Lunch in a Box: Hatch Chile Quinoa Cakes

It's Hatch Chile season, and I was inspired to make something with these hot peppers. Hank recently ate some Hatch Chile cakes and loved them, so I figured I could throw a few ingredients together to make something healthy and delicious. Mission accomplished!

**Fun facts about Hatch Chiles:
1 chile contains the same amount of vitamin C as 6 oranges
They trigger a thermodynamic burn, which speeds up metabolism
The chemical that makes chiles hot is also used in patches for sore muscles

This isn't the quickest dish to make, given that you have to cook some quinoa AND roast chiles ahead of time- but overall it's not too bad. Roasting the chiles should only take you about 25 minutes. Just place them under the broiler on high for about 6-7 minutes per side, then flip. Make sure you get the skins nice and blistered. Immediately put them in a ziploc or paper bag and let them steam for about 10 more minutes- this will make it easy to pull the skins right off. After you pull the skins off, seed them and chop them up. Done.

Roasted Hatch Chile Peppers

Just a few simple ingredients.

Hatch Chile Quinoa Cakes
(makes 12 small cakes)

4 roasted Hatch chiles (seeded and diced)
2 cups cooked quinoa
1/4 cup diced onion (red or yellow works best)
1/2 cheddar cheese
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400º.

1. Put the first four ingredients in a large bowl and stir together. Add the beaten egg and mix well. This will be a fairly wet mix.
2. Drop a good spoonful onto a sprayed baking sheet. You want the cakes to be about 2-3" in diameter.  Shape into a circle using the spoon.
3. Bake for 12 minutes on each side, until crispy and slightly browned.

I served the cakes over a kale salad with an orange vinaigrette, some lowfat cottage cheese and a mandarin. Easy, healthy and filling!