A Healthy Start to the New Year

     Come January 1st, I am ready for a radical change in my diet.  There's no arguing this -- December is full of meals, desserts, and drinks that should not be consumed on a regular basis.  Right now, I do not want to eat one more cookie or see one more carton of heavy cream on the shelf of my refrigerator.  Bring on bowls of oranges, clementines, and grapefruit!

    
     These Sweet Potato and Quinoa Cakes with Black Beans are the start of my new, healthy regimen.  I veered slightly from the original recipe, working with what I had on hand in my kitchen.  I used gold quinoa instead of the red that was called for.  And, instead of whole cumin and ground coriander, I substituted 1 teaspoon ground cumin and 2 teaspoons dried cilantro.  When pan-frying the cakes, be sure to get a nice brown crust on the exterior; it helps to hold these delicate cakes together.  Oh... and the only thing I'd change?  I'd double the recipe the next time.  I can eat a lot of these!
    

             recipe by Betsy Nelson and featured in Experience Life | Jan/Feb 2013

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, plus additional for frying croquettes
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled, grated, rinsed in cold water, and patted dry
• 1/2 cup finely-diced red bell pepper
• 1 jalapeño pepper, minced
• 1 cup finely-diced yellow onion
• 2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds (I used 1 teaspoon ground cumin)
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander (I used 2 teaspoons dried cilantro)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup cooked red quinoa (I used gold quinoa)
• Salsa and sour cream for serving
1.  Heat 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil in a large sauté pan.  Add the grated sweet potato, bell pepper, jalapeño, and yellow onion.  Stir over medium heat until the vegetables have softened; about 5 minutes.  Add the cumin and coriander and continue to sauté the vegetables until they are fully-cooked.  Add the salt.
2.  Stir the black beans and quinoa into the vegetable mixture.  Take 1/3 of the mixture and purée in a food processor; return purée to the vegetables in the sauté pan and combine thoroughly.  Shape the mixture into small patties.  Heat additional coconut oil in a skillet and over medium heat, cook the croquettes until brown and crusty; flip and brown the other side. Keep the croquettes warm in the oven until ready to serve.

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