Black Bean, Corn, and Jalapeño Quinoa Cakes with Green Chili Cumin Yogurt Sauce

I hadn’t made quinoa cakes for awhile, and I was in the mood for something different. I usually just mix the quinoa with a bunch of herbs and spices and fry them up and put the cakes over a salad, but I ended up adding corn and black beans and making a yogurt dipping sauce for them. These are more of a meal than my other cakes, but you could certainly make these as an appetizer for a party too! They are very healthy, especially because I used fat free Greek yogurt for the sauce, and there is nothing bad in the cakes at all. The perfect summer meal/snack/appetizer!

For the cakes:
1 c. quinoa, cooked and cooled
1 c. corn, thawed
1/2 c. canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 jalapeño, finely chopped
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 c. + 2 T. breadcrumbs
2 eggs + 1 egg white
1/2 c. cornmeal
2 T. olive oil
salt and pepper

For the cumin yogurt sauce:
3/4 c. 0% plain Greek yogurt (You can use the 2% if you want, it’ll be creamier)
3 T. diced green chiles (they come in those little cans)
2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. chili powder
2 T. cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper

Begin by making the sauce. Combine Greek yogurt, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, and cilantro in a small bowl and mix until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the quinoa cakes, combine quinoa, corn, black beans, jalapeño, chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, eggs, breadcrumbs, and a healthy pinch of salt and pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Mix with your hands until thoroughly combined. Put cornmeal in a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Form quinoa mixture into patties (I made mine about 1/2 inch thick and a 2 inch diameter) and coat in cornmeal. When patties are formed and coated in the cornmeal, heat a nonstick skillet with 2 T. olive oil over medium/high heat. Place patties in pan and cook about 2-3 minutes per side, until golden and crispy. Be careful when you flip them so that they don’t crumble, they are delicate. Serve with cumin yogurt sauce and more chopped cilantro as a garnish, if desired.