Break Out The BBQ!

Hey All,

One of the greatest weeks so far this year, well as far as the weather goes. How was that wrap? I could eat that chickpea salad every day of the week, but this week I had something of a challenge for myself. I love BBQ food, the smokey flavors, the tangy sauces, and even that little bit of char that we all secretly love. As a vegetarian, its suffice to say I will not be eating any meat to obtain these flavors, which leaves me in the middle of a quite unfortunate BBQ plight. I came across a recipe with a great solution, but required some serious tweaking and skills -I will try to translate those into my post the best I can.

Quinoa is fantastic but otherwise flavorless, unless you cook it with stuff. With a binder and some basic ingredients, you could make it into a delicious patty of literally any flavors you want. From Indian to Tex-Mex... and yes, even BBQ! To compliment it well, every BBQ needs some coleslaw. Now, I don't know about any of you readers, but I personally hate coleslaw. I don't like the dressing. Maybe I've just not met the right coleslaw? Maybe I'm just not looking? Maybe that search is finally over, and all I needed was a little apple in there to change things up. Yes, for the first time, I actually enjoyed coleslaw. Want to know how I did that? Lets get right to it:

Ingredients For BBQ:

• BBQ sauce - 2 1/2 tbsp (your choice in flavor)
• Baby Spinach - 1/2 cup
• Cilantro - 2 tsp (fresh)
• Cheddar Cheese - 1 tbsp (shredded)
• Quinoa - 1 cup (cooked, red or white or both) 
• Egg - 1 (or a suitable binder alternative for vegan)
• Garlic Powder - 1 dash
• Pepper - 1 dash

Ingredients For Tangy Apple Slaw:

• Red Cabbage - 1 cup
• Red Delicious Apple - 1/2 cup
• Honey - 1/2 tsp
• Apple Cidar Vinegar -  1 tsp
• Plain Greek Yogurt - 1 tbsp
• Olive Oil - 1 tsp

Steps For BBQ:

1. Shred and chop up spinach, finely chop cilantro.
2. Incorporate spinach, cilantro, half the quinoa, egg, cheese, and bbq sauce into a large bowl. Season with spices and mix till it is well combined.
3. In a large frying pan, heat on medium and coat with oil but do not allow any to sit and let our batter submerge. 
4. Much like pancakes, pour the batter in when the pan is hot. The patties should be no more than 2-3 inches in size. Flip when easily handled and bottom is golden brown. If you find that the batter is too lose, add more quinoa to the mixture to thicken it as much as you need.
5. Allow to cool and brush with extra BBQ sauce.

Steps For Slaw:

1. Finely shred cabbage, matchstick slice apple, and mix into a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, mix yogurt, honey, vinegar, and olive oil till well combined.
3. Add dressing to slaw and mix thoroughly. 

And that's it! Add to your container(s) and enjoy! Might I suggest that while you cook your quinoa, use that time to chop and prep all your other ingredients. Even make your slaw in that 20 mins or so, using your time efficiently. Check out the IG - @whatroberteats for pictures!

Lets Eat!

-Robert