Lemon Basil Quinoa Cakes

At the risk of confusing those of you who surmised this is a blog about travelling and eating new things, I am going to post an actual recipe.  I know, I know, posting a recipe with an iphone photo (and an Instagram'd one at that, blegh!) is so lame.  I'm not even trying, right?  Well, give me a chance to explain how it goes down:  I start cooking.  I don't photograph the beginning because my kitchen is messy and poorly lit and who knows if this thing will even turn out well.  I keep working on it.  And then it's done.  "Damn, that looks pretty good," I say aloud to no one (let's pretend Idris isn't home for story-telling purposes).  I take a bite.  Oh my god, it's actually delicious.  I can't believe how insanely delicious it is.  I have to show the world, so I turn to Instagram.  I consider taking out the camera and snapping a decent photograph.  Oh wait, I just ate them ALL.

So yes, dear readers, that's usually how things go down in my kitchen.  The night of these quinoa cakes was no different.  This recipe was heavily inspired by Joy the Baker's lemon olive parsley quinoa cakes, except: I used basil instead of parsley, omitted the olives altogether, used a mixture of yellow onion and spring onion, and doubled the salt.  Also, these quinoa cakes need some dipping sauce action.  I made one out of yogurt, lemon juice, and a little basil pesto.

These quinoa cakes were light, flavorful, and incredibly easy.  Give them a try, whether the instructions come from me, Joy, or Heidi, and you will not regret it.


Springtime Lemon Basil Quinoa Cakes with Basil Lemon Yogurt Sauce
adapted from Joy the Baker adapted from Heidi Swanson


3 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 bunch spring onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes
4 large eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon water (optional)
olive oil for frying sautéing

1 cup yogurt (I prefer a Greek-style or strained yogurt, for thickness)
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon basil pesto

For the quinoa cakes, mix all ingredients except the eggs, water, and olive oil together in a large mixing bowl.  When the mixture is well incorporated, add in the beaten eggs.  If the mixture doesn't feel wet enough, go ahead and add the water.  Coat your cast-iron pan or frying pan of choice with olive oil and cook these bad boys for about 5 minutes per side.  You want to cook these on heat that is high enough for them to brown nicely but low enough so the inside actually cooks.  Put the quinoa cakes onto a paper towel-lined plate for drainage.

Mix the yogurt, lemon juice, and basil pesto.  Season as desired.

Serve the quinoa cakes with the yogurt sauce.

Karlynn's Incredible Blueberry Scones

I don't know why, but for many years scones and I did not get along. I don't know if it's just that I was consistently introduced to bad scones or what, but I always found them dry and lackluster. I'm not sure what changed, me or the scones, but within the last year or two I've fallen in love. There is just something about that perfect, buttery, crumbly pastry that brings a big, silly grin to the face, especially when accompanied by a cup of steaming coffee or tea.

The wife of one of my favorite professors passed away recently. Last week I wanted to do something nice for him and I decided on making scones. Karlynn's looked perfect, plus her step-by-step method was really helpful because this was my first scone-making experience. I stayed up late making them and even suffered a small burn on my arm! Lo and behold, the next day I arrived at school only to realize I had forgotten them at home. I was pretty disappointed at first, but then I started eating them, and after a couple, I felt muuch better. Yes, these scones are that good. I'll definitely be remaking them this weekend to actually give away this time.

I could post her recipe here, but her step-by-step photos are so darn nice, you should really get the recipe there: The Kitchen Magpie: Best Scones Ever.

Sesame Chicken Satay

So I have a really terrible confession to make. Dear reader, I implore you: don't judge me. Surely I'm not the only one out there with this uncurable vice...Well anyway, I am addicted to the Food Network. There, I said it. It's true, I had no access to it while in France, but now that I'm back this addiction is raging hardcore. I find myself constantly checking the clock to see if it's time for Barefoot Contessa with the classy and fabulous Ina Garten or Boy Meets Grill with the adorable and inventive Bobby Flay. Even annoying Rachael Ray doesn't seem so bad when she's whipping up something with some semblance of interestingness. I mean look, this addiction hasn't been all bad. On some level, food TV can be educational and I know my culinary knowledge has (sort of?) expanded because of it. At the very least, I'm constantly seeing different, (mostly) new recipes. Because I see so many, the final product has to look really pretty darn good for me to make note of it and try it later. The one I'm sharing with you today is REALLY good, I promise.

Unfortunately though, the Food Network falls prey to the same system that runs the rest of the TV world: being slaves to ratings. New shows are constantly popping up and before you get a chance to make up your mind about them, they're already out the window. One that I actually enjoyed was Party Line with the Hearty Boys, a show in which two caterors shared some of their favorite recipes for big parties. I thought it was cool having two hosts (instead of the usual one) who actually managed to share the screen well instead of looking like a pair of bumbling idiots. One of my favorite recipes they shared which I have made many times since seeing the episode is their Sesame Chicken Satay. It seems annoying because it has so many ingredients, but all you have to do is dump them all in the food processor and you have a really delicious sauce.

When I saw that the ingredient of the month for Sunita's Think Spice event was sesame, I knew I had to submit this favorite. While the recipe recommends using the leftover sauce as a dipping sauce, I've found more creamy sauces add a refreshing touch (once I served it with plain labneh--delicious!). Find out more about this event at Sunita's World.

Sesame Chicken Satay

from Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh

makes 50 pieces

1 cup rice wine vinegar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Sesame oil
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
25 chicken tenders, halved on the bias
1/2 cup chopped scallions, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves, plus 1 tablespoons for garnish
1/4 cup sesame seeds, for garnish
6-inch bamboo skewers

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine vinegar, peanut butter, soy sauce, vegetable oil, sesame oil, to taste, sugar and ginger in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until smooth. Toss 1 1/2 cups of the peanut butter mixture with the chicken tenders in a bowl until the chicken is well coated. Spread the chicken out in a baking pan in a single layer. Bake until the tenders are firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Let cool.

Thread a skewer into each tender. Arrange on a platter and garnish with sesame seeds and chopped herbs. Put the remaining sauce into a small bowl and serve.

Goodbye Nice Dinner: Roasted Red Pepper Dip with Pita Chips, Roasted Carrots, and Mushroom Risotto

I have less than a week left in Nice, ah! How did this 10 months go by so fast? I feel like I just posted the series of photos from my first month in France, and now I'm thinking about the best way to wrap up my time here. Last night, for what may be the last time in this appartment, my friends came over for a nice, big dinner. I wanted to create a meal that was chock-full of fresh vegetables and bold flavors. We ended up having a really nice dinner, made even nicer by the fantastic company, of course.

Dragon's Roasted Red Pepper, Garlic and White Bean Dip with Herb Toasted Pita Chips

This was so so so delicious, I will be definately be making it again. I served it with the pita chips below, but this afternoon enjoyed the leftover dip with leftover carrots--fantastic!

Herb Toasted Pita Chips

Oven-Roasted Carrots, sprinkled with (covered in?) parsley

Jess's Mushroom Risotto

The amount of flavor this packed was incredible! I am definately a lover of risotto in all shapes and forms, but this one is particularly good. The recipe uses one of my favorite tips for risotto: adding in a couple of spoons of marscarpone cheese at the end! The healthy dose of fresh parsley also made this particularly fantastic.