Dear Success,
I got you.
I’ve got a jar of Sharpie markers on my desk, a frozen coffee cake in my freezer just waiting to be baked, a handful of people tell me they love me, and there’s spinach in my bowl. ย See? ย I’ve got you, Success. ย We’re totally roommates… and I’m totally not letting you move out, ever.
It’s Friday! ย Double Success!
Love,
Joy
Look around. ย I bet you live with success too! ย …sometimes success is as simple as a jar of markers on your desk.
Enjoy your weekend! ย I’m rooting for you. ย Go do good things!
This recipe was inspired by Heidi’s Super Natural Every Day. ย Do you have this book? ย Lovely! … thank you Molly and Kelsey.
This book is full of whole grains, whole wheat, spices and health. ย Just flipping through the book makes you feel strong.
Do you know how hard it was to not put melted butter in these quinoa cakes?
Like… really hard.
When quinoa is in my house, it’s all I eat…. from scrambled eggs to sauteed dinner.
It’s filling. ย It’s delicious. ย It’s major healthy.
This quinoa is a salty and bright combination of flavors. ย I love green olives and lemon. ย They’re super bright and complimentary to the earthy/base flavors of the quinoa. ย Onion and garlic? ย Easy. ย Parsley and cheese? ย Always.
Eggs and a splash of water are the binder for the quinoa. ย I like to think of these as mini veggie patties.
Warm quinoa patties, packed with flavor, served over seasoned spinach… with extra cheese. ย Duh.
This meal is a lovely lunch, a dreamy dinner… and the quinoa can even be served up at breakfast. ย Every meal, people! ย Every meal!
The best part about this recipe is that you can make up the quinoa mixture and fry up to order. ย The uncooked quinoa mixture will last in the fridge for a few days. ย That’s fresh food for days! ย I’m way into it!
Lemon Parsley and Olive Quinoa Cakes
makes about 2 dozen small cakes
adapted from Super Natural Every Day
1 1/2 cups rawย quinoa
2 1/4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, beaten
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan or Gruyere cheese
1/3 cup coarsely chopped green olives
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoon olive oil
Place dry quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. ย Wash under cool water for a few minutes. ย Quinoa needs to be rinsed or it tastes dirty.
In a medium saucepan place rinsed quinoa, water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. ย Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. ย Cover, decrease the heat, and simmer for about 25 t0 30 minutes, until the quinoa is tender. ย Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. ย We’ll need 3 cups of cooked quinoa for the recipe.
In a small bowl, whisk eggs and set aside.
In a large bowl, toss together onion, garlic, cheese, olives, parsley, lemon zest, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and cooled quinoa. ย Add beaten eggs and stir until all of the quinoa mixture is moistened. ย Add water to thoroughly moisten mixture. ย Quinoa should be slightly wet so it doesn’t dry out during cooking.
Scoop out mixture by the 2 tablespoonful. ย Use clean, moist fingers to form into a patty. ย Create as many patties as you’d like.
In a large skillet over medium low heat, heat olive oil. ย If you pan is large enough, add four to six patties to the hot pan. ย You’ll need a bit of room to successfully flip them.
Cook on each side until beautifully browned, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. ย Low heat helps the quinoa cakes cook slowly. Brown on each side then remove to a paper towel lined plate.
Serve warm with a small spinach salad, or with scrambled eggs. ย Serve them any way you’d like.
Also, the quinoa mixture can be left, uncooked in the fridge for a few days. ย Cook as necessary.
153 Responses
Yummmy! You’re so right. Success is all around us if we just take a moment to recognize it.
Your recipe looks delicious! I will try it. Have a fabulous day!
I love how you explained this step by step. Can’t wait to try them out!! You make me feel so inspired and btw, I like you so much!! You’re so spontaneous and lively!! Love visiting your blog, always a pleasure!!! :)
Its like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you could do with a few pics to drive the message home a bit, but other than that, this is wonderful blog. An excellent read. I’ll certainly be back.
I am making these right now, about half of them are fried, and I can’t keep myself away from them! They are DELICIOUS! I added a tablespoon of flour and a few sprinkles of dill (just because I LOVE dill!) and am definitely going to make these again! A+ recipe!
