Baked Quinoa + Bean Patties With Healthy Ketchup

Posted by Hiba on Jan 04, 2015 in Recipes & Food

I have a confession: I love ketchup. When I was younger, I would have it with anything, even popcorn and rice. And while my penchant for everything ketchup has thankfully subsided, I still sometimes crave that unbeatable ketchup-y taste.

What is it about ketchup that makes it so irresistible? The answer, my friends, is yet again, umami – that mystical fifth taste we are hardwired to find so irresistible.

Healthy Ketchup for Adults

This recipe contains several umami ingredients: The dried tomatoes, red wine vinegar, tamari sauce (or soy sauce), onion and garlic. It also combines a mix of tastes: Salty (sun-dried tomatoes + tamari sauce), sweet (from the maple syrup), pungent (onion + garlic), sour (vinegar). The addition of allspice also adds complexity to this fusion of tastes. This makes for a very sophisticated, grown-up version of ketchup that kids will probably not like (sorry!). Play around with adding more or less of certain ingredients to find a balance you like – taste is very individual.

Ingredients:

20 sun-dried tomatoes (buy them in bags without oil)

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 onion, peeled

2 cloves garlic, peeled

2 tbsp maple syrup

1  tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp tamari sauce (or soy sauce)

1/2 tsp allspice or ground cumin if you don’t have allspice

3/4 cup water (more or less depending on how liquid you want it)

Method:

Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until it is smooth. Adjust seasoning to suit your taste. If you want a milder flavor, use less sun-dried tomatoes and replace with canned or fresh tomatoes.  Store in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 1 week. Makes 1 large jar.

Baked Quinoa + Bean Patties

These super quick and simple patties were inspired by Sweet Artichoke. They make about 12 medium sized patties.

You can store leftovers in the fridge for 1-2 days and reheat or eat them cold. I find they go especially well with the healthy ketchup recipe above and you can also serve them with a salad or vegetables. They also go well with hummus. The combination of quinoa and beans makes them a good source of protein.

Ingredients:

1 cup of cooked quinoa (learn how to cook quinoa here – soak it for at least 15 minutes before cooking and rinse well!)

1 cup of cooked white beans (or 1 can rinsed beans)

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp salt

a few grinds of pepper

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Combine cooked quinoa and white beans in a bowl and mash them using a potato masher. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine. Form patties and place on a baking tray with parchment paper. Place in the oven and cook for about 30 minute, until the patties are brown and firm.

Tips:

Save time by making a bigger batch of quinoa and keep in the fridge for several days to use in other meals such as a stir-fry like this one, by making it into a porridge in the morning or adding it to soups and smoothies to make them more consistent.

You can also peel several cloves of garlic at a time and store in a jar in the fridge.