Quinoa Lentil Cakes with Curry Yogurt

Featured Ingredient: Quinoa

You know quinoa is no longer an obscure grain when there are now cookbooks devoted to it. But in many ways it’s very much deserving of its rise to fame. Just consider its upsides:

Quinoa is ready to eat in about 10 minutes, making it a perfect option for harried weeknight cooks.

It’s loaded with magnesium, an often underconsumed mineral that’s been shown to slash diabetes risk.

The tiny whole grain is a stellar source of dietary fiber, which most people should eat more of. A new study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that dietary fiber can help increase the amounts of healthy bacteria in our guts which promotes better digestive and immune health.

In the kitchen, quinoa is very much versatile. It can work as a simple side dish or as a stand in for bugler in tabbouleh. Also try it in veggie burgers, soups, and, of course, muffin tin creations.

These quinoa lentil cakes are a wonderful vegetarian meal option. They are completely no-fuss and packed with nutritional goodness. The garam masala and curried yogurt sauce gives them some Indian flare. I included the olive oil and the yogurt topping to make sure they had some moisture.

For the two main ingredients, I used the amazing sprouted products from TruRoots. By sprouting legumes and grains, you amplify their nutritional prowess and make them even easier to digest. They also have sprouted chia, mung beans and rice as well as some good looking gluten-free pasta varieties.

The generous folks at TruRoots would like to award one lucky Muffin Tin Mania reader with their very own bags of TruRoots Accents Sprouted Quinoa Trio and Sprouted Lentil Trio to play with in the kitchen. All you need to do is leave a comment on this post saying “I Heart TruRoots” along with some way of identifying yourself such as your initials or name and I will use this tool to randomly select the winner. I’ll announce the winner Friday July 20^th, so check back in then if you entered. This contest is open to U.S. residents only.


Congratulations to Andrea who is the winner of her very own TruRoots quinoa and lentils. Just use the contact info above to send me your shipping details. Thanks to everyone who entered.  

Quinoa Lentil Cakes with Curry Yogurt Sauce

1 cup quinoa

1 cup green or brown lentils

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 green onions, green and white parts, thinly sliced

Juice of 1/2 large lemon

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons garam masala

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Place quinoa and 1 3/4 water in a medium sized saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 12 minutes, or until quinoa is tender and water is absorbed.

Place lentils and 3 cups water in a separate saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered until tender.

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, stir together quinoa, lentils, sunflower seeds, olive oil, green onions, lemon juice, eggs, garam masala, garlic and salt. Divide mixture among 12 greased or paper lined standard sized muffin cups and press down on each to make sure the contents are well packed in. Cook for 25 minutes or until slightly brown on top and set. Let cool several minutes before unmolding.

To make the curry sauce, whisk together yogurt, curry powder and cayenne in a small bowl. Serve quinoa lentil cakes with curry yogurt sauce.