Cajun Quinoa Cakes + Lemon-Dill-Sriracha Rémoulade

I have been on a sriracha kick lately and happen to have found this recipe for these quinoa cakes with this great sounding rémoulade, and just had to give it a try. So glad I did as they were delicious! This recipe comes from Randy Clemens up and coming new vegan sriracha cookbook called, The Veggie-Lover's Sriracha Cookbook. This is the first recipe he is sharing from the book and you can find the original recipe here. His book will be ready to hit the shelves in the early part of July. You can also pre-order by clicking the book title link above. It will include 50 veggie loving recipes that will be based on fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes and beans...no fake meats...all will pack a punch with the sriracha chili sauce.

These were great quinoa cakes and the sauce was so flavorful! I started with a small amount of sriracha here but feel free to add as much as you like, or none at all. You may even like to add some spices to the quinoa cakes as these are really simple with minimal seasoning except for the salt and pepper. It's really all about the sauce in this dish. I didn't change up the recipe too much either except for subbing the vegan mayo base of the rémoulade to a cashew base (see note below).

Above are some of the simple vegetables for the quinoa cakes. I would suggest chopping your celery and bell pepper a little smaller than what I have here to help the patties stay formed. These were easy to put together, a little messy but once you do one or two you get the hang of it. I formed balls and flattened lightly, once on the griddle I pressed down with the spatula to flatten more. 

Pair it all with some fresh steamed asparagus and you have yourself a wonderful meal. Artichokes would also be great with this. I can see dipping the leaves in this rémoulade sauce...mmm!

Cajun Quinoa Cakes + Lemon-Dill-Sriracha Rémoulade

Ingredients

Quinoa Cakes

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups vegetable stock or water
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup flour of choice + more as needed (I used GF oat flour)
• 1/2 red onion or 1 large shallot, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• himalayan salt & freshly ground pepper
• olive oil for the skillet

Lemon-Dill-Sriracha Rémoulade

• 2/3 cups cashews* (preferably soaked for 2 -3 hours)
• 1/3 cup water + more as needed
• 1 tablespoon sriracha, + more to taste OR 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 heaping tablespoons fresh chopped dill
• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• dash or two onion powder
• salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste

In small pot over medium high heat, add broth/water and quinoa, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Once done, remove cover, fluff with fork and let set for another 15 minutes to cool and absorb remaining water.

While the quinoa is cooling, start your flax egg by mixing the ground flax seed with 3 tablespoons water in a small bowl and set aside to thicken.

Prepare the rémoulade by placing all the ingredients in a blender/food processor, except the dill, and blend until smooth (the magic bullet is a perfect tool for this job). If your mixture is too wet add a few cashews and blend again...if too thick add 1 tablespoon water at time until desired consistency. Stir in the dill by hand. Taste for seasoning adding more of whatever you like. Cover and keep at room temp or place in the refrigerator until ready to use (I served mine at room temp). This can also be made a couple days in advance and kept in the refrigerator (will stay fresh for up to a five or six days).

On to the quinoa cakes, in a medium bowl, combine the quinoa, flax gel, flour, onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic. Mixture should be moist enough to stick together. Add additional flour or water, 1 -2 tablespoons at time if needed to adjust consistency. Taste for seasoning. Form into approx. 8 patties about 1/2 inch thick. (Patties can be made a day in advance and kept in the refrigerator.)

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In a large cast-iron skillet or non-stick pan/griddle over medium heat heat 2 teaspoons olive oil, add the patties and cook, until nicely browned on each side, about 4-5 minutes per side.

Keep finished quinoa cakes on a baking sheet in the preheated oven until all cakes are cooked. Serve the quinoa cakes with a nice dollop of rémoulade and pair with a steamed vegetable of choice. Serve immediately.

Notes:

* Feel free to use vegan mayo instead of cashews for this rémoulade. When making the rémoulade, replace the cashews and water with 1/2 - 3/4 cup vegan mayo. Mince your garlic and make sure zest of lemon is finely grated or minced. Combine ingredients in a small bowl and mix by hand.

