The other night we needed dinner. In fact we need dinner every night. But on this night, we had just returned from a weekend of over indulgence and rather heavy foods. I decided to make the golden beets I had in the fridge, and in the process of looking for something a bit new to dress them with, I came across this croquette recipe in Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone. They are lovely guys which I served about the size of a big hamburger patty. You could make them smaller as an appetizer or snack very easily. Many sauces would be a fabulous accent – but they are satisfying and tasty – easy to enjoy! I served them with golden beets topped with Parsley-Caper sauce along side beet greens.

Ingredients:

• 10 oz. potatoes (about 1 large russet or 2 medium)
• 1/3 c. quinoa
• 1/4 c. onion (I used red, you could use any onion or leek)
• 2 t. paprika (I used 1 t. spice, 1 t. sweet)
• 1 t. ground coriander
• 1 t. ground cumin
• 1/2 t. dried oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 – 1/2 c. chopped parsley
• 1 egg
• 1/3 c. mashed tofu
• bread crumbs

1. Peel potatoes then steam for about 10 minutes until tender. Mash with fork.
2. At the same time bring 2/3 c. of water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt then add the quinoa. Cover & lower the heat to a simmer. Let cook about 15 minutes until water is absorbed. (Note: when quinoa cooks, a tiny spiral appears that encircles the grain. This is perfectly normal and should be expected.) Combine quinoa with mashed potatoes.
3. Sauté the onion in a small skillet over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add spices including oregano. Stir well, it will be very dry now. Continue to cook and stir until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minutes. Add mixture to potatoes and mix well.
4. Beat egg in a bowl. Combine with mashed tofu and parsley. Stir into potato mixture.
5. Separate the mixture into four large patties, or eight smaller ones, and shape into patties. Coat each patty lightly with bread crumbs.
6. Heat a non-stick pan over med to med-high. Generously add grapeseed (or canola) oil and bring to temp. When hot, add the croquettes – do not crowd – and cook on both sides until nicely browned.