Blogs

[#1]

You invited a vegetarian over for Thanksgiving dinner, now what? Maybe it’s your aunt, son, daughter, friend and you don’t want them to go through the meal only eating the side dishes. That’s exactly what happened to me last year when my table included meat eaters, vegetarians and friends who couldn’t eat pork for religious reasons. Everyone at one table, so as the chef of the night I was challenged to create dishes everyone could enjoy. One of my go-to meals is a quinoa patty so I took something familiar to me and packed it with nutritious fall flavors so good that even the meat eaters enjoyed them.

Here's my recipe:

Servings: 9 patties

Ingredients:

1 ½  cup white quinoa

2 cups vegetable broth

½ cup water

1 small butternut squash

1 small Green Apple

1 small red onion

¼ tsp salt

½ cup flour

2 eggs

¼ cup honey

½ cup of gouda or shredded cheddar cheese (I found rosemary infused gouda for mine)

6 leaves of fresh sage butter

Directions:

Roast the butternut squash:

1. Cut the squash in half, scrape out the seeds
2. Brush the squash with olive oil and place on a baking dish face down
3. Roast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 min
4. Let cool

Make the quinoa:

1. Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a pan, once hot add quinoa and stir for about 30 seconds
2. Add vegetable broth and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and cook with the lid on the pot until soft. About 15 min
3. Let cool

Form the Patties:  

1. Dice the red onions, butternut squash and green apples into small pieces. (I used 1 ½ butternut squash for my patties, the rest I turned into a soup)
2. Thinly slice the sage
3. Caramelize the onions and apples in a tbsp. of butter until soft. Add the sliced sage and cook for an additional 30 seconds
4. In a separate bowl, pour the cooked quinoa, diced butternut squash, caramelized apples, sage and red onion. Add cheese of your choice, cheddar or gouda
5. Add ¼ tsp. salt (or to taste), then add 2 eggs and ½ cup flour
6. Mix ingredients together until it can hold together and you can form a ball in your hand
7. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add butter. Cook each patty in the butter until golden brown. About 5 min. on each side

Serve with some cranberry sauce (especially if you add sage) and you’re done! You can make these ahead of time and store in the refrigerator for about 5 days or freeze for 1-2 months

Enjoy!

Cathy