Sunday Football Quinoa & Kale Patties

Sweet Kale how I love thee, let me count the ways....

 

Well once again it's Sunday in this household and since we've been eating healthier, I wanted to make some football food, but a healthier option. Jack of course wanted his buffalo wings, but I bake those, so they're not too bad. I have those perfected thanks to my dad. My dad is the Buffalo Wing master. They're perfectly crisp and the meat just falls off. He cooks them in the oven too!

 

For myself I wanted something a little different. Typically I would've used ground chicken for this recipe, however the store I went to was all out of their ground chicken, but they

had ground turkey so I decided to get turkey.

 

These little patties came out amazing. I made fairly good sized patties because it was just for Jack, the kids and me. I even calculated out the calories. I made 16 patties and each patty came out to 93 calories. Not too bad! Not to mention you're getting your protein, carbs and veggies in each patty. It is a Patty Success for this Sunday Funday!

 

Ingredients:

1.25 lbs ground turkey

½ cup quinoa

1 cups water

2 eggs, whisked

3 tbsp. Parmesan cheese

2 scallions, sliced thin

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup steamed kale, chopped

1/4 cup panko

3 tbs. franks hot sauce

optional toppings: salsa, tzatziki, avocado, cilantro, lemon juice, salsa verde, garlic oil

 

Instructions:

Rinse 1/2 cup of quinoa and place the grains in a medium saucepan with 1 cup of water.  Over medium high heat, bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the water is tender and the water has absorbed, about 20 minutes.  Let cool to room temperature.

 

In a large bowl, mix together cooked quinoa, ground turkey,  eggs, Parmesan, scallions, garlic, steamed kale, panko, and hot sauce. Let everything sit for a few minutes to absorb the liquid. You want the batter to be moist, but not runny. Form 16 patties.

 

Heat large skillet over medium-low heat, lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Cook up to 6 patties at a time (don’t overcrowd the pan). Cover the pan and let the cuties cook for 3-4 minutes until the underbellies are a deep rich brown. Flip and cook the other side for another 3-4 minutes until both sides are nice and brown.

 

Let patties rest on a cooling rack while you finish the next batch.

 

NOTE: We served these at room temp. So they could also be made ahead of time and brought up to temp in an oven on low heat. You could also freeze these bites for a quick appetizer on hand at any time!