to form a patty. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until lightly golden and cooked through. Make ahead: The fried patties store well in the fridge for up to 3 days. The un-cooked mixture can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge for days. It’s best not to form the patties ahead of time, however, because the juices from the greens begin to seep out.
