Lentil, Quinoa and potatoes in a Patty

In these sub zero temperatures the only things that are keeping me warm is hot soups, hot snack(y) food and the thought of spring right at the corner ( far from it). I have never been a winter person as I do not enjoy being outdoors in the cold, other then curling up with a favorite book, watching a movie, what else can a human ( like me) do. Rant warning! I miss my long walks, I miss my garden, I miss walking out in flip-flops and shorts, I miss my chat with my neighbors…and more than anything I miss sunshine.  Its hard to walk out to get mail…u need three layers. I have been overworking too, and that could be the reason am crabby, am just tired and need time off,  that is exactly what am planning for myself today ( now, let’s see how that goes). The extra lbs that has creeped up is another pain, lol! That is really the reason for this patty, I wanted something crunchy and tasty. I made this as healthy as I could without compromising on taste. Am not a nutritionist, so I have no idea about the calories in it, but the fact that it has lentil and quinao is very comforting. Love the texture of quinoa, it adds a crunch I loved. What pairs so well with this is tomato soup, I just loved the combination…

Before I forget, a HUGE thank you to all my readers for pinning my soups, I am thrilled to see my minestrone soup get a 1000 plus repins. In the last few days I have got a lot of traffic and gained a lot of followers on Pinterest, thanks ! I have got some messages with requests and questions about archived recipes, am answering them one at a time, sorry for the delay. 

1/4 cup cooked quinao 

1/4 cup cooked french lentil

1 medium to large size boiled potato

2-3 tbsp panko

1 tsp grated ginger

2 tsp cilantro finely chopped

olive oil for shallow frying

Spice blend

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika 

pinch of turmeric

salt to taste 

Make sure the boiled lentil and quinoa do not have any water in them. Mash the potatoes and mix all the ingredients and form into round patties, take a cast iron skillet and shallow fry it till it is golden brown on both sides. I was really frugal with the oil, but I leave that to you. 

The yogurt dip pairs very well with the patties: 

Dip
1 cup greek yogurt 
2 tbsp finely cut capers (drained)
1/4 tsp tabasco 
1 tsp grated lemon zest 
the original recipe  had lemon juice, I did not add it as I thought the capers were pretty sour
4-5 tbsp freshly cut dill

spice blend 
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
freshly ground pepper
sea salt to taste ( go easy as the capers are pretty salty )

Dip recipe altered from Richard Blais’s recipe.

If you are in the mood for a little extra you can always make mini sandwiches, add your favorite topping, instead of mayo you can use the yogurt dip.