Mexican Quinoa Cakes With Avocado Tomato Salsa And Lime Cream Food

MEXICAN QUINOA CAKES WITH AVOCADO-TOMATO SALSA AND LIME CREAM

Steps:

• For the quinoa cakes: Break up the kidney beans slightly with a fork in a medium bowl. Add the quinoa, bell pepper, onion, garlic, lime juice, chili powder, eggs and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Mix together with your hands or a fork until evenly combined.
• Heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat until hot. Working in batches, add 1/3-cup scoops of the batter to form 4-inch quinoa cakes and cook until golden brown on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently flip with a spatula and cook until golden brown on the other side and the quinoa cakes are cooked through and no longer sticky inside, 2 minutes. Add more oil, as necessary, to cook the remaining quinoa cakes.
• Meanwhile, make the salsa.
• For the tomato-avocado salsa: Stir together the tomato, avocado and cilantro in a small bowl. Add the lime juice, a drizzle of olive oil and tiny drizzle of honey. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. (See Cook's Note.)
• For the lime cream: Stir together the yogurt and lime juice in a small bowl. (See Cook's Note.)
• Serve the quinoa cakes topped with the avocado-tomato salsa and dollop with the lime cream.

CHICKEN, AVOCADO CREAM AND QUINOA SALAD-IN-A-JAR

Steps:

• Make the quinoa: Bring the quinoa and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and gently simmer until the quinoa is tender (the little tails will pop out) and most of the water is absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain off any excess water. Stir in the cilantro, scallions, oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Serve warm or at room temperature. (The quinoa can be cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Microwave just enough to take the chill off, about 2 minutes, stirring about halfway through.)
• Make the avocado cream: Process or blend the avocado, sour cream, Parmesan, lime juice, 1 to 2 tablespoons water, cayenne and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy.
• If the corn still has a chill, microwave it for about 1 minute.
• Assemble the salads: Using four 16-ounce wide-mouthed glass jars with lids, divide the quinoa evenly among the jars, then add the following in separate layers: the corn, chicken, salsa, avocado cream and pepitas. Pack the crushed tortilla chips (about 1/4 cup per salad) and lime wedges in separate small containers for transporting.
• Just before serving, transfer the jarred ingredients to a large bowl, add the tortilla chips and a squeeze of lime juice and toss.

TOMATO & AVOCADO SALSA

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine the onion, chilli, tomatoes, lime and vinegar with some seasoning and mix well. Can be made a few hours in advance and kept in the fridge. When you're ready to eat, peel, stone and chop the avocados and add them to the salsa mix along with the coriander. Serve immediately.

CHICKEN CAKES WITH AVOCADO MAYONNAISE AND TOMATO SALSA

Steps:

• Mayonnaise:.
• Roughly chop the avocado and place into your food processor with the mayo, a pinch of salt and pepper and process on high until smooth.
• Remove from the food processor, place in a bowl and cover the surface with cling wrap.
• Salsa:.
• Combine the tomato, onion, parsley, lemon juice, a pinch of salt and pepper and mix.
• Mix in a touch of olive oil and set aside.
• Chicken:.
• Preheat oven to 180 (350 fahrenheit).
• Cook the bacon in a large heavy based pan, until soft.
• Add the onion and chilli pepper and continue to cook a couple of minutes, (do not allow onion or bacon to brown), remove from heat and allow to cool.
• If using whole thigh meat, chop the chicken up roughly and place into your food processor and process until completely minced.
• Place chicken, contents of pan, egg, lemon zest and thyme into food processor and process until all combined.
• If mixture is very wet add all the bread crumbs, if only slightly wet add a little less.
• Add a pinch of salt and pepper and process once again.
• The mixture should appear slightly oily and shiny when done.
• Wet your hands and roll small handful size balls of the mix (slightly larger for main course), then press slightly flat.
• In a non stick fry pan add a liberal splash of olive oil and cook 1-2 minutes per side over med-high heat.
• Once all the cakes have been seared, transfer to the oven for a few minutes while you organise the serving plates.

AVOCADO TOMATO SALSA

Steps:

• In a medium bowl mix together the ingredients.
• Allow to stand while preparing the remainder of the meal.

AVOCADO SALSA

Steps:

• Halve, pit, and peel avocados.
• Chop avocados fine and in a bowl stir together with remaining ingredients.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Best served at room temperature.
• May be made up to 4 hours early, covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated.