Millet and Sweet Potato Cakes

sweet potato millet patties (1 of 1)

It seems like every Sunday evening R and I say to one another, okay. Starting Monday, we're only going to eat healthy. Actually, I don't really believe in only eating healthy, but it's good to start each week with the best intentions I suppose. Another thing is that I'm not really all that into diet books. I don't like the lists of 'good' and 'bad' foods (since when is food a moral question, anyway?) and I don't like all the rules. Oh, and flavor. I don't like the lack of flavor.

But I do like to cook with real food. I love real food. Because real food is colorful and interesting and flavorful, and healthy almost as an afterthought. After a couple of serious successes with Prevention Magazine's recipes (this watermelon tomato salad comes to mind as something I will most likely be craving through the winter), I decided to give one of their cookbooks a try, especially since they're, like, 1 penny on Amazon. The books form a series called 'Eat Up Slim Down' but even if slimming down isn't really on the radar for you, these Sweet Potato and Millet Cakes sure as heck should be. Here's why.

sweet potato millet patties 2 (1 of 1)

Millet is a delicious whole grain, not overly assertive (less so than, say, quinoa) and it soaks up the stock and holds everything together. Makes the cakes filling as well. Here's another reason. Every normal person I know loves sweet potatoes. I mean, they're the candy of the vegetable world. But not R. R claims to hate them. Until he tried these, which he devoured. Seriously, and I wouldn't lie to you, these patties are so good that they easily come out as my favorite vegetarian patty ever. You should probably try them as soon as you find Millet (try Whole Foods). This recipe makes enough to feed two very, very hungry people who were too lazy to cook much else. Otherwise they can be stretch to feed 4 I would think, if you serve a couple of sides.

Millet and Sweet Potato Cakes
Adopted from Eat Up Slim Down Annual Recipes 2009

1 cup vegetable broth
1/3 cup millet
1 small sweet potato, peeled and shredded
1/4 cup mined onion (that's about 1/4 a medium-sized onion)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (you can always use fresh if you have it)
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring the millet and the broth to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. When it boils, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer the grain for about 20 minutes. You might need to check the level of the liquid to be sure it doesn't dry up and burn. You know, like rice. The millet will be tender when done.

In a medium sized bowl, stir together the sweet potato, onion, eggs, flour, thyme, pepper flakes and salt and pepper. When the millet is done, add it to the potato mixture and toss until everything is well-blended.

Heat a large saute pan and add either oil or cooking spray. Heat over medium-high and drop spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the pan. Flatten a bit into a patty shape and cook for about 6-7 minutes total, with a flip of the patty in the middle.

UPDATE: There was a typo in this recipe: 1.3 cup millet should have been 1/3 cup millet. I've changed it.

Comments

Michelle said…
Sounds yummy! I'm definitely trying this one after I get some millet!
Caitlin said…
I'm with michelle. I've never really cooked with millet before but here's a great reason to start!
Unknown said…
Add me to the "never cooked with millet" crowd. Sounds very nutritious and delicious though!

Here's another great sweet potato recipe:
http://eatlittleeatbig.blogspot.com/2010/11/recipe-for-sweet-potato-frips-and-pesto.html
Anonymous said…
What is with people who think they don't like sweet potatoes? Childhood marshmallow trauma?
jd said…
Those look lovely! And I'm always looking for new ways to use millet.

Count me in!
Stephen said…
I didn't know I could make something like this out of sweet potatoes! The only thing I know I can make out of it is sweet potato fries.

Health blog
Sarah said…
Sweet potatoes are my favourite vegetable. And I love the healthy slant--long may it continue! I have decided that (mostly) all the food I cook for myself can easily be healthy. Then when I eat out I can indulge a bit more. Whole foods are my main recipe staples.
Anonymous said…
So, I tried making these for Thanksgiving and they definitely didn't turn out as well as yours look in the picture. Mine were a little too "liquidy" and didn't stay together well. Any ideas for what went wrong?

Also, does 1.3 cup millet mean 1/3 cup millet or 1-3 cup millet or 1 and 1/3 cup millet?

Thanks!
Andrea said…
Hi Anonymous,

I'm really sorry these didn't work out for you. The millet should have been 1/3 cup, not 1.3 (stupid typos). I've changed it in the recipe. Also, are you hand-grating your sweet potatoes or using a food processor? I find that sometimes using the processor kind of liquifies things. Although you're right, these don't ever really become totally solid, they're always a bit fragile unlike some other types of veggie burgers, you do have to be careful when flipping etc. Perhaps while forming them into patties you could kind of wring them out a little to get rid of some of the extra liquid? But they are a kind of a looser patty to begin with. Also, if they start to break apart on the skillet, you can use a spatula to mash them together a bit. Does that help at all?
April said…
This recipe is delicious. I followed the recipe but used regular potato because I didn't have sweet potato and added some fried leaks. The whole family enjoyed them. I will definitely make these again but would like to add more ingredients such as fried bacon chopped up and some shredded cheese. Yummy!!!
KentuckyJBird said…
My husband and I are trying to eat healthier and lose weight so I made these for lunch today. I had no trouble with them being soggy or not holding together but they were well done on the outside before they were done on the inside. The sweet potato was still a little firm. Is the sweet potato supposed to be precooked at all? I fried them over medium heat in coconut oil and then put them in the oven at 350 to finish cooking the sweet potato. The flavor was delicious! We put a little goat cheese on top and they were so good!

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