fiery sweet potato quinoa rissoles

this week the weather has been absolutely beautiful. march has been an unseasonably warm  here in New England, it is as if we completely skipped spring and dove head first into summer.

i had every intent to share this amazing recipe with you on Monday, however the warm weather was calling my name. you learn very quickly here in New England when the weather screams your name you go and you go fast and enjoy all her spring time glory because you never know when the next blizzard or 20 degree days will return. March is a funny month - one day 80, the next 40. So the pup and I took advantage of the beautiful weather with a walk along the lake ending with her very first spring swim in the lake of the year.

so without further delay my friends, i give you fiery sweet potato quinoa rissoles in two words:

so. (freakin') good.

this recipe is inspired by my friend Court, over at the Fig Tree - she has the most adorable blog, definitely head over for a visit if you aren't already a fan! 

sweet potatoes, quinoa, cherry tomatoes, onion, chives, lime and hot peppers are the simple ingredients that pack a ton a flavor into a neat little package. 

cooked quinoa & mashed sweet potatoes are mixed in with sauteed peppers & onions, tomatoes & chives. a bit of salt is added to the mix along with a squeeze of lime.

depending on your heat tolerance, include the pepper seeds in the mix for a super spicy combo or remove for a more milder taste, but still with plenty of kick. we like just a kick, so the seeds were removed; whichever way you go I would suggest wearing gloves when handling the peppers. burning eyes and noses are no fun when cooking.



once you have everything mixed, pop the mixture into the freezer or fridge for about 15 minutes to cool. this step will help form better rissoles - the colder the better, however 15 minutes worked just fine for me.

the rissoles are coated in a mixture of brown sugar, spelt flour & cumin. the brown sugar creates a nice crust when the rissoles are pan fried.

while the mix is cooling in the fridge prep your coating ingredients.

the mixture is formed into 1/4 round discs (patties), coated and then pan fried in canola or vegetable oil. the rissoles can be made ahead and kept warm in the oven or re crisped the next day in a 400* oven - rewarmed for about 10  minutes.



avocado sour cream pairs nicely with the finished rissole. i just absolutely love the combination of sweet potatoes and avocado. garnished with a bit of chive and tomato makes for a beautiful starter or main course - this recipe works equally well for a light lunch or dinner party.

the mixture can be made up to a day ahead then assembled and pan fried the next day



the flavors are bright and the heat from the peppers welcoming - an all around lovely dish

keep these in mind for your next get together, family celebration

or for a nice weekend lunch with your mom.

Expecting vegans or vegetarians for Easter, make them these and they will definitely think you rock.

Fiery Sweet Potato Quinoa Rissoles

makes 10 (1/4 cup) rissoles

you will need:

for the rissoles

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

3/4 cup water

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (steamed)

2 hot peppers: i used Anaheim & Hungarian wax

2 tbsp diced white or red onion

1 tsp olive oil

6 cherry tomatoes sliced

juice of 1 lime

for the coating

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/3 cup spelt flour

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup canola oil for frying

for the avocado cream

1/2 avocado mashed

juice of a 1/2 lime

1 heaping tbsp vegan sour cream

assembly:

in a small sauce pan bring 3/4 cup of water to a boil, add quinoa, cover and reduce heat to simmer: cook for 15 minutes or until you can see the bran (ring) around the quinoa

steam sweet potatoes & saute peppers & onions

in a medium bowl combine cooked quinoa through lime juice - mix well

place bowl in fridge to cool for a minimum of 15 minutes

meanwhile, prepare coating: on a medium plate combine all ingredients for the coating and mix well

prepare avocado cream by mixing all ingredients for the cream together. store in the fridge until ready to use.

line a baking sheet with parchment paper

remove cooled quinoa mixture and a 1/4 cup at a time form rissoles - place each finished rissole on the parchment paper.

in a large frying pan, heat oil over medium high heat

coat each rissole in the coating mixture - covering both sides

place coated rissoles a few at a time in the pan- taking care not to crowd

(i was able to fit 5 rissoles at a time)

turn rissole once one side is golden brown and cook until the other side matches in color

place on a paper towel lined baking sheet

repeat until all rissoles are cooked - serve immediately with avocado cream or keep warm in the oven until ready to serve

*mixture and cream can be made up to one day ahead and stored in the fridge until ready to use - leftover rissoles can be reheated in a 400* oven for about 10 minutes.

enjoy!

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