Ack – found them pretty dull! They would benefit greatly from a side of chipotle sauce. Also, I had oodles of leftover quinoa, so I think 1.5 cups is too much.
These look good. Will make next week. Like Lori’s idea of adding flour, but I would add almond flour.
I just discovered quinoa recently and stumbled across your site. I followed the basics, but i didn’t have most of the ingredients, so i improvised a lot ( mine had onion,spinach, lemon pepper, and crushed up cheerios) anyways they taste great! The mixture was kind of flimsy (maybe more cheerios LOL) but I spooned them into the pan and they held.
My quinoa cooked up a lot faster and made a twice as much as your recipe called for.
I thought they seemed to need something like a dab of sauce.
Hi Joy, First let me say how much I am enjoying your blog. I am a newbie! Just finished making the Quinoa Cakes for a little supper this evening alongside of a simple cabbage slaw. They taste great, but I do have too say they were not the easiest “little buggers” to keep together, even after putting 5 eggs in and wetting my hands before forming them. I added a little flour to the mixture and this seemed to help a little bit. Thanks for sharing, & I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
my husband always has class on wednesday nights, so i use that time as my excuse to make girly food and listen to the joy the baker podcast. this was tonight’s dinner…thanks joy!
Quinoa cakes
Soooo yummy! Made these a couple weeks ago and cannot wait to make them again! Success!
I am going to make these this week, but I definitely think my husband would want some sort of sauce on them, otherwise they will get covered in ketchup. Do you have any suggestions??
I recently discovered Quinoa and it is our new favorite staple food. I made these quinoa cakes last night, minus the olives, and they were amazing. This is definitely a new favorite recipe. Thank you.
I’m the owner of Corner Burger restaurant in Park Slope Brooklyn, and I have an incredible all homemade veggie burger, but sometimes I want to put daily specials, I think this patties will make another great vegetarian burger!
i was just in park slope! this comment makes me really happy Hilda!
are there any alternatives for eggs as a binder? these look amazing
I wonder if I have quinoa in stock right now, because this looks like it would be awesome!
This sounds SO good! I LOVE Quinoa but don’t have too many recipe’s for it! Question though, for someone who can’t eat bread, is there a panko alternative? Is it much different if you don’t use it but keeo the rest of the recipe the same?
Just made these with broccoli inside and tomato soup on the side. So good!
I can’t wait to make these little quinioa cakes! They look so yummy! I love your blog it inspires me! Thanks!!! Julie
Yeah, I got a thing for Sharpies too. They’re not magic markers, they’re magic wands! This dish looks amazing!!
LOVE the pics and LOVE this recipe even more! My boyfriend and I have been on a quinoa kick all week, and I have just about everything I need to whip these up for him this weekend (or rather have HIM help me whip them up – he’s the best kitchen aide I could ever ask for).
On another note – you mention you’re trialing the Facebook comments plug-in – how are you liking it and which one are you using as the one I’ve been using has been glitchy?
Oh how I love quinoa! This looks delicious. I will have to try it soon. I have an awesome quinoa recipe with mushrooms, spinach and feta. Check it out. I also make your green smoothie all the time.
Thank you for all your great recipes and your humor. You always make me smile :)
Have a Mahvelous day! (with a New England accent hehe).
ok, you just, once again, made my day. My week. Made me happy. Love this recipe! Thanks!
Made. Love.
But it makes a lot for one spinster living by herself. Do you suppose I could freeze the cakes individually to make next week and the week after and the week after?
I’ve never really liked quinoa by itself. This recipe sounds so promising…might have to give it a try.
Most people are reluctant to try something different, but you sell quinoa beautifully w/this recipe!
Curses! I just used up all my quinoa, but I have tons of parsley. Trader Joe’s here I come!
p.s. LOVE Super Natural Everyday :)
These look simply amazing. A must try in my kitchen!
This looks so good!! I love the flavor combination! I’ve made a quinoa similar to this, but not in cake form and not with the salad. This looks divine!
You really know how to make some delicious lunch recipes! I seem to be making one a week from your blog!
Quinoa is probably my favorite thing ever. I really, truly want to make these patties, but I don’t eat eggs : (. Any tips on binding them together without the egg?
