Quinoa Patties

So after hearing about how great and healthy Quinoa is supposed to be, I figured I'd better give it a try.  I saw this recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe and knew it would be a winner at my house.  And I was right, my kids couldn't get enough of these.  But before I made these I had to learn how to cook Quinoa.  Here is what I learned:

• 1 cup dry quinoa yields about 3 cups cooked quinoa.
•  To cook 1 cup quinoa, you need about 2 cups liquid.
• Quinoa is naturally bitter, but the bitterness can be removed by rinsing in a mesh strainer for about 2 minutes.
•  You can cook your quinoa in vegetable or chicken broth.   You can also add about 1/4 teaspoon salt to each cup dried quinoa when cooking to add more flavor. 

So now that I knew about quinoa I was ready to try this recipe.

• a little less than 1 C. THRIVE Quinoa
• 2 C. Water
• 2 tsp. THRIVE Chicken Bouillon
• 4 Eggs, slightly beaten
• 3/4 tsp. Salt
• 1/4 tsp. Pepper
• 1 Tbsp. dried Parsley or 1/4 C. fresh Parsley
• 1/2 C. grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 C Bread Crumbs
• 1 Tbsp. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Combine quinoa, water, and chicken bouillon in a pan.  Bring to boil, and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, of until the liquid has been absorbed.  Cool the quinoa to room temperature.  

Once the quinoa has cooled, combine it with the eggs, salt, and pepper.  Stir in the parsley, Parmesan cheese, and garlic, then add the bread crumbs.  If it is too dry you can add 1-2 Tbsp. water.  If it is too wet, add more bread crumbs.

In a large, nonstick frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  As the oil is heating, take handfuls of the quinoa mixture and form it into patties, about 1 inch thick.  I ended up with 16 patties.  Once the oil is hot, place half the patties into the pan.  Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until browned.  Carefully turn the patties and cook for 5 more minutes until browned.  Remove from the frying pan and cook the remaining patties.  Serve warm or at room temperature.