I churned this quinoa cakes recipe out of my kitchen on the eve of my departure for Kenya. My bag had yet to be packed, my hair was in a towel, and my apartment looked like tornado alley in June. But somehow in between digging through drawers for safari pants and searching desperately for my yellow fever card, I decided it would be a good idea to clean out my fridge the hard way. By baking something.
Charlie and I have taken some pretty big and epic trips this past year. Our shared travel bug has certainly tested the fortitude of our relationship in the face of long plane rides and inhospitable Cambodian customs agents, and also that of our intestines in the face of even less hospitable foreign pathogens.
In the process, Charlie has become very intimately acquainted with what happens to my mood and mental capacities when I go a few hours without eating. This hangriness gets amplified in international waters and especially in foreign airspace. On our 21 hour flight to Vietnam, as Charlie chowed down on bowl after bowl of delicious Cathay ramen, my stomach was eating itself. This was, in fact, a more appetizing option than eating the special gluten-free meal I was served—a limp chicken breast over rice with three spears of broccoli (no sauce).
To save Charlie from a repeat of the near meltdown that ensued in the Hong Kong airport after so few calories and hours of sleep, I decided for our marathon Kenya air travel, I was going to be prepared.
I’m always in awe when I see healthy bloggers on instagram showing off their perfectly pre-portioned homemade food on airplanes. And I try not to actively hate them. But I’m also usually not together enough to ever do this. It’s hard to worry about finding a non-toxic Tupperware container for your marinated kale salad when your flight is in 2 hours and you just realized that you only have 2 pairs of clean underwear for a 10-day trip.
But our Kenya travels were going to be different, I decided.
That afternoon, the universe spoke to me via Heidi Swanson. Her newsletter hit my inbox and in it was her favorite perfectly pre-portioned plane snack: quinoa cakes. Having stalked her travel posts in the past, I know that Heidi wears a lot of linen, which might make her just as supernatural outside the kitchen as in. Gluten-free is one thing, but wrinkle-free on an airplane? That’s beyond my pay grade.
Back to the task that was at hand: I had the quinoa. I had the eggs. I had a bunch of random vegetables that would not survive my absence for two weeks. So despite my extreme lack of preparation on all other fronts, I set off to make this quinoa cakes recipe the night before my flight.
I omitted the cheese and roasted up sweet potatoes and broccoli for the filling. Since I was rushing, I also skipped putting parchment strips on the bottom of each muffin cup, which turned out to be a big mistake. But the resulting cakes, once I got them out of the tins, were browned and delicious.
After I spent some more time trying to locate an appropriate Tupperware container (not non-toxic), I was so excited to be guaranteed a good, healthy gluten-free meal after take-off. I knew Charlie would be relieved too to know that I was sufficiently covered on the food front for 72 hours and therefore 50 percent less likely to cry.
The next day, before leaving for the airport, I snapped a few quick pictures so I could share my victorious travel food tale with you when I returned. It was about halfway to JFK when I realized what was still sitting in the fridge.
Yup. Complete quinoa cake fail.
Even with all that preparation and dietary damage control, the first cry of the trip hit me while we were still in Queens. Luckily, plane food aside, it was uphill from there. When I got home, even though they were disgustingly stale, I force fed myself a few of the cakes so it all hadn’t been for naught. Sigh.
Since it’s Memorial Day and you might be traveling somewhere for the long weekend, I thought I’d share the recipe for these amazingly portable, healthy quinoa cakes. They taste best when they actually make it into your carry on, so just keep that in mind.
Happy holiday!
Xo
Phoebe
Baked Quinoa Cakes with Broccoli and Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (I like this brand). Toss the broccoli and sweet potato with 2 tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt and arrange in an even layer. Roast until lightly browned and tender, 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the quinoa, eggs, shallot, breadcrumbs, and ½ teaspoon salt. Fold in the roasted vegetables.
- Grease a muffin pan with olive oil and divide the quinoa mixture between the cups, packing it down so it’s not overflowing. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.
- Allow to sit in the pan until cool enough to touch. Then serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt, or store in an airtight container for on-the-go snacks or breakfasts throughout the week.
Check out the other great dishes from this week’s Food Network #SummerSoiree below
I love this post Phoebe! Thank you!
yay! thanks Lynda!
Making these in your honor (and to inspire our taste buds!) and celebrating you on your epic trip!! xox
ahh i’m so thrilled! i hope you love them debbie! can’t wait to see you this summer xo
I have to say im super impressed you even made them in the first place! Im terrible at making food before travel…but always regret it when im uncomfortable on a long flight. Im going to follow in your footsteps though and try these before my next trip!
haha it was impressive until it wasn’t 🙂 hopefully i’ll have the energy to try them again and the where with all to take them with me! xo
These look like an amazing gluten free meal! Pinned 🙂
yay thanks liz! xo
Love working up different ideas for meatless Mondays. These look great!
Thanks Shelby!! Hope you’ll dip into the MM archives. xo
Phoebe these look delicious! Also, I just searched your site for that beet purée you made for the potluck but I can’t find it. Can you post a recipe for that? It was SOOO deilcious. xoxo
you’re so sweet ali! it will be up in a few weeks. i’m posting it right before the 4th 🙂 will let you know when it’s up!
These look soooo yummy, Phoebe, but that story is heartbreaking!!
haha thanks steph! total fail. but at least i have a new snack idea for next time. xo
I made a batch for myself to eat throughout the week, throwing in some leftover curry into the mix. My kids loved them, and keep asking for more. So good, even by quinoa-haters! Thank you!
That’s awesome Lori!! Did you heat them up or eat them room temp? How long did they last? Since I didn’t get to experience them after the first taste last time, need to check 🙂
Hey Phoebe,
any recommendations for breadcrumb subs? I might try oats, but I’m unsure– making these this weekend for a trip. As always, thank you for the great recipes and interwoven witty commentary.
Ah Cory I’m so sorry to leave you hanging! did you try the oats? If so, how did it go? I would have said to pulse them a few times and perhaps use a little less than the recipe calls for. Curious to hear if you tried it! and thank you for the kind words! xo
Phoebe! I ended up using 1/2 cup pulsed rolled oats and they turned out awesome. I also tossed in some nutritional yeast and the Greek yogurt frosting was the (pun intended) icing on these cakes. The eggs really bind them together– can definitely be done with oats. 🙂 Yums.
Cory!! you go gurl! I love all of these creative tweaks. I’ll have to slather some of that icing on these cakes soon! xo