Sweet Potato Quinoa Patties
I made these patties the day of our trip to Iceland (we had an overnight flight) and we packed them into our suitcase to use on our Iceland campervan adventure. Normally we wouldn't take food with us on vacation, but we were treating like this one of our camping trips at home since we would be relying on cooking most of our meals ourselves rather than eating out.
These patties pack easily and stay fresh for 4 - 5 days when stored properly - they also freeze well!
I mix cooked quinoa with sweet potatoes and eggs, which gives them a sweetness that complements burgers.
What You Need
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 - 2 boiled sweet potato, preferably boiled with the skin on
- 2 large eggs
- your choice of vegetables: onions, shredded carrots, etc, are all great choices
How to Prep your Ingredients
Quinoa
I have observed that I have a food sensitivity to quinoa - for a month, I decided to replace rice with quinoa, cooking the quinoa in a rice cooker; for 24 hours following a meal with quinoa, I would need to use the bathroom up to 10 times because of the indigestion and upset stomach it caused. I chalk this down to the saponins in quinoa, which may not be completely neutralized just by cooking it.
As a result, what I have started doing is soaking my quinoa at least 24 hours, and sometimes 48 hours, in room temperature water and lemon juice, before I use it in a recipe. This gets rid of the saponins effectively once you rinse the quinoa water. You can replace this water the second day if you choose to soak for 48 hours and store the soaking quinoa in the fridge overnight.
Whether you choose to follow this step or not, you can begin cooking your quinoa. Use up to 2 cups of water for every cup of quinoa and set it to boil. Once cooked - you will see the seeds have unravelled and softened - sift off any of the leftover water.
Sweet Potatoes -
These form the base of your patty. You will need 1 to 2 potatoes depending on their size.
Poke into the skin with a fork a few times around the potato, then add the potatoes to cool salted water to cover the potato(es) and bring to a boil. Leave for 30 - 35 minutes. Boiling them whole is recommended as the potatoes don't absorb as much water.
Feel for softness, with a fork; once soft, set aside, and discard the water. Once cooled, peel the skin and mash the sweet potatoes. If difficult to mash, you may need to boil a bit longer.
Note: I like to prepare the sweet potatoes in advance and store them (unmashed) in the fridge for at least 24 hours so that they are cold and relatively dry when mixing them into the quinoa.
Making Patties
Add the cooked quinoa to the mashed sweet potatoes. Add any other vegetables you'd like to add, making sure they are cut very small or shredded. Add salt pepper and any other spice of choice.
Crack two eggs into the bowl and mix through thoroughly.
Set aside. You can store in the fridge for up to 30 minutes, but if you've prepared the ingredients in advance and they are just out of the fridge, skip this step.
At this point, using your hands, take a bit of the mixture at a time and roll into a patty shape. The egg and sweet potato will ensure it retains its shape.
Shallow fry with some light oil (Alternatively you can bake them which will be easier, but note that research shows that the nutritional quality of sweet potato decreases and its consistency becomes more sticky/sweeter when baked, vs boiled or fried).
Ensure your pan and oil are hot before adding the patties as they may break and/or stick in the pan if its not prepared prior to frying.
You can eat these patties by themselves, as a part of a salad, or in a burger - this is a meal we love for its ease on camping trips.
