Quinoa Tofu Fab Cakes

Happy New Year, Cousins!

Tis another year and we all start with wanting to eat healthier. So, I was randomly searching through my blogs and saw this one and remembered what we shared. For those who follow my Facebook cooking album know that I love to cook and love to share.  I thought I would start with my own recipe as follows. It is a yummy appetizer and even can satisfy a full meal portion.

Quinoa Tofu "Fab" Cakes

This is a Vegan (can be vegetarian) recipe take on the traditional Crab cake (get it Fab cakes? heh heh)



Makes roughly 20 patties
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1- 1 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa
1 block of firm tofu (not silken)- Drained and dry
 1 large carrot, grated
1/2 med onion, chopped finely

2 tbsp, chopped coriander( or 1 tbsp of mint if you love this flavor)
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice 
1/2 cup of vegan sour cream or yogurt ( or alternatively you can use 1/2 cup low fat yogurt or 2 tbsp of mayonnaise)
1 cup of bread crumbs- divided into 1/4 cup and 3/4 cup (any seasoning- I use Panko for the love of crunch) 

1 tsp of Kosher salt (or to taste)
1 tsp of ground black pepper (or to taste)
1 tsp of hot sauce or Caynene pepper
1/2 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp oil for carrots and onions (and more if pan frying)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Drain the tofu and wrap in paper towel or towlette to drain the excess liquid. Let sit for 5-10 minutes and press out remaining liquid.
3. Add oil to skillet on medium heat and sauté carrots, garlic and onions till slightly soft. Add the soy sauce and hot sauce and sauté for another minute.
4. Grate the tofu, or use a fork to mash it.
5. Add the carrot and onion mixture to the tofu. Lightly toss around.
6. Add the quinoa, vegan or vegetarian yogurt/sourcream/mayonnaise, salt and pepper, lemon juice, 1/4 c and the coriander.
7. Mix ingredients together (Hands work best- Kids love this step!)
8. If baking the patties, prepare a oiled or lined cookie sheets (2)
9. Form mixture into patties- about 2-3 tbsp and place on cookie sheet.
10. Bake at 30-40 minutes until they are golden brown and crispy. Keep warm in oven at 185 degrees till ready to serve.
11. You can eat these patties in sandwiches, salads, wraps or serve them alone with a dollop of your fav vegan or vegetarian sour cream. (I like to add a dash or parsley and a small squeeze of lemon to this to create a yummy "dip")

If you are using the pan fry method for a bit of indulgence:
1. Heat 2 tbsp of canola or olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter till butter is melted.
2. Add the patties and pan fry till they are golden brown on both sides.
3. Drain on paper towel to remove excess oil or keep warm in oven at 250 degrees till ready to serve.

These are great for parties and you can make them ahead of time and filling for lunch. Alternatively, you can add more Indian spices and make a wanna be masala vada. :)

ENJOY! Let me know your thoughts.

Nutritional Information (From MyFitnessPal calculation)