Zucchini, Walnut, and Feta Cakes with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce

I loved this dinner! I’ve made zucchini “cakes” in the past that didn’t hold together very well. This recipe, using ground quinoa instead of flour (pretty clever for extra protein) and ground walnuts, wasn’t runny and made perfect cakes. Key to this is getting as much liquid as you can out of the zucchini. The sauce was great too and can be used for other things. (I used Fage Greek yogurt.)

I let the zucchini sit for nearly 30 minutes instead of 10 and then used paper towels to get out the remaining water.

Yield: 4 –  2 cakes per serving + 1/4 cup yogurt sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
4 1/2 cups grated zucchini (about 2 medium)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 2/3 cup)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 (6-ounce) container plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1 cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups mixed salad greens (about 2 ounces)

Preparation:

1. Place quinoa in a mini food processor; process 1 minute or until finely ground. Add chopped walnuts to processor; process until smooth.
2. Place zucchini in a colander, and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Toss well. Let stand 10 minutes, tossing occasion­ally.
3. Press zucchini between paper towels until barely moist.
4. Combine zucchini, green onions, dill, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, cheese, and eggs in a large bowl; stir to combine.
5. Sprinkle quinoa mixture over zucchini mixture; stir well to combine.
6. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
7. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat.
8. Add 4 (1/3-cup) zucchini batter mounds to pan; flatten into 3-inch cakes.
9. Cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned.
10. Remove from pan; keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and batter to yield 8 cakes total.
11. Combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, yogurt, cucumber, and garlic in a small bowl.
12. Divide greens evenly among 4 plates. Top each serving with 2 cakes and about 1/4 cup cucumber mixture.
13. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information:
Calories 336
Fat 19.2 g
Satfat 4.7 g
Monofat 6.9 g
Polyfat 5.5 g
Protein 18 g
Carbohydrate 27 g
Fiber 5 g
Cholesterol 101 mg
Iron 3 mg
Sodium 589 mg
Calcium 175 mg

Recipe from Cooking Light, May 2014