This past weekend I was looking for an inspiration for dinner, while simultaneously thinking about recovery food for the 2014 Skyline 50K and Martha Shulman of NYTimes Eat Well never disappoints. This is my version of Quinoa Cakes with Swiss Chard. I added the Chia and a little bit of unbleached whole wheat for a fantastic, wholesome snack that you can bite into for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Yes, breakfast too. Pairs perfectly with a toasted sprouted bagel from Trader Joe’s smothered with Earth Balance’s vegan butter spread.

Quinoa Cakes With Swiss Chard

Martha’s recipe has an egg in it that acts as the binder to hold the quinoa cakes together. I kinda winged it with Chia and Unbleached Whole Wheat and was pleasantly surprised how well the cakes held together, especially after they were pan fried. Here’s the short list of ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup cooked Quinoa
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 whole bunch of swiss chard, diced
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 2 tsps of chia soaked in ½ cup of water
• 1 cup Unbleached Wheat Flour
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp marjoram
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste

I cooked the Quinoa in a rice cooker and let it cool down. In the mean time, sauté the onions with garlic, add the swiss chard steps first and then the leaves along with the herbs and spices. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the chard stems are fully cooked and soft. You can easily vary the herbs and spices, maybe even spike it up with a little cayenne or chili powder.

In a large mixing bowl, add the now-cooled-down Quinoa with the chard-onion sauté. Add in the Chia and work the mixture with your hands. I dunked a little too much water and had to balance that out with the wheat flour. Salt and Pepper to taste. Form patties of the quinoa cakes with your hands and cook them in a well-oiled pancake griddle until both sides are golden brown. Serve the quinoa cakes on a bagel or by themselves with a little Sriracha. My kids approve and apparently this one’s a keeper. So there.

Have you tried making Quinoa cakes? How do you make them?