Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Cakes (& Mushroom Cakes too...)

So I cooked last week.  A lot. I felt like the old me... spending lots of time in the kitchen while little Dylan looked on. One of the best recipes I made was Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Cakes.  They were fun, different and an interesting use of Quinoa that I haven't seen before.

 So they key to making this a Quick Fix Meal is to prep ahead.  The night before I made the Quinoa and Sautéed 2 small chicken thighs. The next day the meal came together wicked fast. (Yes, I wrote wicked - it's part of my vocabulary!)

I loved the subtle spice of the buffalo sauce mixed with the tasty pops of quinoa.  I served this with a salad with feta and sautéed mushrooms but it would be great with celery and carrot sticks on the side.  And blue cheese or Ranch dressing if you're into that sort of thing.  Me, though, I'm scared of white creamy dressings so I stay away.  And there was enough flavor in these cakes that you didn't need extra dressing. Trust me!  My husband though, is a dipper so he served these up with Ranch dressing.

• Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Cakes
• Adapted from Closet Cooking
• Ingredients
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup chicken, cooked and shredded (I used 2 small chicken thighs)
• 1/4 cup hot sauce or to taste
• 1/4 cup onion, finely diced
• 1/2 cup cheddar, shredded
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• salt and pepper to taste
• oil for frying
• Instructions
• (Prep ahead method- cook quinoa the night before- add 1/2 cup of quinoa to 1 cup of broth and let simmer until cooked about 15 minutes.  Also cook and shred/chop the chicken thighs)
• Mix the cooked quinoa with the chicken, hot sauce, onion, cheddar cheese, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, adding more panko and another egg if needed. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Form patties and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 4-6 minutes per side, and set aside on paper towels to drain.

So... I actually cooked up about a cup of quinoa so I had extra to spare.  And because I had a ginormous container of portobello mushrooms, I cooked those up to add to my side salad.  But then I thought... what if I update my favorite Mushroom Cakes?   I first made these in January of 2010 and loved them.  So to the food processor I added sautéed mushrooms, garlic, dried basil and mozzarella cheese.  Then I mixed that with an egg or two, panko and the rest of the quinoa.  Seasoned that up with salt and pepper and browned them up in a hot skillet like the buffalo cakes.  I added a guacamole on top. Not the best picture but these cakes were super delicious- and fast!

So two quick, delicious, very different kinds of quinoa cakes.  A fun, creative twist on fritters!