Quinoa Fritters

I just got this idea as something new to do with quinoa and googled it.  Yeah, it's a thing.

Really, all fritters are is leftovers held together with eggs and breadcrumbs then fried.  I went to the special effort of making these from scratch, but that is not necessary.  You can make these out of pretty much any odds and ends in the crisper and leftover quinoa.

This is the first time I've bought green onions since spring.  I used the last one out of the scrap garden and had to buy another bunch.  These will get replanted as well.  Not bad, making a dollar's worth of onions last six months.  The celery is doing so well that I've had to trim it back several times and turn those stalks into mulch.  Better than wasting them entirely.  Almost makes up for getting a single eggplant out of six plants this summer.

*1 C dry quinoa
*4 eggs
4 green onions, finely chopped
*1/4 C breadcrumbs or matzoh meal (optional, but it helps hold things together)
*1 C shredded mozzarella
*1/4 C chopped cilantro
*1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying

1.  Cook quinoa according to package directions.  In some cases, this will involve soaking and/or rinsing the quinoa.  Don't skip this step, or it could upset your stomach.  Many foods have minor toxins that can be neutralized by proper washing and cooking, so don't freak out.  Drain the cooked quinoa.  This step can be done a day ahead.

2.  In a bowl, whisk the eggs.  Whisk in onions, breadcrumbs, cheese, cilantro, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Fold in cooked quinoa.  Allow mixture to sit while you prepare the sauce.  (see below)

3.  Heat 1/4" of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Drop mounds of quinoa about 3 Tb into hot oil.  All the recipes I read agreed that small fritters cooked most evenly and didn't fall apart.  1/4 cup should be the largest attempted.

4.  Cook fritters in oil until a medium brown, about 4 minutes.  Flip and cook the other side until it matches.  Drain on paper towels.  Add more oil to the pan when it starts to get dry and allow it to come up to temperature before adding more mixture, or the fritters will turn greasy.

Yogurt Sauce

*1/2 C yogurt (regular or Greek)
1/2 cucumber, peeled and grated
*1/2 tsp lemon zest
*1/4 tsp dill weed
salt and white pepper to taste

1.  Whisk all ingredients together, then taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.  If too salty, add a little lemon juice to cut it.

2.  Serve hot fritters with a generous amount of yogurt sauce

Makes about 24

Difficulty rating  :)