Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes (Gluten-free)

If you asked me to name the number one tool in my mama toolbox I’d answer you without hesitation: healthy homemade finger foods.  Honestly I can’t survive without them.  I feel like I am constantly battling with myself to stay away from easy-to-find processed options–you know, the finger foods that come out of a box in the form of a simple carb.  Kula Baby is rarely satisfied by processed snacks because they don’t have enough protein or healthy fat to sustain his rapidly growing brain.   But I’m not always prepared enough to whip up something homemade in a pinch.  As a result I am trying find and make snacks I can freeze or keep in the refrigerator for those last-minute snack attacks.

At this point I’d like to call myself a snack master work-in-progress.  I do the best I can to come up with new and tasty homemade finger foods, while at the same time admitting that I’m human and my child will indeed survive if I throw 2 (or 5) Plum Organics Fiddlesticks his way when I’m in a snack jam.

Below you will find my recipe for Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes.  I love the idea of a quinoa pancake because quinoa is such a nutrient dense food.  Known as the “Grain of the Incas” quinoa touts high protein as one of its many benefits, due to the fact that it is a seed used as a grain.  Quinoa is a great source of vitamin B6, vitamin E, fiber, phosphorous, iron, copper, zinc and magnesium.  Best of all?  It tastes great.  The sweet potato and maple syrup make these cakes very kid-friendly.  They are portable and healthy—a Kula Mama snack success (I hope).

PS- We use these frequently for dinner and breakfast too!  They are adult and child friendly!

Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes

1 – 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa

1 large sweet potato (cook until soft, bake at 375 for one hour)

1 egg or egg replacer (we use 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds and 3 tablespoons of water)

3 tablespoons gluten-free flour (we use brown rice flour)

3/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon all spice

A dash of cinnamon

1 teaspoon coconut oil (unrefined, organic)

1/2 teaspoon maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Scoop out the inside of the sweet potato into a bowl  and add all ingredients except the quinoa.  Stir to combine with large spoon (I use a fork to mash the potato first and then add the remaining ingredients).  Add quinoa and stir until just combined.  Don’t overmix or the quinoa will start getting mushy.

If you have time, let the batter sit in the fridge for 20 min to a hour.  If you don’t have the time skip this step and forget I said anything.  Sometimes time is of the essence!

Form into 2 inch pancakes and cook on a pancake griddle or small frying pan (use a little more coconut oil as your cooking oil if needed).  Grill 4 minutes per side on medium heat until golden brown.  Enjoy!