Quinoa Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Pesto, Goat Cheese and a Poached Egg

I have been a huge fan of quinoa ever since I first came across it and I am always looking for new ways to enjoy it. I recently came across the idea of quinoa cakes on Annie's Eats and I immediately knew that I would have to try them! Quinoa cakes are essentially fritters where the 'batter' is made from cooked quinoa along with some eggs and flour to bind it and the batter is formed into patties and fried in oil until nice and golden brown and light and crispy on the outside. Although you could add pretty much any flavours that you want to your quinoa cakes I wanted to keep my first quinoa cakes nice and simple and I just added the standard onions, garlic and cheese to the basic batter.

Annie served her quinoa cakes topped with a poached egg and I have to admit that topping something with a poached egg is one of my favourite way of doing breakfast so I was sold on the idea! Since my quinoa caked themselves were not going to be packed with flavour I decided to add some to the dish in the form of a roasted red pepper and toasted walnut pesto since I have a freezer full of frozen roasted peppers that want to be used. I could not resist adding a bit more cheese to the mix and since a creamy and tangy goat cheese goes perfectly with a sweet roasted red pepper pesto, it was the natural choice. (Tip: Make sure that you place the poached egg on top while still hot and the goat cheese will start to melt and get really dreamy!)

The quinoa cakes turned out really well and they held together much better than I expected! They were crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside with an amazing texture. I could easily eat them as if they were 'chips' with something to dip them into! The roasted red pepper pesto and goat cheese quinoa cakes with poached eggs were simply amazing! It was a real treat to start the day with a breakfast like this! Now that my first quinoa cakes are under my belt, I am just itching to make some more and my head it just full of ideas for different flavours! Spankopita, spinach and feta, quinoa cakes anyone?

Quinoa Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Pesto, Goat Cheese and a Poached Egg

Quinoa cakes served topped with roasted red pepper and toasted walnut pesto, goat cheese and a poached egg.

Servings: makes 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• baby spinach leaves to taste
• 1 batch quinoa cakes - see below
• 1 batch roasted red pepper an toasted walnut pesto - see below
• 4 ounces goat cheese, sliced
• 4 eggs
• salt and pepper to taste
• chives to taste, sliced

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and reduce the heat to medium.
2. Crack an egg into a bowl, swirl the water in the pot and pour the egg from the bowl into the water and repeat for another egg.
3. Let the eggs cook until the whites are set but the yolks are not, about 2-3 minutes and fish them out.
4. Repeat for the remaining 2 eggs.
5. Place the spinach leaves down 4 plates, top with quinoa cakes, roasted red pepper pesto, goat cheese and the poached eggs, season with salt and pepper and garnish with chives.

Quinoa Cakes

Quinoa used to make cakes or fritters that are fried in oil until golden brown and crispy on the outside.

Servings: makes 2 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cups water or broth
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup onion, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup flour (I like to use whole wheat)
• 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
• salt and pepper to taste
• oil for frying

Directions

1. Simmer the quinoa in the water until the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes and let cool a bit.
2. Mix the cooked quinoa with the eggs, onion, garlic, flour, parmesan, salt and pepper, adding more flour if required.
3. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.
4. Spoon the mixture into the pan and form patties of any size that you desire and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2-4 minutes per side, and set aside on paper towels to drain.

Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Pesto

A roasted red pepper pesto with toasted walnuts and

Servings: makes 1/2 cup

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 large roasted red peppers
• 1 handful basil leaves
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons walnuts, toasted
• 2 tablespoons parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Puree everything in a food processor.

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Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

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