Salmon Cakes with Quinoa Pilaf

I’ve been on the gluten free train for a while now… but let me tell you, it can get boring! And I miss bread! But sometimes just it just takes trying a new recipe and experimenting in the kitchen to get my brain back on the gluten free track! This Salmon Cakes with Quinoa Pilaf is just such a recipe for me!

Let me tell you, This is the perfect dinner for my little family, plus leftovers for dinner during the week! You know… when I forget to cook until I’m SO HUNGRY!

Salmon Cakes with Quinoa Pilaf

For the Salmon Cakes:

1 lb. Salmon fillets, skinless, about 4 (4 oz.) fillets
4 fat cloves of Garlic, crushed and roughly chopped
½ cup of packed, Cilantro/Parsley/Dill leaves (or any fresh herb of choice)
1 tablespoon of Spicy Brown or Dijon Mustard
2 tsp of Old Bay Seasoning
1 lightly beaten Egg
¼ cup of Chickpea Flour or Arrowroot Flout or Gluten-free Breadcrumbs
Canola, Vegetable, Peanut or Olive Oil to shallow fry

For the Quinoa Pilaf:

1 cup of raw, uncooked Quinoa
2 cloves of thinly sliced or minced Garlic a small piece, around
1″ of Ginger, very finely minced or grated (optional)
½ of diced Onion ½ cup of diced Mushroom
½ cup or diced Red Bell Pepper
½ cup of frozen Peas, thawed Coconut or Olive oil
3 tablespoon ¼ cup of dried Cranberries (optional)
¼ cup of Toasted Nuts (Cashew/Walnuts/Pecans/Almonds)
1/4 cup (optional) Salt to taste

Instructions:

For the Salmon Cakes:

1. Wash and pat dry the salmon fillet. There should be no moisture left.

2. In a food processor, combine the salmon fillet, garlic, mustard, fresh herb of choice and the Old Bay Seasoning. The Old Bay seasoning had enough salt and you do not need any extra salt.

3. Pulse the above ingredients to get a coarse texture. We do not want a paste. Little chunky stuff is all we need. While pulsing stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl, so that all the ingredients are incorporated thoroughly.

4. Remove the salmon-herb mixture into a large bowl, add the lightly beaten egg and the chickpea flour. Use your hands to mix everything. If the mixture is still soft and difficult to form patties, add a little more chickpea flour. Chickpea flour acts as the binding agent. Arrowroot powder or gluten-free bread crumbs can be used instead.

5. Make equal sized patties out of the fish mixture.

6. Heat about 2 tablespoon oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Pan sear (in batches) it on both sides. Five minutes on the first side and three minutes on the other. We don’t want to over cook them.

7. Serve with Quinoa Pilaf

For the Quinoa Pilaf:

1. Give the quinoa a good rinse to get off ‘saponin’ which coats the seed and is responsible for the bitter and soapy after taste of quinoa. In a pot combine 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water and cook it on medium heat. Stir it from time to time. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat, cover it and cook for another 15 minutes. Take it off the heat, and let it stand for about 10 minutes – still covered. By now the grains should have absorbed all the liquid. Fluff it using a fork. Keep aside

2. In a wide pan or wok, heat up the oil, over medium heat. Once hot and shimmering, add the garlic and the ginger and fry till they are slightly golden and aromatic.

3. Now add the diced onions.

4. Once the onions are golden brown, add the diced mushrooms, bell pepper and thawed peas. Cook till the veggies are slightly soft yet there is a slight crunch. Add salt.

5. Once the veggies are seasoned, add the cooked quinoa. Toss it with the veggies to mix completely. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes on low heat. This will let the grains absorb the flavors of the veggies.

6. Uncover and give a final toss. Add a handful of dried cranberries and some toasted nuts for some added sweetness and crunch. This is an optional/

7. Serve warm with Salmon Cakes

Now if you’re lucky, you’ve got some left over to save and put away for later! And the best way to save this Salmon Cakes with Quinoa Pilaf recipe for lunch is in a Reynolds™ Disposable Heat & Eat container! Seriously! These things are brilliant! Plus they cut down on gross lunch dishes that you have to bring home at the end of the work day.

Please tell me that I am not the only one that has forgotten good portable dishes in a lunch bag for FAR too long! That stuff is nasty, and if it wasn’t in the GOOD dishes, you’d just throw it out… WELL fret no more about those icky dishes!

Reynolds™ Disposable Heat & Eat containers are here to save the day! Check these out for yourself by picking up a pack to try!  You can find these awesome Reynolds™ Disposable Heat & Eat Containers at your local Walmart store in the food storage aisle. And you save $1.00 on one pack of Reynolds™ Disposable Heat & Eat containers.

Whats your favorite recipe to take as “Leftover” lunch?