Cajun Quinoa Cakes + Lemon-Dill Remoulade
Cajun Quinoa Cakes are a delicious vegan twist on crab cakes with an amazing creamy sriracha rémoulade!
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 40 min
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: Makes 8 crab cakes 1x
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Cajun, American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Quinoa Cakes
- 1 cup dried quinoa
- 1 3/4 cup vegetable broth or water
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
- 3 tablespoon water
- 1/4 cup flour of choice + more as needed (I used GF oat flour)
- 1/2 red onion or 1 large shallot, diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 ribs of celery, diced
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons old bay, optional
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 cloves garlic, minced
- himalayan salt & pepper, to taste
- 1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil, for the skillet
Lemon-Dill-Sriracha Rémoulade
- 2/3 cups raw cashews* (preferably soaked for 2 –3 hours)
- 1/3 cup water + more as needed
- 1 tablespoon sriracha, + more to taste OR 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 small clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 1 lemon, juice and a little zest
- dash or two onion powder
- salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
Quinoa: In small pot over medium high heat, add broth/water and quinoa, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Once done, remove cover, fluff with a fork and let set for another 15 minutes to cool and absorb remaining water.
Flax egg: While the quinoa is cooling, start your flax egg by mixing the ground flax seed with 3 tablespoons water in a small bowl and set aside to thicken, at least 10 minutes for best results.
Rémoulade: Place all ingredients in a blender/food processor, except the dill, and blend until smooth (the Nutri Bullet is a perfect tool for this job). If your mixture is too thin add a few cashews and blend again, and if too thick add 1 tablespoon water at a time until desired consistency. Stir in the dill by hand. Taste for seasoning adding more of whatever you like. Cover and keep at room temp or place in the refrigerator until ready to use (I served mine at room temp). This can also be made a couple days in advance and kept in the refrigerator (will stay fresh for up to 5 – 6 days).
Quinoa Cakes: In a medium bowl, combine quinoa, flax egg, flour, onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic. Mixture should be moist enough to stick together. Add additional flour or water, 1 -2 tablespoons at a time if needed to adjust consistency. Taste for seasoning. Scoop up 1/4 – 1/3 cup of mixture and form into a ball, pack them well while forming into a ball. Gently flatten to about 1/2 inch and pinch any cracks that appear on the sides and tops. (Patties can be made a day in advance and kept in the refrigerator.) Be patient and rinse your hands after forming each patty, it will be a bit messy for the first few until you get the hang of it.
Cook: Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In a skillet or shallow pan, heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil over medium heat, add 4 patties and cook, until nicely browned on each side, about 4 – 5 minutes per side. Repeat until all patties are cooked. Keep finished quinoa cakes on a baking sheet in the preheated oven until all cakes are cooked. (see notes for baked option)
Serve the quinoa cakes with a nice dollop of rémoulade and pair with a steamed vegetable of choice. Would be great with vegan mac and cheese, coleslaw or sweet corn & arugula salad too.
Makes 8 – 9 patties, serves 4
Store: Patties can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
Remoulade: Feel free to use vegan mayo instead of cashews for the rémoulade. Replace the cashews and water with 1/2 – 3/4 cup vegan mayo. Mince the garlic and make sure zest of lemon is finely grated or minced. Combine ingredients in a small bowl and mix by hand.
Baked Vegan Crab Cakes: The quinoa cakes can also be baked in the oven until golden brown and heated through on a lightly greased baking sheet at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, flipping once after the first 15 minutes.