sweet potato quinoa fritters with avocado-lime sauce

sweet potato quinoa fritters with avocado-lime sauce

I'm still loving sweet potatoes. It's January and we still have a few lonely sweet potatoes storing in the barn. It feels like it was just yesterday that we were harvesting crate after crate of these puppies. I'm not going to lie, I miss having dirt under my fingernails, sore muscles, and fresh tomatoes right about now. It's amazing how much we look forward to this slow season and how quickly we ache to get back to the dirt. These fritters are inspired by the quinoa sweet potato cakes I've eaten at Whole Foods. I haven't eaten them in a long time but was craving something similar this past weekend. I don't know their recipe but this here is my twist. These patties are crispy on the outside and moist on the inside (just the way I like them!) I added black beans for some extra texture and protein. The Avocado dipping sauce is spoon worthy. Taylor ate his fritters so fast he barely left any for me! He paid me back by doing the dishes. I guess you could say everybody wins….

Sweet Potato Quinoa Patties With Avocado-Lime Sauce

Prep Time: 10 min.
Cook Time: 30 mins.
Serves: 4-6 fritters

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup dry quinoa
  • 1 cup cooked black beans (if canned, rinsed and drained)
  • 1 medium sized sweet potato
  • 1/2 of a small red onion, diced
  • 1 TBS chili powder
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Oil for greasing baking dish
  • Plenty of fresh cilantro for serving
  • Your favorite hot sauce for drizzling (optional)
For the Avocado Cream Sauce
  • 1 large ripe avocado
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
  • small handful of minced cilantro
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • Juice from 1 lime
  • Salt to taste
You may have extra cream sauce leftover. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Preparation

  1. With an emersion blender or regular blender mix all the ingredients for the Avocado Sauce together until smooth. Add more water if sauce is too thick. Taste test and set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  3. Place 1/2 cup of quinoa with 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until quinoa has absorbed all the water and can easily be fluffed with a fork. About 10-12 minutes.
  4. Cut the sweet potato into small chunks. Place in a large pot of boiling water and cook until fork tender. About 10 minutes. Drain and when cool enough to hand mash with a potato masher or the back of a fork.
  5. In a large bowl combine the cooked quinoa, sweet potato, black beans, onion, and spices. Mix until well combine. Form uniform patties with your hands.
  6. Place on a prepared baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes. Carefully flip patties over and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until edges are browned and lightly crisp.
  7. Serve with Avocado Cream Sauce, cilantro, and your favorite hot sauce.

Notes

Use this recipe as a guide. Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary.

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