I have been on a sriracha kick lately and happen to have found this recipe for these quinoa cakes with this great sounding rémoulade, and just had to give it a try. So glad I did as they were delicious! This recipe comes from Randy Clemens up and coming new vegan sriracha cookbook called, The Veggie-Lover's Sriracha Cookbook. This is the first recipe he is sharing from the book and you can find the original recipe here. His book will be ready to hit the shelves in the early part of July. You can also pre-order by clicking the book title link above. It will include 50 veggie loving recipes that will be based on fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes and beans...no fake meats...all will pack a punch with the sriracha chili sauce.
These were great quinoa cakes and the sauce was so flavorful! I started with a small amount of sriracha here but feel free to add as much as you like, or none at all. You may even like to add some spices to the quinoa cakes as these are really simple with minimal seasoning except for the salt and pepper. It's really all about the sauce in this dish. I didn't change up the recipe too much either except for subbing the vegan mayo base of the rémoulade to a cashew base (see note below).
Above are some of the simple vegetables for the quinoa cakes. I would suggest chopping your celery and bell pepper a little smaller than what I have here to help the patties stay formed. These were easy to put together, a little messy but once you do one or two you get the hang of it. I formed balls and flattened lightly, once on the griddle I pressed down with the spatula to flatten more.
Pair it all with some fresh steamed asparagus and you have yourself a wonderful meal. Artichokes would also be great with this. I can see dipping the leaves in this rémoulade sauce...mmm!
Cajun Quinoa Cakes + Lemon-Dill-Sriracha Rémoulade
Ingredients
Quinoa Cakes
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups vegetable stock or water
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/4 cup flour of choice + more as needed (I used GF oat flour)
- 1/2 red onion or 1 large shallot, diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- himalayan salt & freshly ground pepper
- olive oil for the skillet
Lemon-Dill-Sriracha Rémoulade
- 2/3 cups cashews* (preferably soaked for 2 -3 hours)
- 1/3 cup water + more as needed
- 1 tablespoon sriracha, + more to taste OR 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 heaping tablespoons fresh chopped dill
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- dash or two onion powder
- salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste
In small pot over medium high heat, add broth/water and quinoa, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Once done, remove cover, fluff with fork and let set for another 15 minutes to cool and absorb remaining water.
While the quinoa is cooling, start your flax egg by mixing the ground flax seed with 3 tablespoons water in a small bowl and set aside to thicken.
Prepare the rémoulade by placing all the ingredients in a blender/food processor, except the dill, and blend until smooth (the magic bullet is a perfect tool for this job). If your mixture is too wet add a few cashews and blend again...if too thick add 1 tablespoon water at time until desired consistency. Stir in the dill by hand. Taste for seasoning adding more of whatever you like. Cover and keep at room temp or place in the refrigerator until ready to use (I served mine at room temp). This can also be made a couple days in advance and kept in the refrigerator (will stay fresh for up to a five or six days).
On to the quinoa cakes, in a medium bowl, combine the quinoa, flax gel, flour, onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic. Mixture should be moist enough to stick together. Add additional flour or water, 1 -2 tablespoons at time if needed to adjust consistency. Taste for seasoning. Form into approx. 8 patties about 1/2 inch thick. (Patties can be made a day in advance and kept in the refrigerator.)
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In a large cast-iron skillet or non-stick pan/griddle over medium heat heat 2 teaspoons olive oil, add the patties and cook, until nicely browned on each side, about 4-5 minutes per side.
Keep finished quinoa cakes on a baking sheet in the preheated oven until all cakes are cooked. Serve the quinoa cakes with a nice dollop of rémoulade and pair with a steamed vegetable of choice. Serve immediately.
Notes:
* Feel free to use vegan mayo instead of cashews for this rémoulade. When making the rémoulade, replace the cashews and water with 1/2 - 3/4 cup vegan mayo. Mince your garlic and make sure zest of lemon is finely grated or minced. Combine ingredients in a small bowl and mix by hand.
The quinoa cakes can also be baked in the oven until golden brown and heated through on a lightly greased baking sheet at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, flipping once after the first 15 minutes.
Enjoy!