Greek Style Quinoa Patties With Tzatziki Sauce

Greek Style Quinoa Patties with Tzatziki

Ingredients

Makes 14 patties

Patties

½ onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

3 large handfuls / 5 oz / 150 gr baby spinach, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 ¼ cup / 6 oz / 170 gr cooked quinoa (you’ll need about ¾ cup uncooked quinoa)

4 egg whites (or 2 large eggs, lightly beaten)

½ cup / 2 oz / 55 gr crumbled feta

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

zest of 1 lemon

⅛ teaspoon fine grain sea salt

½ cup / 1.8 oz / 50 gr whole wheat bread crumbs

black pepper to taste

Tzatziki

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

½ teaspoon salt

1 container fat free Greek yogurt or prepared

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped

½ tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet with a thick bottom. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until all of the moisture from the spinach has boiled off. You’ll know you’re done when the spinach begins to stick to the pan. Transfer to a large bowl.

Add egg whites (or eggs), quinoa, feta, parsley, lemon zest, salt, black pepper and mix well. Finally, stir in the bread crumbs and let mixture sit for a couple of minutes to absorb the moisture.

Scoop one heaping tablespoon of the mixture and form 1-inch size patties.

Deglaze the pan you used for the spinach with ¼ cup of water, scraping any brown bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add patties leaving some room between each. Cover and cook for around 4 minutes or until the patties are browned.

With the help of a spatula, flip the patties and cook on the other side for 4 minutes. If there’s no browning, turn the heat up and cook until golden.

Remove from the skillet, cool on a wire while you cook the other patties.

In the meantime make the tzatziki. In a colander, toss together cucumbers and 1 teaspoon salt. Place colander in sink, press cucumbers to extract excess liquid. Transfer to a bowl; mix in yogurt, garlic, dill, mint, oil, lemon juice, and remaining teaspoon salt. Refrigerate before serving.

Serve patties warm with tzatziki sauce on the side.