We were going to be leaving for Yosemite tomorrow. It's sort of hard to believe that I have lived a bit less than a half-day's drive from the park my entire life and I've never been. We woke to the news of the National Park closures today, so we'll have to think of a plan B. Hugh has some work up there this weekend, so we'll know what to do once that gets figured. There is a pop-up tent on the roof of the car and a fridge full of food for the road so we'll certainly be going somewhere. I don't know if I ever craved wilderness until the last few years. I've always had ocean, and that fills me with inexplicable gratitude, but giant mountains and trees and waterfalls - a lady needs majesty like that every now and again. Both of us are a tad rusty on our rusticness, but the desire to be out in the wide open space and the trees is there, so we'll figure something out.
I made these patties with some items I had in the fridge. They are simple and intentionally simple-flavored as to be an addition anywhere you wish. I wanted these as a car snack, so I have a tupperware full with one little dish of this cilantro pesto and another of hummus for dipping. I like them on a pile of dark leafy greens or Hugh stuffed a couple in a pita for a handheld situation. I'll be trying one under a poached egg with hot sauce and avocado. You get the idea.
QUINOA CAULIFLOWER PATTIES // Makes 12
Barely adapted from Vegetarian Everyday
I try to make a dressing or two on days I'm cooking so I just have them on hand when I need a quick meal. I don't really have a recipe for the one pictured here, but it was a quick whiz in the food processor of garlic, tahini, lemon, chives, cilantro, olive oil and a teeny splash of white wine vinegar. If you're the measurement sort, it'd be something like the dressing here but double the tahini.
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets
- 4 eggs
- 6 scallions, white and green parts
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- sea salt and pepper
- 1 1/3 cup sheeps milk feta
- zest of one large or two small lemons
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped flat leaf parsley
- ghee, for cooking
Rinse the quinoa. Put the quinoa and 2 cups water in a medium pot. Bring it up to a boil, add a pinch of salt and pepper, turn it down to a simmer and cover and cook for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork, turn off the heat, set the lid ajar to rest.
In a food processor, pulse the cauliflower until it resembles cous cous. About 10-15 times.
In a large bowl, whisk the 4 eggs together well. Add the cauli cous cous to the eggs. Back to the processor (it's fine if it still has cauli crumbles, leave them), add the scallions and oats and pulse a few times to roughly chop. Add this to the egg bowl along with the cooked quinoa. Add a generous pinch of salt and pepper, the crumbled feta, lemon zest, chopped parsley and stir to mix well. Let the mixture rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Warm a nub of ghee in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat. Form the quinoa mixture into patties about 4'' wide and 1'' thick. Cook them for about 4 minutes on each side until just crisped, covering them after the flip to completely warm though. The patties will keep covered in the fridge for 3-4 days.
