Wild Rice & Quinoa Cakes
I was given a very thoughtful gift this Christmas. It was a basket of Manitoba food products. The one that I was most excited about was the organic wild rice from Horseshoe Lake. The lake is located in an isolated area in central Eastern Manitoba in the pre-Cambrian shield. We used to holiday at Nutimik Lake in the Whiteshell, so the rugged rocky landscape and the pristine lakes are familiar to me. I learned that the company has been a family run business for over 50 years and that owner Gus Carlson built one of the very first Manitoba wild rice processing plants.
Wild rice is low in calories and fat, and high in protein and natural fibre. It also contains a wide variety of minerals and vitamins such as riboflavin and niacin. I decided to punch up the protein even more by adding quinoa to the recipe and was very happy with the results. The texture of the rice and therefore the cake is firm and chewy and the rice retains a nutty quality. When mixed with celery, green onions and minced ginger the result is a complex combination of flavours. If you think that the ginger might be too much of a surprise, try switching in out with lots of chopped garlic.
- 1 c cooked quinoa
- 1 c cooked wild rice
- 2 eggs
- ½ c whole wheat flour
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 3 green onions, finely chopped
- 1 " piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
- ¼ c chopped pecans
- canola oil for frying
- Throw everything in a bowl and mix thoroughly (I used my hands).
- Scoop out using a shallow measuring cup that will create the patty shape.
- I used a flat no-stick grill that I sprayed with canola oil but more oil would create an even crispier texture.
- Cook on one side on a hot grill about five minutes.
- Press down with a egg lifter to flatten the patty even further before flipping.
- Cook on second side until they reach desired crispiness.
- Serve with regular or no-fat sour cream.
Kath’s quote: “rice is the best, the most nutritive and unquestionably the most widespread staple in the world.” –Escoffier
Love-that is all.
