Guest Blogger Heather and Some Tater Tots

I am very excited to announce todays guest blogger!

Heather and I met in elementary school. We were in the same grade. The summer going into seventh grade my house burned down. We lost everything. That morning Heather had her father bring her over. She showed up with bags full of clothes. We became fast friends that morning. I love her dearly. She has an amazingly beautiful heart.  She really is such a lovely person. She is spiritual, she loves to sing, enjoys music, makes the people around her laugh and feel good and is here to share a great recipe with us!

If you can’t get enough of sweet potato or quinoa like me, you are going to be thrilled when you see this. In her quest to eat better she found this recipe and wanted to share with us.

“I decided to try the recipe from shine.yahoo.com because I love sweet potatoes and tater tots; plus, I am trying to eat more healthy. The recipe was easy to follow and they were super yummy. I thought you’d enjoy them as well since you are so enamored with sweet potatoes and quinoa!

 Xoxoxo
Heather”

Sweet Potato Quinoa Tater Tots

INGREDIENTS
1 cup quinoa flakes
1/4 cup golden flax meal
Non-stick cooking spray
1/3 cup finely chopped small onion (from 1/2 small onion)
4 sweet potatoes or russet potatoes, peeled
1 Tbsp. kosher or sea salt, plus more
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (I LOVE garlic so I also added 1 tsp. dehydrated garlic)
Freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine quinoa flakes and flax meal in a bowl; set aside. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray generously with nonstick spray. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 8 minutes. Transfer onion to a bowl; set aside. Wipe out and reserve skillet.

Using the small holes of a box grater, finely grate potatoes to make 4 cups. Transfer to a colander and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. salt. Massage salt into potatoes and squeeze out the excess liquid. Transfer potatoes to a medium bowl; add egg and mix well. Add reserved onion, cayenne, paprika, and garlic powder; season lightly with salt and pepper. The mixture should resemble a potato pancake mix but be on the dry side. Using your hands, form potato mixture into 1″ balls.

Roll potato balls in quinoa flake mixture. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray lightly with nonstick spray. Working in batches, cook balls, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer tots to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

I’m making them this weekend! Let me know what you think.

Live Well!
~S

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Quinoa and Sweet Potato Cakes

I am in love with sweet potato. And quinoa. Both are some of the most wholesome foods you can nourish your body with.

I really like making “cakes” of all kinds. Brown rice cakes, amaranth and Farro cakes. I started years ago with potato pancakes, but have evolved tremendously. You can mix any vegetables you have on hand with a grain, some seasoning, veggies and eggs and you have a delightful little patty of goodness.

These are incredible!

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for frying
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup grated sweet potato
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
2 eggs
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped chives

*I like adding cilantro to these also, but if you aren’t a lover of cilantro than skip it for sure.

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil, add quinoa and half the sea salt. Stir, reduce heat to medium low and cover. Allow to cook 15-20 minutes, until the water has absorbed. You can add great flavor by using chicken or vegetable stock instead of water. Allow to cool.

Saute onions and garlic in oil 3-4 minutes. Add sweet potato, salt, pepper, coriander and rosemary. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Whisk eggs, bread crumbs and remainder of seasonings in a bowl. Add the quinoa and sweet potato and mix well.

Shape about 1/4c of mixture into cakes. Fry the cakes in olive oil over medium heat until browned. Be sure to not over crowd the pan.

These are great served with a spicy aioli or herbed sour cream. Excellent set on a bed of baby greens. Don’t be afraid to play with the seasoning. Add some curry or cumin. Some fresh basil, a little lemon zest.

They are also a very frugal dinner option. Quinoa has the highest amount of protein of any “grain” (it’s actually a seed). If you are looking for a healthy meat free option, this is it!

Eat your sweet potatoes! And quinoa!

Live Well!
~S

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