Corn and Quinoa Cakes

I can't think of a better time to buy a couple of bags of corn than Local Foods Week.  Two weeks ago Mary Ann and I made a commitment to eat better. With an emphasis on eating local this week it's been fun finding new recipes that feature great local produce.  I discovered a recipe for Corn and Quinoa Burgers that I couldn't wait to try.  Saturday morning we made our way to the Farmer's Festival at The North Market and found beautiful ears of corn from The Wishwell Farms in Bellefontaine, OH.  I found quinoa from Stutzman Farms at The Greener Grocer and the rest of the items from my pantry and garden.

I made a few changes to the original recipe.  I added a fresh poblano pepper from our garden instead of crushed red pepper.  I also baked them in the oven using a little cooking spray instead of frying them in oil.  As you can see below it still came out golden brown and crunchy.  There are endless possibilities of what condiment you can eat with these.  I made a little sour cream sauce with cilantro and lime.  They were great leftover with salsa.  As soon as I have enough New Mexico chilies I am going to make another batch of green chili sauce.  I think the combination will taste amazing.

It's rare in our house that we fight for leftovers, but this one is definitely worth fighting for!

CORN AND QUINOA CAKES
adapted from Tales From a Kitchen Misfit

2 cups corn cut off of the cob
1/4 cup quinoa, uncooked
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup dices poblano pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
1 T olive oil
4-6 T panko bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper

-Soak 1/4 cup of quinoa in cold water for 15 minutes.  Drain and rinse well.  Place in a sauce pan with 1/2 cup of warm water.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low for 14 minutes. Take off of the heat and keep covered for another 5 minutes.
-Saute onions, garlic, and peppers with olive oil until the onions are opaque. Add the corn and cook until it starts to caramelize.
-Add quinoa, corn mixture and bread crumbs in mixing bowl.  Let cool for a few minutes and add the eggs and salt and pepper.  Mix well.  This is where you can adjust the amount of bread crumbs you use.  I started with 4T but usually end up adding the additional 2T.
-Spray a sheet pan with non stick cooking spray. Fill a 3" ring mold and lightly pack. You should have 5 cakes.
-Cook at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.  Pull out of the oven and lightly spray the tops of the cakes with the non stick oil and flip the cakes to brown the other side.
-Cook 10 more minutes and enjoy!