We don’t eat eggs either. I used Ener-G egg replacer and a little bit of extra water and cheese. I also used beans instead of olives. It worked well and there were no problems with the binding. They were delicious!
Wow, I was craving quinoa, before seeing this post! Have you got any great quinoa casserole ideas?
These remind me of the delish ones from Whole Foods! Can’t wait to make these this week.
I got to eat these. Success for sure.
Those are the kind of cakes I like hanging out on my stove so I can graze all day long!
what a delicious-sounding healthy recipe! great success indeed. will definitely have to try these out this week!
Those look delicious and I’m a spinach-lover as well, but are they a bit dry just eaten like that? Any ideas for something I could throw in for moistness/creaminess? I’m just paranoid from the time I made my own falafel but forgot to buy hummus or anything and ended up with a very stick-to-your-palate dinner…
oh, my, this looks both good AND good for you! well done!!
I made these last night and I loved your version, however, my 15-yr-old son said “Mom, these are good but they were missing something. They would be better with a sauce.” So, to keep him interested in this healthy recipe, the next time I’ll try a Greek themed patty with feta, red onion, Greek olives, extra garlic, dill and tzatziki sauce or a Mexican theme with red onion, diced jalapeno, chipotle pepper powder, cumin, oregano, pepper jack, cilantro and pico de gallo or fresh salsa for garnish. I love quinoa and I’m happy to have another way to use it other than in a salad.
Amazing! I’ve been looking for ways to use quinoa and this looks perfect. Thanks!
Love your letter to Success! So great.
And thanks again for keeping me company via podcasts during a power outage this week. So glad my iPod was charged.
They look fantastic Joy! I’d definitely say that you have success with these (and I love Sharpies too! :P)
Ok, so, I know you don’t know me, but I read your blog and listen to your podcast… aaaand, I know this is stupid, but I really needed someone to tell me they’re rooting for me today, and, well, you did… So, thanks. freals.
AWESOME post. oh my gosh my mouth is watering. You are giving me my dose of healthy, delicious, modern meals that I miss so much from when I lived in the Bay area! All we’ve got where I’m from are chain restaurants. bleh!
Well, Joy, keep ’em coming! you certainly are a success in my book :)
These look perfect, I absolutely can’t wait to try them!
This looks great but to be extra lazy I kinda just want to make this into a salad and just eat it~
This week has been an “I’m trying to love the foods I don’t like” kind of week. Perrier water, radishes and olives. Joy, I’m still not sure about the radishes, but I do know one thing: the little quinoa cakes? Awesome! I made them last night, ate them for dinner and just had the leftovers for lunch. I would eat more if my boyfriend hadn’t taken the rest with him to work… I don’t know if I’m ready to bite into a whole olive yet (as of last night, I really hated olives โ big word, I know!), but I will definitely add this recipe to my frequent diners! And guess what? I didn’t smother the cakes in ketchup!! :)
Yummy! My 2 year old son loves Quinoa gonna have to try this out!
Here’s to Success!!!
These look awesome! Do you think they’d freeze well? I usually freeze veggie burgerish things to eat when the husband is in mega carnivore mode.
I am totally making these – right up my alley!
Ohmygosh! Quinoa is so versatile! What a great idea to make it into little fried patty cakes!
I would like to add that I made this last night (well someone made them for me) and they are awesome! I loved the crust that develops on the outside when you pan fry them. My only comment is that it made a lots of quinoa. We probably could have used only 1 cup of raw quinoa and it would have been fine. I also would have used less than 3 cups of cooked quinoa to make the actual cakes. The flavour was spot on but that would have provided a better quina:everything else ratio. I am not complaining though, the leftovers will be great!
Thank you! This post inspired me so much!
I adore quinoa, black, red or white all of them are FAB1
thank you for this idea and recipe, my daughter sam turned me on to your blog and it’s a great blog!
Watch for some treasured Family secret recipes this thanksgiving when i travel from Hawaii to Ca. to cook a feast with ” the little ferraro Kitchen” Thanks again for all your great food creations
sincerely, rhonda :)
i’ve never made quinoa, but i’ve had it out a number of times and love it. must try this!
Nice work with switching up the photo angles!! Success!!!
