Quinoa is a complete protein...meaning that it has all the essential amino acids that you need in your diet. This is a rare phenomenon for a grain and therefore vegetarians should consider adding quinoa as a staple of their diet. Here is one idea for adding quinoa to your menu.

1 cup uncooked quinoa (or 2 1/2 -3 cups leftover cooked quinoa, heated)
2 1/4 cups water

1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup grated raw carrot, sweet potato, or winter squash
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste
1/4 brown rice flour (or wheat flour)

Maple syrup or applesauce for topping

Rinse quinoa in a sieve and in a medium saucepan bring the water and quinoa to a boil. Cover, turn down heat, and simmer until water has been absorbed.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet saute onion and grated vegetable of choice in olive oil over medium heat until soft. Add quinoa, season to taste with salt, and mix until combined. Add flour 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing well after every addition, until the mixture sticks together. Remove from heat and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Using an ice cream scoop, or about 1/4 cup of mixture, form balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Flatten with a fork to about 1/4 inch thick. Bake 10 minutes, flip pancakes, and bake 10 minutes more or until crispy and browned.