Quinoa and Halloumi Patties

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – quinoa is the food of the gods. Possibly quite literally. It’s native to South America, they ate it at Machu Pichu and there was lots of godly stuff going on there. What further evidence do we need, really? (Please note: that is not a deep philosophical, scientific or theological analysis of the existence of god – you might want to verify the information given before quoting us on this matter).

Anyway, quinoa is amazing. The UN love it so much they’ve made 2013 the Year of the Quinoa (we’ve said that before too in our write up of our Stilton, Spinach and  Quinoa Risotto but it’s sooooooo cool we can’t resist reminding you). It’s great for runners too – a complete protein, easy to digest and packed with vitamins and minerals. Check out this article from nutritionist, Julie Wilcox, on 7 Benefits of Quinoa: The Supergrain of the Future. Seriously, what’s not to love about this amazing food?

Quinoa and Halloumi Patties

Makes 10-12 patties

Ingredients
1 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 vegetable stock cube
3 eggs
2/3 block halloumi, diced in to very small pieces
3 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
1/4 onion, diced very finely
1 clove garlic, minced
1 chilli, chopped finely
150g panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp oil

Method
1. Cook the quinoa using vegetable stock instead of plain water (about 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa).

2. Put the rest of the ingredients, except the breadcrumbs and oil, in a large bowl.  Add the cooked quinoa (All of the water should have absorbed, but if not, drain first) and mix thoroughly. Add about 100g of the breadcrumbs, mix again, and only add the rest of the breadcrumbs if the mixture seems wet.

3. Shape the mixture into little burger shapes and lay them out on a board. Heat the oil in a griddle pan and cook the patties in batches, 4 or so minutes on each side.

These patties are great served with salad or steamed vegetables. We had kimchi with them for dinner (bought from our local Chinese supermarket), then had them with a little dab of hot sauce for breakfast the next day.

Note: The mixture keeps well in the fridge for 2-3 days.