Tried and True

Always good to have a few tried and true recipes in your collection. I am a huge fan of the  vegetarian "patty". Any combo of grain and bean and veg bound together with a bit of egg or starch then baked or sauteed to store in the freezer. Never reach for a Boca Burger again. 

These are orange, perfect for Halloween.

Now that you've cooked some quinoa and sweet potatoes are in season and very inexpensive  try your hand at this. 

Sweet Potato Kale Patties

 8oz Kale leaves, well rinsed, de-stemmed and fine chopped

1 1/2tsp salt

¾ LB sweet potatoes cut in ¼” dice

2 cups of quinoa rinsed and drained

1 small onion fine diced

½ C fine grated parmesan cheese

2Tbs minced fresh dill

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

2 large eggs, beaten

In a large pot bring 4 cups of water to boil. Add the kale and salt. Cook 1 minute and remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl, allow to cool

Bring the water back to a boil and add the sweet potatoes. Simmer 3-8 minutes until tender. Remove potatoes with slotted spoon

Measure the water that remains in the pot  to 3 cups, bring it to a boil and add the quinoa. Simmer 15-20 minutes until all the water is absorbed.

While the quinoa cooks, squeeze out the excess water from the cooled cooked kale.

in a large bowl add the kale and all other ingredients. I like to smoosh most  of the potatoes. When the quinoa is ready add it to the bowl and lightly mix everything together.

Use a ½ cup measure to scoop and form patties. Cook in a large skillet over medium heat a few minutes on each side. Use olive oil if your pan is not non-stick. I like the flavor you get using a cast iron pan.   

 I’ve made versions of this one  a few times and here are my notes

*not in the (slower) mood to use one pan 3 times, zip though the prep by starting all 3cooked  items at once  in different pots

*I rarely measure, just use what I happen to have on hand.

 *This can easily go vegan by omitting the egg and cheese (although I do prefer the added flavor of  a good parmesan).

*Substitute a dash of  hot sauce in place of the cayenne.

*If you don’t have dill don’t go out of your way to find it.

*Use red onion, white onion, scallions or chives

*add some cooked and rinsed black beans or chick peas (garbanzo) to the mix

*allow cooked patties to cool then freeze in containers or freezer baggies with a sheet of freezer paper between each patty

*Cook in a pan on the stove top or spray a cookie sheet and bake them (not too long or they will dry out)