Southwest Quinoa Cakes

By garciamoss

This healthy quinoa cake recipe is packed with protein from the black beans, eggs, cottage cheese and quinoa. If you don’t like the heat, leave out the chipotle pepper.

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup quinoa, preferably red quinoa
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed
• 3/4 cup reduced-fat cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup sliced scallions
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch, divided
• 1 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese
• 1 14-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 small chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (see Tip)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 avocado, chopped

Details

Adapted from eatingwell.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a 12-cup nonstick muffin tin with cooking spray.
Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in quinoa. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the grains are tender and reveal their spiraled germ, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool for about 10 minutes.
Add eggs, beans, cottage cheese, scallions, flour, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the quinoa and stir until well combined. Divide the mixture among the muffin cups (about 1/4 cup each). Top each quinoa cake with about 1 tablespoon cheese.
Bake the cakes until puffed and a little brown on top, about 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Gently loosen and remove with a paring knife.
Meanwhile, place tomatoes, garlic, chipotle pepper and a pinch of salt in a blender and puree until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in cilantro.
Serve the cakes with the salsa and avocado.

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate the salsa (Step 5) for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before serving.
Chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce are smoked jalapeños packed in a flavorful, spicy sauce. Look for the small cans with Mexican foods at large supermarkets. Once opened, they’ll keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer.