Pumpkin Pie Quinoa Cakes

You know those days when it's 4PM, and thanks to circumstances ruining previous plans, you have no idea what to make for dinner? One of two things usually happen.

a) cereal

b) You suddenly get bitten by that magical, albeit elusive culinary muse we all dream about. (Apparently my culinary muse is also a vampire? What, you don't dream about weird new recipes to experiment on your family with? And biting muse fairy vampires?)

Well, while my husband flew to Wisconsin in a blizzard, and my boys pretended to not hear each other's safe words while wrestling - magic happened in my kitchen. 

We are sort of in the middle of a blizzard.  I had planned on bringing a large pot of delicious lentil soup to my Grandparents, but the horrendous weather thwarted that plan.  It didn't seem advantageous to cook a huge batch of soup for myself and two tiny people, so I was sort of lost when it came to dinner plans. 

I noticed there was a container full of leftover cooked quinoa in my fridge, and I began to feel a creative bug coming on...

...And so my Pumpkin Pie Quinoa Cakes were born.

They're not really a pancake, and they're not a cookie...but they are sort of something in between.  Also, they are delicious, gluten free, plant based, and...did I mention delicious? 

Make them tonight for brinner, or enjoy them as an amazing addition to breakfast tomorrow.  Tonight we paired them with our mini tofu spinach omelettes from "Isa Does It" and roasted sweet potato cubes. 

I'm imagining them as a fantastic weekend breakfast with hashbrowns and some grapefruit. 

Pumpkin Pie Quinoa Cakes

Makes about 10 - 2" cakes

1 1/2 C. Cooked Quinoa

1/2 C. Pumpkin puree

1/2 C. Oat flour (just process rolled oats in your blender until a course flour forms)

1 flax egg (1 T. ground flax mixed with 3 T. water. Allow to rest for 5 minutes)

1 t. Pumpkin pie spice

1 t. Stevia 

1 T. Blackstrap Molasses

Preheat oven to 400.*  Lightly grease a cooke sheet or cover with parchment paper 

In a food processor, mix quinoa, pumpkin, flax egg, spices, stevia and molasses until incorporated.  Add oat flour and process again until a thick, sticky dough forms.

Roll a large tablespoonful of dough into a ball in your hands and then press flat, to about 1/4 inch thick and 2 inches in diameter.  Place on prepared cookie sheet and repeat with the rest of the dough.

Spray or brush the tops lightly with oil (I like to use coconut oil spray) and bake for 15 minutes.  Flip, oil the other side, and bake for another 10 - 12 minutes. 

Drizzle with maple syrup and enjoy! 

*Note, if your oven runs hot, decrease temp to 375.