Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes with Blackberry Jam

As time would have it, some of my co-workers are starting to become privy to my blogging (and general food obsession). You can only get so excited about the purchase of a mini-food processor without people starting to wonder....

So when my desk neighbor asked me what was next up on the blog, I decided to take a poll on which recipe should be featured next...without much debate the quinoa cakes won out. Can't say I'm complaining - I think my appreciation for quinoa aka "the superfood" has been evidenced over the past year +.   

Often times, the inspiration behind my recipes is as simple as having ingredients around that I don't want to go to waste. And let me say, it's a good thing sweet potatoes have such a long shelf-life because I put this off for much too long. The flavors of the fresh herbs, caramelized onions and sweet potatoes all come together very nicely into a healthy little cake. The original recipe called for a fresh blackberry salsa accompaniment, but for simplicity sake I decided to use blackberry jam instead - a perfectly acceptable stand-in, but next time I'll go for the salsa!  

The recipe
(From HowSweetEats)


1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup cooked quinoa (be sure to rinse the quinoa before cooking!)
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add 1/2 tablespoons olive oil. Add in sweet potato, onion, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, stir, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until potato is soft. Remove lid and add garlic, cooking for 30 seconds.

Transfer potato mixture to a large bowl (slightly mashing potato with a fork) and add quinoa, breadcrumbs, cheese, herbs, remaining salt and pepper and mix well. Once combined, add in egg, then mix until moistened.

Using your hands to bring it together, form equally-sized patties to desired size. Heat the same skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Add cakes and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Serve with blackberry jame (or salsa, below).

Blackberry Salsa
1 pint fresh blackberries, chopped
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1/2 jalapeno, finely diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
the juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste

8 Vegetable Soup

I'm still holding out for the day when my office aka second home (sigh) finally masters the art of temperature control, but until then, I will continue complaining and my scarf will stay on (acquiring a work appropriate snuggie is a work in progress). Given these arctic conditions, I think my co-workers would agree it's perfectly acceptable to crave soup year-round, but particularly to combat the January blues.

Upon moving to New York, I quickly learned about a great soup spot known as Hale & Hearty. Despite abusing my right to "sample" a soup every time I go, I always seem to default back to their delicious and low-calorie 10 vegetable soup as my final selection. It still isn't entirely clear to me which 10 vegetables they claim to have in their soup, but I decided it was time I attempt a version of my own...8 vegetable soup.

The recipe:
Seasonings:

4 cloves minced garlic

2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp red pepper/chili flakes

2 tsp. everyday seasoning (Trader Joe's version combines sea salt, mustard seeds, black peppercorns, coriander, onion, garlic, paprika, and chilli pepper - talk about a spice medley)

1 bay leaf

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Vegetables:

4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced in rounds
1/2 onion, diced
3 celery stalks, sliced
4 baby potatoes, quartered or in sixths
2 c. leeks (I used pre-sliced frozen, slice if fresh)
1 c. peas
2 handfuls chopped kale
1-14.5 oz. can diced low sodium tomatoes
1-32 oz. container low sodium vegetable broth

Prepare and cut onion, carrot and celery then add to a stock pot with ~1 tbsp. olive oil. Saute for a few minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Add minced garlic and potatoes. Stir and season with basil, salt, pepper and 1 tsp. everyday seasoning.

Saute for another few minutes then add in tomatoes and the remaining tsp of everyday seasoning. Add broth, bay leaf and red pepper flakes. Simmer for 20 minutes.  Then add frozen peas, leeks and kale. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

For added flavor serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top!