Waste Not, Want Not: Vegan Quinoa Cakes

Waste not, want not.  It's a philosophy I like to live by.  I try to measure out my grains and eyeball how many veggies I'm cooking so that I make just enough to feed Andrew and I without having much left over.  I put newly purchased food in the back of the refrigerator to ensure that no produce goes bad from sitting around for too long.  I have the luxury of living a few blocks away from a small neighborhood market, a few minutes away from a weekly Winter Farmer's Market and a large grocery store -- I can buy just enough food to last for a couple days, keeping everything fresh and full of nutrients and vibrancy.

In ayurveda, the fresher the food, the better.  Think of a tomato freshly bought from a farmer, versus a tomato that's been sitting on your pantry self (or your refrigerator!) for a week and a half -- you can even just imagine the taste difference between the two.  The fresh tomato, upon first bite, will be superior in nutritional energy -- your tongue can sense it.  Ayurveda recommends not to eat left overs, with the theory that food looses its prana, or energy (here, nutritional and healing energy) after sitting around for a while. 

Everything has its place and time, however.  In my opinion, it's better to make a big pot of soup and enjoy it for lunch for a couple of days than to buy something canned, processed, and full of preservatives.  Sometimes, left overs can't be helped -- maybe you got a little wild and crazy in the kitchen and made too much food.  Perhaps your eyes were bigger than your stomach. This is where my practicality comes in, my mission to waste not and want not.  I try to use left overs as soon as I can, usually in the next meal. 

That's what happened a couple of mornings ago -- I made too much quinoa and had some left over.  Just warming it up along with my usual assortment of vegetables didn't really appeal to me.  I already had my cast iron skillet warmed up, with a batch of these plum cakes just finishing up.  I thought I'd give quinoa cakes a try, and toyed around with a vegan version of these protein packed beauties. 

The ingredients are simple:  some ground flax mixed with a little hot water, apple sauce, and pre-made quinoa.  A little salt, pepper and ginger spiced them up, and some home made basil-accented hummus for extra flavor.  On the rare occasion that I have left over grain, I know what I'm going to do with it!  There's something to satisfying about standing over a heated griddle, waiting for the right time to flip your creation until it's cooked to perfection. 

Vegan Quinoa Cakes

• 2 tablespoons ground flax seed, mixed with 1 tablespoon warm water
• 1 cup pre-cooked quinoa (or 1/2 cup raw quinoa cooked in 1 cup water for about 15 minutes)
• 2 tablespoons Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour -- or 2 tablespoons brown rice flour or garbanzo bean flour
• 2 tablespoons gluten free oatmeal, chopped finely -- this gives the cakes a little more texture and firmness
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 pinch of salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• olive oil, for cooking
• hummus, for topping

Heat up a cast iron skillet on medium.  In a large bowl, combine flax-water mixture, quinoa, flour, oatmeal, ginger, salt, and pepper.   Add in the applesauce, and mix thoroughly.  Splash a teeny bit of water on your skillet -- if the water sizzles and makes a lot of noise and commotion, your skillet is ready!  Pour a little bit of olive oil on the skillet, and place the quinoa mixture by the heaping tablespoon full on the pan.  I was able to fit four at a time on my skillet.  Cook until brown and firm on the bottom, about 6 minutes.  Flip, and cook until the other side has reached a slight crispness.  Top with hummus, and serve with vegetables for a well-rounded breakfast.  Yields 4 patties.