Not Your Mama’s Sweet Potatoes: Sweet Potato and Quinoa Skillet Cake

In this recipe, sweet potatoes and quinoa come together to make a delicious skillet cake, or you can use the same recipe to make smaller patties to make sandwiches or wraps. Personally, we like the larger skillet-sized cake for this recipe because it’s extremely easy to make. Just mix the ingredients, heat a skillet and add some oil, then spread the mixture to make a half-inch thick cake the size of the skillet. Let it cook for a few minutes to get the skillet side browned and crispy, then flip and do the same on the other side. You can always flip it again if you need more time on one side. Since there are eggs in the recipe, test the interior temperature of the cake and get it up to at least 160 degrees before serving.

This recipe comes to us from CTS Athlete and Michelin Star Chef Matthew Accarrino. If you are in the San Francisco area take the opportunity to eat at his restaurant, SPQR on Fillmore Street. The food is amazing. Tell them CTS sent you; Matthew will get a kick out it.

A few words about the ingredients in this dish.

Sweet potatoes: This is the season for sweet potatoes. In North America, they were likely harvested recently because harvest time is right before the first frost. If you’re into the local food or farm-to-table movements, you should be able to find sweet potatoes now. They are also rich in fiber, which helps make them a more filling option than some other carbohydrate sources.

Quinoa: This grain is a good choice because it is a great source of essential amino acids, B vitamins thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin B6, and folate. If you are following a gluten-free diet, quinoa is a grain you can consume. If you use rice flour or another gluten-free flour in this recipe, the entire recipe will be gluten free.

Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans: This legume is another great source of protein as well as fiber.

Ingredients

2-3 Medium to large sweet potatoes (peeled and grated, enough for 3-4 Cups)
1.5-2 Tbsp Olive oil
1-2 tsp Salt
½ Cup Quinoa (cooked, not ½ cup dry quinoa)
½ Cup cooked or canned Garbanzo Beans (mashed)
2 Green onions (finely cut)
½ Tsp Garlic powder
1-2 Eggs
2 Tbsp Wheat Flour (rice flour or gluten free mix can be used)
Spice blend, zaatar, salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Peel and grate raw sweet potatoes until you have 3-4 cups
2. Using a kitchen towel wring out the shredded potato to remove some of the excess moisture.
3. Cook quinoa according to directions on package
4. Mash garbanzo beans
5. Toss the prepared shredded sweet potato, cooked quinoa, and garbanzo beans with olive oil and salt.
6. Add the flour and seasonings, and then the eggs, mix well.
7. In a preheated medium to large skillet over medium heat, place a film of olive oil or spray generously with non-stick spray. Place enough of the mixture to form a cake that is ½ inch thick and covers the bottom of the skillet. This recipe will likely take 2 batches, alternately you may make several smaller cakes.
8. Cook till golden on one side and then gently flip. If you are uncomfortable flipping a large cake, slide the cake from the pan to a plate golden side down. Invert the pan over the cake on the plate and turn over to flip the cake back into the pan on the side that needs to be cooked. Finish cooking the cake till golden on the second side and cooked through.
9. Transfer to a board and cut into serving pieces.
10. Serve alongside roasted vegetables meat or fish or sprinkled with liquid aminos, soy sauce, hot sauce or your favorite condiment.