Quinoa patties with avocado: gluten-free and antioxidant-rich recipe

Time:        prep. 10 mins
                  + soak & cool.
                  cook. 10 mins (quinoa)
                  + 10 mins (patties)
Difficulty: medium
Yields:      2 portions
Cost:         medium

A recipe for you, if you are looking for extra antioxidants and proteins. Especially in this period in which we are facing autumn, which means lower temperatures and sudden changes in weather, it would be a good idea to think about strengthening the body’s defenses in a more strategic way.
For this purpose I will not recommend the intake of supplements, but to include in your diet foods particularly rich in macro and micro-nutrients: proteins, good fats, dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
However, just eating quality food is not enough, you should also reduce the amount of “oxidants”, namely free radicals present in foods rich in fat, salt and simple sugars, such as those industrially produced.
So quinoa and avocado, besides being “compatriots” in origin, are also well balanced in terms of nutrients, when it comes to replacing meat. In the recipe for vegan and gluten-free quinoa meatballs I explained in detail the nutritional quality of quinoa, while in the article titled All About Avocado I talked about almost every aspect of the green gold. And using them together was just a natural consequence for a lover of healthy cooking.
But there’s another point that needs to be emphasized: the recipe for quinoa patties with avocado, if made with awareness could also become sustainable, as well as economical, in addition to being delicious and healthy.

But how? Just use domestic or at the very limit continental quinoa; and avocados should come from domestic and/or continental plantations – in case of the northern hemisphere countries from October to May.

And in the summer? It’s simple, next winter remember to store your avocados in the freezer, as I recommended you to do in this article.
 

Ingredients for the quinoa patties with avocado

8 tablespoons of quinoa (to be soaked and cooked with veggie broth, then cooled)
1 egg
1 tablespoon chickpea flour or buckwheat flour or other of your choice
1 garlic clove or ½ onion, finely chopped
½ ripe avocado, squeezed with lemon
1 tablespoon of parsley and/or basil
salt, pepper to taste
extravergin olive oil for cooking

Directions

First of all you should cook quinoa, but to do this you must first soak it: to know why I suggest you to read the advice reported in this other recipe.
Once washed, soaked and cooked quinoa, it should be cooled well: this is in order to prepare nice and firm meatballs, otherwise it would be a rather “sticky” operation.
In a large bowl, combine the quinoa with the other ingredients (you may need some more flour), except for the avocado; the latter will be mashed with a fork in another bowl, immediately adding some lemon juice so that it does not oxidize while waiting.
Mix this meatless meatball mixture well to create a homogeneous texture.
In the meantime, put a non-stick frying pan with evo oil on the stove. Then quickly shape the patties with your hands, hollowing out the center of each one and filling the void with little avocado puree: the size of an olive.
Place the quinoa patties with avocado in the hot pan and begin to shape the others.
After about 5 minutes flip them with the help of a spatula; another 5-6 minutes of cooking, and the fantastic quinoa patties with avocado will be ready to be served at the table.
These patties can also be cooked in the oven: at 180°C for about 20 minutes, using a well oiled oven dish, or lined with baking paper.
 

Smart combos

If you too love grilled zucchini as a side dish, then I recommend cutting 2 of them into not-so-thin slices, to be cooked with a little oil and fresh herbs either in the quinoa-ball pan, or baked in the oven in case you chose this option.
To take advantage of their crunchiness, about 5-7 minutes will be more than enough time, since zucchini can also be eaten raw; then flip the sides after 2-3 minutes on high heat; finish cooking with some salt and coarsely chopped herbs. Serve the zucchini with the quinoa patties with avocado, and bring to the table along with a salad bowl overflowing with omega-3: that is, purslane enriched with lemon juice and figs, or other fruit in season: so as to increase the bioavailability of iron in quinoa(*).

As always enjoy your patties and good revolution to all

Bibliography:
(*) IL FERRO: COME TENERLO SOTTO CONTROLLO SENZA CARNE E INTEGRATORI, AYCA BASAK BARTU – CHE FOOD REVOLUTION, 2020

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