Earlier this fall, I was looking for an appetizer recipe that was vegan, gluten-free, easy to eat in two bites, and delicious. Sweet Potato-Quinoa Cakes had gone over well with the client I was working with on previous events, and I thought I would make them again—only this time appetizer size.
I wanted to spice up the recipe a bit, however, so I did a quick search online and came across a recipe that looked like something I could work with. I made some adjustments, as I always do, and I came up with the following recipe.
Sweet Potato-Quinoa Fritters
Makes about 20 fritters, or 10 cakes
2 medium baked sweet potatoes (skins discarded)
2 cups cooked quinoa
2 scallions, chopped
NOTE: you may substitute a ½ cup minced sweet or red onion or even shallots. Use whatever you have on hand.
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
a pinch of cayenne pepper
¼ cup olive oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper, then set aside.
Place prepared sweet potatoes in a large bowl, and use a fork to mash potatoes against the sides of the bowl until only small chunks appear. Stir in the quinoa, scallions, garlic, salt, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne, stirring to thoroughly combine ingredients.
I like to use ice cream scoops to make uniform-size fritters. As shown in the photo below, I used a 4-ounce scoop (to make cakes). For an appetizer size, I used a 2-ounce scoop. Using wet hands, begin shaping quinoa-sweet potato mixture into fritters, placing on prepared baking sheet. Repeat until mixture is gone.
Pour olive oil into a small bowl and use a silicone brush to lightly coat the top of each fritter with oil. Bake for 10–15 minutes, until golden brown.
Dollop approximately ½ teaspoon Avocado-Lime Dressing (below) on top of each fritter and serve.
Avocado-Lime Dressing
Makes approximately 6 servings
1 avocado, peel and pit removed
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup water
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic
½ cup cilantro, minced
Juice of 1 lime
Salt to taste
Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and pulse until smooth (about 1–2 minutes).
Serve over Sweet Potato-Quinoa fritters, or use as a salad dressing.
Note: I found the recipe I used as my starting point on the blog Dishing Up the Dirt.
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