Quinoa & Potato Croquettes

Here's another quinoa patty recipe from Cooking Light that's a little more tedious to make, but got rave reviews.

Serve this meatless main dish with coleslaw. Top with dollops of salsa and sour cream. If you can't find panko, use fresh breadcrumbs instead.

1 (10-ounce) baking potato

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided 
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 2 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1/2 cup 1% low-fat cottage cheese, drained 
• 3 tablespoons grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese 
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten 
• 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

• Pierce potato with a fork; place on paper towels in microwave oven. Microwave at high 5 minutes or until fork pierces potato easily, turning potato after 3 minutes. Wrap in a towel; let stand 5 minutes. Peel and mash potato.
• Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan; add quinoa and salt. Cook 15 minutes; drain.
• Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, cilantro, and jalapeño; sauté 1 minute. Add cumin, oregano, black pepper, and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Combine potato, quinoa, onion mixture, cottage cheese, and cheddar cheese in a bowl, stirring well. Let stand 5 minutes; stir in egg.
• Shape potato mixture into 10 patties. Carefully dredge each patty in panko. Place on a baking sheet. Cover and chill 10 minutes.
• Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in skillet over medium heat. Add 5 patties to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and patties.

Cooking Light
NOVEMBER 2002

Comment from reviewer:
These were time consuming, but oh so worth it! So delicious and easy to make. I topped them with drained (to thicken) non-fat yogurt (you could use greek yogurt too) and fresh diced tomato, perfect fresh and healthy topping to complement the starchy, crunchy flavor and texture. This would be a great make-ahead for company. Agree that you definitely need more oil. I will make these again and again.


Excellent! The potato/quinoa combination was lighter and fluffier than a normal potato pancake. I substituted Greek nonfat yogurt for the cottage cheese, and they held together well. Next time, I'm planning to include chopped green chile and Asadero cheese, for a slightly different flavor combo.