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

11 Reviews
ADD YOUR REVIEW
Photo: Colin Clark; Styling: Lindsey Lower 
Hands-on Time
25 Mins
Total Time
25 Mins
Yield
Serves 4
By Ivy Manning
May 2014
RECIPE BY Cooking Light

We use uncooked quinoa instead of flour to bind these tasty cakes. It's protein-rich, adding an extra 3 grams per serving. Simply pulse in a mini food processor until finely ground.

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)

Nutritional Information

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

How to Make It

Step 1

Place quinoa in a mini food processor; process 1 minute or until finely ground. Add chopped walnuts to processor; process until smooth.

Step 2

Place zucchini in a colander, and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Toss well. Let stand 10 minutes, tossing occasion­ally. Press zucchini between paper towels until barely moist.

Step 3

Combine zucchini, green onions, dill, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, cheese, and eggs in a large bowl; stir to combine. Sprinkle quinoa mixture over zucchini mixture; stir well to combine.

Step 4

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add 4 (1/3-cup) zucchini batter mounds to pan; flatten into 3-inch cakes. Cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan; keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and batter to yield 8 cakes total.

Step 5

Combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, yogurt, cucumber, and garlic in a small bowl. Divide greens evenly among 4 plates. Top each serving with 2 cakes and about 1/4 cup cucumber mixture. Serve immediately.

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Ratings & Reviews

Very good

daneanp
July 05, 2017
Even my husband who is not a fan of zucchini gave a thumbs up on these.  I have a great little coffee grinder that I only use for herbs that I ground the quinoa in.  Worked great.  I made the batter up a little ahead and let it meld in the fridge for about 90 minutes.  I took the advice of another reviewer and made the yogurt topping more like a ztatziki and I'm so glad I did.  Will definitely make again.  When you have an abundance of garden zucchinis, this will be a great recipe to keep in mind.

drgrew's Review

Kate09
July 28, 2014
Had a couple issues. First, the quinoa appeared to be ground finely, but upon mixing with zucchini, I saw it was not fine enough (for me and husband, at least). Another reviewer liked the crunch the uncooked quinoa added. I would have preferred it either more finely ground or perhaps slightly cooked. Second, my first batch of cakes would not stay together and stuck to my non-stick pan. I switched to cooking spray and they didn't stick to pan and stayed together with gentle care. The taste was great! Loved the zip of the cheese - I had goat milk feta. The crunch of the quinoa was a little off-putting, but that's just personal taste.

CKP220's Review

lizprice1011
July 20, 2014
One of the most disappointing recipes I've ever had from this site. Bland, tasteless and the cakes would NOT stay together. Never again.

lizprice1011's Review

gkd1029
April 28, 2014
Followed the recipe exactly and these were really good. The quinoa and walnut bound the cakes together perfectly. I used a cucumber yogurt sauce I already had in the house from Trader Joes. My teenage daughter thinks it is "at least 4.5 stars".

sukeedog's Review

mja489
May 04, 2014
N/A

nunnother's Review

ldelasheras
August 01, 2014
I was nervous at first about how loose the batter seemed to be, and like others, that the quinoa didn't g!rind into a more flour-like consistency. But I just kept up with the recipe as written and they turned out delicious! My husband said they reminded him of falafel. That's the kind of crunch the quinoa gives to it. I will definitely make these when my veggy children and grandkids come to visit

Kate09's Review

nunnother
May 05, 2014
I really liked these! Love the little crunch of the quinoa. Don't worry if the quinoa doesn't grind to fine. Dress the greens with lemon, evoo, and Parmesan and add arugula. Also, cut the cucumbers small rather than in slices. I added lemon to The yogurt sauce.

mja489's Review

sukeedog
September 20, 2014
I liked these a lot - my husband wasn't quite as sure. My cakes came out great - I did grind the quinoa a lot more than a minute. For time reasons, I made them ahead or time (not the actual cakes - the batter) and refrigerated it for a couple of hours. That may have helped them stay together and soften the quinoa. The sauce needs help - it needs to be thinner and the cucumber smaller - more like tzatziki sauce or raita. One reader suggested added lemon juice - a good idea. She also suggested dressing the greens with lemon juice and EVOO - another good idea (I did that). They were surprisingly filling. The only thing I served with them was an artisan loaf or whole wheat walnut bread.

eeighan's Review

Dianeindenver
June 26, 2014
N/A

Dianeindenver's Review

eeighan
August 22, 2014
N/A
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