Today I’ve got an easy to make and super healthy recipe for you that is perfect for your New Years resolution. The recipe began with a reader asking me if it was possible to convert it to a gluten free recipe, which I was happy to do.
Unfortunately, this request came several weeks ago and the last few weeks have been filled with challenges for me. First there was my son’s 7th birthday – which rocked. And then I got sick. And then Christmas and New Years, both of which I was still sick for. Although I’ll admit that sitting on the couch watching Chopped all day has been a nice break, I’m a bit frustrated because I had so many plans for the New Year – both personal and professional- and I’m feeling a bit behind.
For starters, I’d planned to do a post on my goals for the year, as a way to make them public and hold myself accountable. Unfortunately, I’m still ironing out exactly what it is that I want to accomplish this year. I’d also planned to restart P90x, but I think its best to wait until I can actually go an hour without a massive coughing attack to do so.
Although I hate feeling “behind”, I think there is an important lesson it in, so I’m trying to appreciate that. This time of year, we all have great intentions on how this year is going to be “the year”. Then, at the first time that something goes wrong we give up and go back to our old habits and give it all up. I don’t know about you but I’m tired of beating myself up for not being perfect or for not being able to accomplish something in the exact time frame I had in mind.
So, I’d like to encourage you to step back and realize that change can take time and that you are much better off accomplishing your goals in a slow but steady process rather than killing yourself and burning out in the first two weeks of the year. I don’t mean not to give it your all, but rather to realize that whether you start working on something on the 1st or 15th isn’t really going to matter in the long run. It’s that you DO start and more importantly that you finish strong. And know that life will get in the way, because without a doubt it will! What leads to success is taking a brief pause to reflect on what isn’t working, STOP BEATING YOURSELF UP, and then to get back to the task at hand. Ok, enough of my daily soap box.
On to the Sweet Potato Quinoa Falafel!
Recipe adapted from the Happy Herbivore
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 yam or sweet potato
- 2 tablespoons milk (I used almond milk)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tablespoon onion powder (or 1/2 cup chopped fresh onion)
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 2 tablespoons Garbanzo Bean Flour
- 3 tablespoons Quinoa Flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook sweet potato by steaming, baking or boiling. (I baked mine for about 50 minutes at 375 degrees) Once potato has cooled, scoop out inside into a large bowl. Add milk and using a potato masher or fork mash well.
- Put garlic, parsley, cilantro, onion powder, cumin, coriander, chickpea flour, quinoa flakes and salt in a food processor. Process until you have a crumbly mixture. Add to potato and mix until combined. Add quinoa and mix well.
- Form into tablespoon sized balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 15 minutes. Flip and respray and bake another 15 minutes.
Notes
Protein: 5
Carbohydrates: 24.7
Fiber: 3.7
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