Fall Flavor Quinoa Cakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and take two 12 well muffin tins and line them with paper liners.

Bring Vegetable Stock (2 cups) to a low boil in a medium saucepan. Then stir in Quinoa (1 cup) and cover it with the lid. Turn the heat to low and let it cook until tender for about 12-15 minutes.

When it is done, fluff it up with a fork and set it aside to cool a little.

While the quinoa is cooking and cooling, combine Carrots (2 cups), Apples (2), Garlic (2 cloves), Onion (1/2), Fresh Sage (1 Tbsp), and Smoked Gouda (1 cup) in the bowl of a food processor and pulse it all together.

Transfer that to a large mixing bowl and add Quinoa Flour (3 cups), Salt (2 pinches), Ground Black Pepper (2 pinches), Ground Cumin (1 tsp), and Pumpkin Pie Spice (as needed). Stir in the cooled quinoa next.

Whisk Olive Oil (1 cup), Milk (1/2 cup), Apple Cider (1/2 cup), and Egg (1) together in another small bowl and then pour these wet ingredients into the mixing bowl with the rest of it. Stir it all together thoroughly until you have a lovely batter.

Fill each lined muffin well to the top using a heaping 1/4 cup as an approximation. Gently press the batter firmly into each liner so that it is solid and even.

Bake them for 25 to 30 minutes until completely baked through and just starting to crisp up around the edges.

Let them cool for 10 minutes or so, then serve.