Crispy Quinoa Cakes with Avocado and Black Beans

Eating quinoa is relatively new territory for me, so when I saw this recipe for crispy oven-baked quinoa cakes, I couldn't resist. Anything crispy that is oven-baked has my name written all over it. Simple, crispy, delicious, and nutritious. It really doesn't get better than that.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
1 egg (or vegan subsitute stated in original recipe)
1 cup destemmed and finely chopped kale
1/2 cup oat flour
1/4 cup corn (I did corn off the cob, my midwestern self couldn't turn down the summer delicacy)
2 tablespoons finely diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon runny tahini paste
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper, to taste

For dipping:

1/4 black beans
1 avocado

The recipe on ohsheglows is vegan and gluten-free, so it has a lot of relatively uncommon ingredients for me. I elected to switch it up a bit. I went for a more latin flavor instead of the basil and sundried tomato route. After living in Chile for 6 months, I pretty much pair avocado with everything. So naturally, I mashed one up to dip my cakes into. I also threw in some black beans for good measure. Protein, ya know?

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Use parchment paper on a baking pan so these babies don't stick!
Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl. Stir well.

Shape mixture into 1/4-cup patties. Make sure the patties are packed so they stay together when you put them on the pan.

Bake for 15 minutes, then carefully flip cakes, and bake for another 5-8 minutes until golden on top.
While you're letting the patties cool, mash and avocado and add some black beans to the mash. Set aside for dipping.