Baked Quinoa and Carrot Fritters with Sweet n’ Spicy Dipping Sauce

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Making Monday’s evening meal meatless is a great way to feel a little less guilty for any over-indulgence during the weekend, and using what you’ve already got in the fridge is a double-bonus.

Leftover cooked quinoa took center stage in these fritters, but cooked brown rice works nicely, too. I had leftover sautéed carrots from Sunday’s dinner so I pureed those in as well. I added freshly grated carrot for a little crunch.

RELATED: Chermoula: A Spicy Kick for the Winter

Since we’re trying to make this as easy as possible, dig around in your fridge and see what might make a good dipping sauce, like a creamy salad dressing or even Sriracha.

I found Dijon mustard and honey in the pantry, so I blended those two together and threw in some red pepper flakes for a little kick.

Make a big tossed green salad and you’ve got a deliciously light, healthy dinner to kick-off the week … and ease some of your weekend guilt!

RECIPE: Baked Quinoa and Carrot Fritters with Sweet n’ Spicy Dipping Sauce

Makes 10 fritters

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients for the fritters

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1½ cups cooked quinoa, divided
  • 1½ cups cooked carrots
  • 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup grated carrots
  • 1 cup chopped green onion, plus extra for garnish

Ingredients for the dipping sauce

  • ½ cup Dijon mustard
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

Directions

  1. Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with oil; set aside. Place oven rack in center of oven. Heat to 400°F.

  2. Purée ½ cup quinoa, cooked carrots, flax, mustard, flour, slat and red pepper flakes in a food processor until smooth.

  3. Pour mixture into a large bowl. Stir in remaining quinoa, grated carrots and green onion.

  4. Make fritters with a ¼-cup measure packed firmly with mixture. Turn onto prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining mixture. Gently smash down fritters so fritters are ¾-inch thick.

  5. Bake for 20 minutes; turn and bake 20 minutes longer.

  6. For the Dipping Sauce, blend mustard, honey and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Serve with fritters.

Christina Chavez