Chile Relleno Quinoa Cakes

“Two chile relleno burritos with avocado, please.”
That is my friends order, without fail, each time we go to Casa de Torta (our favorite burrito place in town). What you get is a gooey green chile filled with cheese, nested on beans, and wrapped up in a flour tortilla. There is possibly nothing more delicious.

While doing that thing I do, which basically entails surfing around on the internet looking at vegetarian foodstuffs, I came across this recipe for Chile Relleno Quinoa bites over at Petite Kitchenesse, and if the picture wasn’t enough to reel me in the oddity of the ingredients did the trick. I love spicy foods, and cheese, and had never had qunioa before but have been dying to try it since it seems to be the new crave. (I also have some kale in the fridge, while we’re on the subject of food bandwagons, that I can’t wait to cook)

These qunioa cakes were easy to make, and filling. The slight crunch of the quinoa mixed with the creaminess of polenta paired well together.  And the poblano peppers lended a nice hand to the party.

Ingredients:

For the cakes
1 cup Quinoa (plus 1 1/2 cup water for cooking)
1 cup Polenta (or yellow cornmeal, plus 1 cup water for cooking)
3 Roasted poblano peppers, skinned and diced
1 jalapeno pepper
2 cups shredded Asadero cheese
1/4 cup tomato sauce (or puree)
1 egg
1/4 cup diced red onion
panko breadcrumbs (for binding)
salt/pepper

For the sauce
2 cups tomato sauce (or puree)
2 roasted jalapeno peppers (peeled)
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 small onion diced
salt/pepper

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 450 F
2. Rub olive oil to coat poblanos and jalapenos
3. Place peppers on baking sheet and place in oven until skins blacken, turning occasionally.
4. When peppers have roasted place them in a ziploc bag and let them steam for 10 minutes. run them under cold water to easily remove skin. Dice and set aside
5. Bring Pot water for Quinoa, as well as another saucepan for the polenta to a boil.
6. Add polenta and quinoa.
7. salt/pepper to taste
8.  Reduce both pots to a simmer until water is absorbed, stirring occasionally.
9. Transfer quinoa and polenta to a bowl and blend.
10. mix in all remaining ingredients for the cakes except for breadcrumbs and combine.
11. add breadcrumbs until mixture is more pliable
12. form into cakes and place on greased/lined baking sheet
13. bake 40-45 minutes or until cakes are browned and crispy

Dipping sauce

1. While cakes are in oven sautee onion, garlic, and jalapeno stirring frequently until onion is translucent.
2. add in tomato sauce
3. salt/pepper to taste
4. Cover and simmer until cakes are done.

I had some trouble finding polenta in my grocery store that wasn’t already in the precooked log form. Turns out cornmeal is an interchangeable word for polenta. Good thing, too, because a package of cornmeal is much cheaper

make sure to serve these puppies while they’re warm.

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