Sweet Potato Quinoa Patties with Espresso Balsamic Strawberries + Nibs

Recipe Redux: healthy patties

The theme for March’s creation was stacked patties. Sweet potatoes and quinoa have been two staples of my diet lately and I’ve probably been daydreaming about creating a sweet pot./quinoa burger for too long now. Finally, in this grand ol’ month of March, a stacked patty has been born and I can move on to daydreaming about something more relevant to my career, perhaps.

Not to say sweet potato/quinoa patties aren’t important or anything…

I had originally wanted to use purple sweet potatoes or at least a color combination for this recipe, but the farmer’s market only had orange or white sweet pots. I’m quite happy with the result of these, because the sweet potatoes were a beautiful orange and were super sweet. They were a purrfect accompaniment to the quinoa, nibs, and espresso balsamic-soaked strawbs.

Baking sweet potatoes makes them taste like candy…Nature’s candy ;)

The espresso-infused balsamic vinegar was a new addition to my kitchen recently after a lovely trip to the beach in St. Augustine with my friend Mallory. We visited a store with various infused balsamic vinegars and oils where I was super stoked to try all the creative concoctions. I wanted to buy everything, but I settled on the espresso b.v.. It’s good with savory or sweet, man I feel as if I could drink this stuff..

I contemplated adding spices and flavors such as cinnamon, cloves, or vanilla extract, and even stevia as a sweetener, but the natural flavors in this recipe turned out sweet enough for me and just right. It’s kinda lika neutral sweetness, or maybe natural sweetness I should say. Quinoa, sweet potatoes, no sugar/salt added almond butter, cacao nibs, and strawberries.

Imagine what those flavors would taste like.

You don’t really need much added spices/sweeteners when the food’s flavors taste so good on their own.

Ingredients:

2 C sweet potato (baked, peeled, and mashed)

2 C cooked quinoa

2 T cacao nibs

1/2 C almond butter (I used no salt/sugar added)

Directions:

1. Wash and cut strawberries and place in small bowl

2. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar until enough is added to allow the strawberries to soak (I made just a shallow layer that I continuously mixed the strawbs in. I did not drown the strawbs). Set aside at room temperature for about an hour.

3. Meanwhile, add sweet potatoes and quinoa in a medium sized bowl and mix until combined.

4. Add in almond butter and mix well

5. Next, incorporate the cacao nibs into the mixture

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

7. Line cookie sheet or some type of baking pan with parchment paper

8. Form batter into patties and drop onto baking sheet (they don’t have to be too far apart because they won’t spread) 

9. Gently press strawberries into each patty

10. Add additional nibs onto patties for garnish (optional)

11. Bake at 350 on parchment paper for about 25-35 minutes, or until patties are heated through and exterior is stable to the touch, such that they could be removed with a spatula without breaking.

12. Drizzle more balsamic vinegar on top (optional, but recommended if you enjoy the flavor combination)

Let cool a bit and transfer to a cooling rack

Eat

Storage: air-tight container in fridge

Check out the nutrition facts :). Definitely a great snack throughout the day to give you nutrition, keep you energized and satiated, as well as gives ya a food to look forward to when you come home…

Ooooh yeah

Strawberries here in Gainesville are totally on point lately. ’tis the season all :)

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