Eating vegetarian is hard work. This is surprising, since there are plenty of vegetables out there and most of them taste pretty good. In fact, there are way more vegetable varieties than there are meats, why is it often so tough to figure out what to make?

Before I went all San Francisco on myself, simple dinners meant some seasoned and skillet cooked chicken breast with a side of whatever. It was filling, flavorful, and “healthy.” But with a diet bracket dominated by tofu (which, lets just admit it, only tastes good fried), it can be tough to throw together a meal that doesn’t leave you craving a cheeseburger to fill you up.

If you recall, I once shared a recipe for Quinoa Turkey Burgers. Well, this recipe is kind of like that one, except that instead of turkey, there are tons and tons of chopped veggies. What I like about this meat-free meal is its ability to fill you up without weighing you down.

In fact, that’s really what I love about being vegetarian, in general. In addition to, you know, not contributing to the unsustainable and ethically tragic practices of factory farming (steps off pedestal), I feel great after just about every plant-based meal I eat.

The few times that I’ve recently eaten meat have been close to orgasmic – I mean, there’s no arguing that the stuff is tasty as hell – but, shortly thereafter, my delight is always countered by feeling heavy and greasy and all around not the best.

Whether you share my perspective about meat or not, it’d be in your best interest to make these Veggie Quinoa Fritters for dinner some time soon.

You’ll feel full, I swear. You’ll also feel happy! Know why? Because, there’s nothing bad about quinoa and greens and eggs and cheese. And, there’s certainly nothing bad about smashing all those things together and frying them in coconut oil. No sir!

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa*

• ¾ cup rolled oats

• 5 eggs

• 4 oz crumbled feta cheese

• ½ cup canned chickpeas, drained, rinsed and pureed

• 1 cup chopped spinach

• 1 cup chopped Lacinato kale, stems removed

• 1 cup chopped Swiss chard

• Salt & pepper

• Refined coconut oil

1. Bring 1 ½ cups water to a boil in a small pot. Add quinoa, reduce to a simmer, and allow to cook until all water is absorbed.

1. Combine quinoa, oats, eggs, feta, chickpeas, greens, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to mix it all together. Cover, and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to set.

1. Once the mixture has thickened a bit, form it into handful sized balls.

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the coconut oil until melted and hot. Place the balls in the skillet, using a spatula to gently push the balls into patties. Once the bottom has set, gently flip the patties. They’re done when both sides are browned and a little crispy, about 3 minutes on each side.

* This batch had a tough time sticking together. Make some extra quinoa just in case you run into the same issue and add it to the mixture to help everything bind together.