I have Heidi’s book, and I love it!! Definitely been meaning to try this recipe out, and I love your idea of adding the olives. Always love reading your posts!
Awesome Joy, what a great alternative the falafel! I also love quinoa, great for breakfast as a cereal or in a cold salad!
aww what a nice way to think! success. i DO have it, i just forget sometimes. lovely recipe!
I’d never tried Quinoa and never thought I would, but my friend is a celiac so for her birthday her mom made her a Quinoa chocolate cake. Best chocolate cake I have ever eaten in my whole entire life. It felt like heaven, I could die eating that cake. The best thing is? Quinoa’s healthy for you, I could justify the three pieces I ate.
Quinoa cake?? No way! Do you have a recipe? I have celiac disease too & would love to find a healthy alternative for a cake.
I could always find the recipe out for you…if you are still interested!
I love quinoa and I’m always looking for different ways to eat it… like not as a pasta replacement, as I do most of the time. Thanks for the recipe.
Lovely! I love that flavor combination…
JOY! You have saved me from a weekend of binge eating, because I am going to make these tomorrow as hangover food instead of the pancakes and ice cream I was already starting to crave. They seem equally satisfying. Also I have that cookbook and obviously haven’t read enough of it, because I don’t remember coming across a recipe like this. Thanks for the reminder!
binge eating is SO 1998. quinoa is SO now!
Yum! These look great. I’m going to give them a try.
Your first picture is a total success. In your podcast you were talking about being in a rut photo-wise, but this is definitely not a straight-down-on-the-food shot and it’s great! I’ve tried quinoa before and I never really got to like it, but I must say combining green olives and lemon makes it sound like a seafood cake of some kind, and I could get in to that. Maybe I’ll give it a go.
thank you so much for noticing Anne! i’m trying to get out of my food photo rut! thank you!
Wow, what perfect timing! I decided to start eating more vegetarian meals, pulled out the giant container of quinoa I have, made quinoa ‘oatmeal’ (with apples, almond milk and cinnamon) this am and was going to search for more recipes online. And tah-dah! I see your latest blog title in my incoming mail. These look delicious. Going to try them for lunch.
*hugs*
Mmm I bet you could use quinoa flakes in place of the breadcrumbs and have double quinoa, lemon, olive, and parsley cakes. Haha what a mouthful. Love the recipe, have a great weekend :)
My tiny brain would’ve never thought of using quinoa for patties. Genius! This will be another lovely vegan (minus the eggs) recipe I’ll try. Thanks!! Have a lovely weekend. You deserve it.
These look so pretty, Joy! Ok, and yummy.
Enjoy your weekend, my dear!
Here’s to SUCCESS!!
wow these sound amazing! they look pretty darn amazing too! i agree with averie up there, i need to save up to go prop shopping at anthro :) i have a box of quinoa in the pantry & still haven’t decided what to make as my very first quinoa meal… this is it… thanks joy! have a happy *successful* friday!
I love quinoa and it’s versatility! I eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner too. Totally want to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing Joy! Thank you for the inspiration too. Wishing you continued success!!
I love quinoa too and these look super good! Success? I think so
those look amazing, joy! i can’t believe just a decade ago nobody knew what quinoa was. myself included.
I love looking at your photos. Even the napkin looks good enough to eat. Can you tell I’ve been on a diet? I’m making those quinoa cakes sometime soon. I can’t wait!
These look so delightful that I can practically feel all the flavors dancing on my tongue. They are definitely dinner tonight!
Yep, I’ve got that book and LOVE it! Have made half a dozen things from it already and loved them all. Haven’t made the quinoa cakes yet though. They look delicious!
Beautiful picture. Follow your passions, and success with follow you.
Love this! I love new ways to use quinoa.
i love it when you make savory things! this looks super yummy! but i still don’t understand how success ties into sharpie markers. sorry, i’m slow. =)
Oh wow these look so great! This recipe is a keeper for sure, I love the quinoa and I am always on the hunt for something new to do with it! GREAT!!
you won’t believe this…but i actually made these…LAST NIGHT! i had a hankering for quiona and i’m currently on a heidi kick. so there you have it.
i stuck to the recipe and had the patties over a bed of arugala. but i was thinking that olives (and feta!) would be a great addition. does this mean we’re “craving sisters”? or is it soul sisters? have a good weekend!