The quinoa cakes can also be baked in the oven until golden brown and heated through on a lightly greased baking sheet at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, flipping once after the first 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Creamy Lemon Herb Dressing

My last post of 2012. What a great year this has been! Food blogging and taking pictures has been a fun and learning experience. I've improved much but still have a ways to go. Meeting like minded people and being inspired everyday has been amazing. I look forward to what adventures lie ahead. I leave you all with this really wonderful dressing. I know many will be eating healthier as a New Year's resolution and this dressing will help you get some freshness in your meal plans. I personally found myself tipping the bowl to get the last of it. It's light and refreshing on its own, adding it to a fresh salad just makes it that much better. I've been waiting to find a great creamy style dressing that's easy to make at home and finally I've found one that fits my needs. This is raw, nut free, soy free, gluten free and of course vegan. I think this will amaze you as much as it amazed me. Happy New Year's to you all....Cheers!

The base of this recipe is hemp hearts. If you're unfamiliar with hemp seed hearts, you will want to add these great little seeds to your lifestyle. They are easy to sprinkle in smoothies, on salads, add some to the top of your toast and jam. In this recipe they create a wonderful creaminess. Hemp seeds are a great source of omega 3 & 6 and are a high quality complete protein. Four tablespoons, or 1/4 cup, of hemp seeds contain 15 grams of protein, and they're also a good source of fiber containing 2.5 grams per quarter cup. They also contain high concentration of vitamins and minerals such as iron, vitamin E, thiamine, riboflavin, folic acid and many other micro-nutrients that your body needs. Another great thing about hemp seeds is that they do not need to be soaked to aid in digestion, they can be eaten raw and the body will absorb and digest all nutrients readily and easily. They contain a lot of nutrition in a small package. If you love hemp hearts, you may also like my other recipes containing hemp hearts. Raw Healthy, Happy, Hemp Seed Cookie Balls & Raw Creamy Miso Soup w/ Mushrooms...a few great ways to use hemp seeds!

Now, let's make some delicious dreamy creamy dressing...

Creamy Lemon Herb Dressing

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup hemp hearts
• 1/3 cup water, plus more as needed for thinning
• juice of 1 medium lemon
• a few strands chives, broken into 1 inch pieces
• a few sprig leaves fresh dill 
• a few sprig tops fresh cilantro and/or parsley
• dash or two garlic powder
• dash or two onion powder
• himalayan salt to taste 

Using a blender, I used the magic bullet for this, combine ingredients and blend until smooth. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency. Taste for flavor adding anything extra to suit your taste...more lemon?...more herbs?...more garlic or onion powder? Chill before serving. Makes about 5 servings.

Store in an air tight container in refrigerator for up to a week.

Note: I have not made this in a regular blender. The magic bullet works wonders but if you don't have one this should work fine your blender at home. You may consider doubling the recipe if using a larger blender. Mix and match herbs to suit your taste.

Salad shown consists of romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, cucumbers and topped with cracked pepper...simple and delicious!

How to Freeze Fresh Herbs:

Fresh is always best, but I do find that I buy fresh organic herbs and then they get thrown away. If you find that is the case for you, below is a few simple ways to freeze your herbs making them easily ready for this recipe and others.

Fresh dill sprigs can be frozen for up to a couple months, but they will darken in color. There is no need to thaw before using. Frozen dill weed will still always have more flavor than dried dill. Below are two methods for freezing dill.

Cilantro is best used fresh, freezing turns it mushy, so fresh is best for great flavor.

Parsley is another herb that freezes well. You can freeze parsley the same as dill by using one of the two methods provided below.

Chives also freeze well. Frozen chives have the same flavor as fresh chives. To freeze chives you can cut the strands into small pieces, lay on cookie sheet and place in freezer for about 20 minutes. Once frozen place in air tight container, should last up to year. You can also freeze by using the ice cube tray method below.

Whole Stalks: 

Dill: Place a bunch of dill, stalks and all, in a reusable plastic bag or airtight container. Once the dill freezes, use clean kitchen shears to remove the needed portion, then return the remaining dill to the freezer. Entire stalks can be used to flavor soups and stews, then use a slotted spoon to remove the dill just before serving.

Parsley: Chop parsley into small pieces, place in reusable plastic bag or airtight container.

Ice Cubes:

An ice cube tray provides serving size cubes of herbs that can be tossed into soups, stews and other hot dishes. Dice the herbs, place a small amount in each section of an ice cube tray, add water and freeze. Once frozen, remove the cubes and store them in resealable plastic bag or freezer container. You can also add veggie broth instead of water, or combine herbs as well for a ready to use herbal blend.