Eat More Veg

I have only “almost” set my house on fire a handful of times. That’s normal, right? Everyone comes close to this at least twice, I think. The first time was when my brother Steve and I were playing with matches on a very dry July day in Albuquerque, New Mexico; 1970 something. Another time was at 1:30 this afternoon.

My 3 boys are back in school today after a long Christmas break and I had the pleasure of solitude and some much needed peace and quiet. Trying to manage my time I decided to start the quinoa for tonight’s dinner while I took down the Christmas tree. I actually took the time to pause to breathe deep and reflect back how smoothly my day had gone and how the older I get the more quiet time alone I need. I exhaled and that is when I smelled the smell. I ran to the stove and found the pot of quinoa, not only dried up but black and smoking!! It was bad. Near science experiment bad. But..it was my only plan for tonight. So I dumped it and started again. (The pot sits scorched and soaking on my counter 6 hrs later, yet no better.)

Tonight we had Quinoa Fritters. This is a recipe I found on Pinterest from eatingwelllivingthin.wordpress.com. She calls them burgers but after making and tasting them they reminded me much more of a fritter that a a burger. Since I changed some of the amounts and a spice I feel like I can change the name.

After the near fire and second attempt my efforts were well worth it. My entire family LOVED the fritters and even had seconds. I served them with popovers, green beans and Apple~Carrot~Feta Slaw which came from my friend Lara Thorton. That too is delish and I have included the recipe in a earlier post.

Quinoa Fritters

2 cups cooked quinoa

3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup grated carrot

3 eggs

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 green onions, including white parts

1 /2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

a pinch of nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Olive oil for frying

In a large bowl combine the cooked quinoa, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, carrot, eggs, flour, green onions, sugar, pepper, nutmeg, salt, and garlic powder.

Heat a frying pan and a couple teaspoons olive oil over medium-low heat. Mixture will be slightly sticky, so using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, drop mixture into pan and lightly flatten to 1/2 inch thick. Fry until golden-brown, about 4 minutes on each side. Working in batches, keep them warm and crisp in a 350* oven on a cookie sheet. Makes approx. 10 burgers.