Quinoa cakes

One of Jas's birthday celebrations this winter was getting a whole group of us together for a Black and White Masquerade Ball.

It was a really cool kind of pop-up style event where we bought our tickets way in advance, knowing only the date and the time.  They emailed us a couple hours before it began to tell us the secret location - Herbst Pavilion at Fort Mason in San Francisco.

It was not just a pop-up party, but it was a pop-up dinner party!  We planned a really fun menu of food we could make ahead of time and would taste good if it wasn't totally hot.  We made grilled shish-kebabs with chicken and veggies, a delicious salad, a charcuterie plate, and personal cheesecakes with raspberry coulis for dessert.  We also tried a fun side dish - quinoa cakes.  They turned out delicious!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups uncooked quinoa
• 3 cups water
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/3 cup chopped chives
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup goat cheese
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 cup bread crumbs (we crumbled gluten-free bread to make this Jas friendly)
• Water
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

Directions:
Ahead of time, bring 2 cups uncooked quinoa and 3 cups water to a boil in a kettle, cover.  Turn heat to low, simmer 25-30 minutes, or until water is absorbed.  Remove from heat.  Let cool to room temperature before assembling quinoa cakes.
Combine the room temperature quinoa, eggs, and salt in a large bowl.  Add the chives, onion, cheese, and garlic.  Stir in the bread crumbs, the let sit for a few minutes so they can absorb the moisture.
The mixture should be nice and moist, but able to be formed into patties.  (Add more breadcrumbs if it's too wet, or a little water if it's too dry.)
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.  Add patties, cover, and cook 7-10 minutes, or until the bottoms are deeply browned.  If they're not browning after 10 minutes, turn up the heat.
Flip the cakes with a spatula and cook the other side for another 7 minutes or so, until golden.
Cool on a wire rack.

Adapted from Epicurious