Keen for Quinoa

I've been reading about the mighty grain Quinoa (pronounced: KEEN-wah) for quite some time now.  It keeps popping up in recipes and articles being heralded as an excellent source of protein, fiber, and iron. I only first sampled it a few months ago at a delicious little hippie-healthy-organic restaurant, Siggy's, in Brooklyn Heights. The closest thing I can compare the cooked grain to is a bulgur or a brown rice.  The quinoa grains are round and smooth though, and almost a little chewy. Ever since that first encounter, I've been thinking I need to get my hands on some of this stuff to try cooking it myself.

My initial impression of the cooked grain was that it sticks together more than say, couscous or rice, and so it would be good for making a cake or patty. The natural progression of this thought was, "Why not try to make a falafel type patty?"  (It is no secret that the Charm School Graduate is a Falafel Fanatic.) So, with a mission to create a healthier (not fried) version of this middle eastern goodness, I began researching various falafel flavors and techniques. Below is the recipe I crafted last night in my first (and incredibly successful, if I say so myself) attempt:

1 cup of dry quinoa

1-2 T. olive oil

1 yellow onion

3-4 cloves of garlic

2 t. ground cumin

1/4. t. cayenne pepper

1 t. kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

3 T. tahini (plus more for serving)

3/4 C. chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 C. plain bread crumbs

Nonstick cooking spray

1. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and add quinoa. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, finely chop onion and garlic, and sautee in olive oil until the onions are translucent and soft.

3. Once quinoa is cooked (there should be no water left in the pan), transfer to large mixing bowl and add cooked onion and garlic. Add cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper and cilantro blending everything in. Gradually mix in tahini, then bread crumbs.

4. Taking heaping tablespoonfuls, shape into small patties and lay out on baking sheet.  (This recipe should make 12 patties, depending on how large or small you make them.) 

5. Refrigerate patties for 30 minutes.

6. Spray your sautee pan with nonstick spray, and cook the patties on med-high heat for about 6-8 minutes on each side, so they are heated through, and the outside gets crunchy.

I plated mine with lettuce, tomato, red onion and tahini. They'd be delicious wrapped up in a pita too. Not that I just did that with the leftovers for lunch or anything...