I’m making these on the weekend, and I’m going to report back. I think they’ll be everything I’ve dreamed of.
wow, definitely making this this weekend!
I grew up in a county where the water tower had “Success Lives Here” printed on the side. What an empowering slogan, right?
totally! i love that!
They look yummy! Good job holding back and not putting butter in it, reminds me of myself. LOL.
Nettie
I love making these! Thank you for reminding me of them… so good with some goat cheese in there too. Delicious! Though I have to say, I get pretty messy when I make them. Quinoa goes everyyywhere. But it make the dog happy!
Oh man, I love quinoa! I actually made some quinoa cakes earlier this year and they turned out just like you said: filling and delicious! I love the extra flavors you have packed in here, though (olives, lemon zest? Win.). I’ll definitely have to try out this combination.
Thanks for sharing, Joy!
Quinoa is great, and so healthy for you too! Cheers to success!
Please don’t disown me, but I’ve never tried quinoa. I know. I’m a schmuck. I promise I’ll try it soon.
it’s really lovely! try something new!
I heart quinoa! I travelled in Peru for a few weeks and they do literally eat this grain for every meal!! So good! This looks super yummy!! Congrats on all your success! ;-)
these are a huge marker of success! they sound awesome. i would absolutely eat them for every meal of the day…with a fried egg on top for breakfast? yum-sies.
Those would be perfect for a girls night.
best thing i’ve seen in the blogroll all week. right here.
These look incredible! I love the addition of green olives and lemon juice – my mouth is watering!
Wow health! These sound and look fabulous!
so many great quinoa recipes out there this week…i love it! i am going to the store this weekend and buying a big bag of the good stuff just for this recipe :)
Success is totally your roommate! :) The handful of people that tell you they love you is truly a major success, love is awesome!
Quinoa cakes?!?! LOVE this idea- I would totally eat one of these!
I’ve been on the hunt for good quinoa recipes because I heard its kinda sorta good for me – but it kinda looks like a grain from outer space, so I wasn’t really sure what to do with it. Now I know!
I can’t wait to try these patties because I really LOVE this book and I’m a huge huge fan of green olives and lemon too… Did I mentionned cheese????
Success! I got up at 5.20a, drove to work, brought my running clothes for a lunch time jog, and packed a healthy hummus lunch. And these cakes would be a perfect side – can you send posthaste??
these look so good. I m trying them :) thanks for sharing
Your cakes look awesome.
But I love that pink and white napkin loosely folded underneath almost more so :) And those plates!
You make me want to save up for Anthro. Or find better yard sales and thrift spots b/c you have the best vintage-ey dishes and linens. Jealz!
Those look delicious! I’d love them as a falafel replacement.
I have never tried quinoa, but you make me want to :) I have success, I have a shiny ring on my engagement finger, and I have to keep looking at it, it has only been there a few weeks, and I have to keep checking it is really there – Mr J actually wants to get stuck with me :) I also have success as I already have a majority of Mr. J’s christmas presents, have half the ingredients for my first ever christmas cake, and I get to see my family this weekend :)
Wholesome and good. I’ll make them, then I’ll eat my homemade doughnuts too. Balance is everything, isn’t it ;-) ?
UMMMMM!! delicious!!
These sound absolutely delicious and just what I need right now!
What a great vegetarian meal! I’d love that for a healthy lunch.
Oh my goodness, these look so good. That perfect little pan-fried-ness on the outside. Mmm!
These looks so delicious! I am all about spinach lately.
Have a great weekend!
These look quite delicious, but that’s actually not why I’m commenting. I was intrigued by the frozen coffee cake waiting to be baked that you mentioned! The way you phrased it makes me think that it’s unbaked batter. Am I right? Can you bake batter from frozen? Sorry for all the random questions, I’m just excited by this possibility :)
Have a wonderful weekend!
Maggie @ A Bitchin’ Kitchen: I was wondering the exact same thing! Can we freeze the batter? Would the cake rise the same way if so? What other batters can be frozen, or, in other words, what ingredients in a batter would indicate not to freeze it? *sigh