Pizza Inspired Sweet Potato Cakes

I have a love hate relationship with the sweet potato. (Squash, too) I may have mentioned it already.

I am learning to like sweet potatoes. Tim’s a fan and I make them for him. They are VERY good for you. Super nutrient dense. So, I decided I could learn to like them.

Embracing the sweet potato has been a challenge. Just when I think I actually like them, I eat them somewhere that they have added brown sugar or cinnamon or marshmallows to them. I still can not embrace the SWEET sweet potato. Neither can Tim. He likes them baked with salt, pepper and butter.

When you make them all sugary it really blows the whole “good-for-you” thing out of the water, right? You’re still getting the nutrients but your also getting a million extra calories from marshmallow. Who’s idea was it that marshmallows go with sweet potato? (Or squash for them matter. . ewwww.)

I usually eat a little piece of the baked ones I make for Tim these days. And I used them in a homemade hash one night with left over pork loin. Now that was good! Probably thanks to the pork. 🙂

Earlier this summer I read a recipe online for a take on potato cakes but using sweet potatoes and quinoa. I modified the recipe a little and made them. They were so good. I made them 3 times that week.

I have since made them a bunch of times this summer. I decided to put a new flavor spin on them and pizza them up. What a good idea! Meat free but you could add pepperoni with good result I’m sure.

They take a little prep work because you have to pre-cook the sweet potato to mash and pre-cook the quinoa before you add it. But it’s well worth it. And I usually just bake extra sweet potatoes one night and then use the left overs a few nights later to make these.

The basil in these adds such a fresh flavor and the cheese gets all warm and gooey. YUM!

I had an avocado that needed to be used up so I chopped it up and mixed it with a chopped tomato to use as an accompaniment. It was good but unnecessary. These are great on their own. Or you could spoon a little pizza sauce over them.

Also, was it me or was last week the longest, short week ever? The week seemed to go on forever.

September? Already? Maybe that is why the week felt so long to me. September means snow is right around the corner and then we’ll be bogged down in cold dreary winter for months and months. Not looking forward to that.

Although, I will tell you that the cooler temperatures were nice Sunday. I stayed home in comfy, snugly clothes all day and cooked a little. This included a homemade tomato, basil bisque for dinner with cheese quesadillas. Very nice.

Pizza Inspired Sweet Potato Cakes

1 lb sweet potato (cooked, peeled and mashed)

1 cup cooked Quinoa

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 green onions, diced

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

3 egg whites

2-3 Tbsp fresh basil, rough chopped

1-2 Tbsp fresh minced oregano

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1/2 to 1 tsp salt, to taste

Olive oil for pan

Cook sweet potato. ( I usually microwave until potato is soft or I roast extra the night before and use the left overs!) After the potato cools enough to handle, the peel will slip off easily. After you peel it, give it a rough mash.

Stir in all the rest of the ingredients until combined. Form the dough into patties.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the patties a few at a time. Cook until golden brown on one side and then flip them. Continue cooking until the second side is golden brown. Remove from pan to a plate or serving platter.

Continue cooking a few patties at a time. You can cook just a few and chill the sweet potato mixture for several days. I sometimes just cook a few patties and chill the rest of the dough. Then I can quickly cook more throughout the week.