Vegan quinoa patties and lemon-Sriracha rémoulade

My lovely sister was in town tonight and she invited me over for a sleep over :)

I brought over some ingredients to make a recipe for quinoa cakes and sweet chia cornbread from The Simple Veganista (one of my new favourite sources for great vegan recipes). I loved cooking in her kitchen! It was all new, clean and very modern. Her oven is massive and there is so much bench space! It was so nice to have a change of scenery from my own kitchen. 

My sister also gave me ideas for plating up and helped me take the photos. I loved that she got just as excited about plating up as I did. 

I really enjoyed the dinner we cooked up tonight. This recipe for cornbread was by far the best I have made since coming home from America where the cornbread is to die for. I love cornbread with a passion. Actually, Southern food in general is some serious in-my-belly-goodness. It really lives up to the name 'soul food'. 

Vegan Quinoa Patties with Lemon-Sriracha Rémoulade

Serves 2

Ingredients

Quinoa Patties

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups vegetable stock or water
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup flour of choice + more as needed
• 1/2 medium zucchini,grated
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• himalayan salt & freshly ground pepper
• olive oil for the skillet

Lemon-Dill-Sriracha Rémoulade

• 2/3 cups cashews* (preferably soaked for 2 -3 hours)
• 1/3 cup water + more as needed
• 1 tablespoon sriracha, + more to taste
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 lemon, zest and juice
• dash or two onion powder
• salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste

Directions

In small pot over medium high heat broth/water and quinoa to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Once done, remove cover, fluff with fork and let set for another 15 minutes to cool and absorb remaining water.
 
While the quinoa is cooling, start your flax egg by mixing the ground flax seed with 3 tablespoons water in a small bowl and put in fridge to thicken.
 
Prepare the rémoulade by placing all the ingredients in a blender/food processor, and blend until smooth (the magic bullet is a perfect tool for this job). If you mixture is too wet add a few cashews and blend again...if too thick add 1 tablespoon water at time until desired consistency. Taste for seasoning adding more of whatever you like while blending by hand. 
Cover and keep at room temp or place in the refrigerator until ready to use (I serve mine at room temp). This can also be made a couple days in advance and kept in the refrigerator (will stay fresh for up to a five or six days).
 
On to the quinoa patties, in a medium bowl, combine the quinoa, flax gel, flour, onion, celery, zucchini and garlic. The mixture should be moist enough to stick together, remaining slightly tacky. Add additional flour or water, 1 -2 tablespoons at time if needed to adjust consistency. Season liberally with salt and cracked pepper. Form into approx. 8 to 12 patties about 1/2 inch thick. (Patties can be made a day in advance and kept in the refrigerator.)
 
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet or non-stick pan/griddle over medium heat. Add the patties and cook, undisturbed, until nicely browned on one side, about 4-5 minutes. Flip and cook other side for an additional 4-5 minutes.
 
Keep finished quinoa cakes on a wire rack set over a baking sheet (or on a foil-lined baking sheet) in the preheated oven until all cakes have been cooked. Plate the hot quinoa cakes with a generous dollop of rémoulade and pair with a steamed vegetable of choice. Serve immediately.

 

Vegan Sweet Chia Cornbread

 Ingredients

• 1 cup organic corn meal (I used a course grind)
• 1 cup spelt flour, whole wheat pastry flour or flour of choice
• 5 tablespoons pure cane sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup almond milk 
• juice of 1/2 lemon or 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (melted) or extra light flavored olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a vegan buttermilk by mixing the almond milk with the lemon or vinegar and set aside. Mix the chia seeds with the 1/2 cup water, set aside. Let these set for 10 minutes. Combine all dry ingredients in medium size bowl. Add buttermilk, oil, chia seed mixture and combine making sure to break up any lumps of chia seeds. Pour batter into an 8x8 greased baking pan or dish. Bake for 25 minutes. Test by inserting a toothpick, if it comes out clean it's ready. Serve.

Notes: You could also add in 1 cup corn to the mix.