Yup, it is Friday again and that means it is time for another installment of Frugal Fridays. What is it? FF is a food event started by my good friend Jerry of Cooking by the Seat of my Pants. This event is all about frugal cooking. You have to create a dinner for 4 with US $10 or less (a little bit more is OK, too) This event is quickly becoming very popular because, let’s admit it, the economy is not in very good shape right now. If you have been reading this blog for awhile you might notice that I like to cook easy and unpretentious food (no fancy names, not too many fancy ingredients) I believe that cooking healthy and delicious food is something everybody can do with a little bit of imagination, so this event is perfect for this blog and that’s why I am making a very important part of it. Without any more ado this is what I made for this event this week:

Tuna quinoa baked cakes Serves 4 Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 25-30 minutes For this recipe you will need:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cans tuna
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, deveined and chopped
• 2 large eggs
• 2 TBSP chopped cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste
• all purpose flour (optional)
• sour cream

Preparation:

1. Rinse the quinoa in a fine strainer or cheesecloth very well before cooking. This step is very important to remove the saponins that can give it a bitter taste.
2. Cook 1 cup of quinoa in 2 cups of water with salt to taste until water is absorbed. Let it cool down for 5 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C)
4. In a large bowl mix cooked quinoa, tuna, onion, garlic, pepper, eggs, cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. If the mixture is too runny add all purpose flour until manageable.
5. With a large spoon form cakes over a greased baking sheet.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
7. Serve with a sour cream. Sprinkle some cheese on top and enjoy.

About this recipe:

• If you can’t get quinoa where you live you can substitute with rice or even refried or mashed beans.
• I thought about frying the cakes in canola oil, but that would’ve added a lot of calories to the dish. However, I believe it would’ve been tastier.
• You could add some cheese to the mixture and even a little bit of milk or cream. You’d have to add some flour to be able to work with the mixture, though.

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