Quinoa and vegetable fritters, fried or baked.

Today I want to introduce you to a fantastic dish that can be vegan or enriched to become vegetarian.

It can serve as an appetizer, main course, or even a finger food.

In fact, I will show you ingredient variations to meet everyone’s needs.

These are quinoa fritters enriched with julienned vegetables.

For vegetarians, we’ll use eggs, while for vegans, we’ll use potatoes to bind the mixture.

The vegetables can be of your choice: since summer is coming, I preferred to use vegetables rich in beta-carotene to help our skin tan,

such as peppers and carrots. Additionally, I added diced ripe tomatoes, red Tropea onion, or even better, shallots and zucchini, typical vegetables for this period.

Let’s get to know quinoa:

Botanically, quinoa belongs to the Chenopodiaceae family, like spinach or beets.

However, it is considered a pseudo-cereal because it has properties that make it a valid alternative to wheat, rice, corn…

Highly appreciated by celiacs for its absence of gluten and by vegetarians and vegans for its good protein content.

Ingredients

Let’s go shopping

5.3 oz quinoa
1 bell pepper
1 zucchini
2 carrots
Half red Tropea onion (or shallot)
2 eggs (or 5.3 oz of boiled potato)
4 tbsps flour (heaped)
to taste basil
to taste salt
to taste pepper
to taste extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsps Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (or vegan cheese)

A look at health

Tools

What we need to make the

1 Knife
1 Grater with wide holes
1 Bowl
1 Tea Towel
1 Pan

Steps

Let’s go to the kitchen

Take the quinoa, put it in a bowl, and rinse it several times until the water runs clear,
transfer it to a pot with double its height in water and a pinch of salt. Cook for 10 minutes from when it starts boiling.
Once cooked, take a fine-mesh strainer or, if you have a coarse one, line it with a tea towel or gauze and drain the quinoa. Then, while it’s still in the strainer, cool it with cold water to stop the cooking.
Transfer the quinoa to a bowl. Meanwhile, grate the vegetables:
julienne the carrots, zucchini, and all the other vegetables, and let them drain for a few moments in a strainer, or better yet, place them on a tea towel and squeeze it like a candy.
Once the quinoa and grated vegetables are ready, put them in a bowl
and add if you are vegan 7 oz of mashed boiled potatoes, or the 2 eggs.
Two tablespoons of Parmigiano or vegan cheese or even almond or soy cheese, 4 tablespoons of flour, and mix everything.
Adjust the consistency, which should be semi-soft. Therefore, depending on the water content of the vegetables, you should decrease or increase the flour.
Pan frying: Heat some extra virgin olive oil in a pan. I’m using extra virgin olive oil because it doesn’t reach very high temperatures and adds a bit of flavor since quinoa itself is almost tasteless.
Scoop the mixture and put it in the hot oil, cook for about two to three minutes per side until golden.
Then transfer the fritters onto paper towels and serve them hot or cold. A tip is to use balsamic glaze or spicy Chinese sauce to flavor them.
For oven baking: Preheat the oven to 374°F. Take the oven tray and line it with parchment paper.
Place the fritters by the spoonful on the tray at least 2 cm apart.
then bake for about 20 minutes.
for air frying spray oil on the parchment paper, place the fritters, and cook for 10 minutes at 392°F