sweet potato streusel loaf.

I did not intend on buying another pie book.  As much as I love pie, I have a love hate relationship with baking them.  Mostly because I suck at crimping pie edges.   One can't be good at everything.   

But alas, I did, because it's the Sister Pie Cookbook and when Tyler and I went to Detroit I fell in love with their shop.   It was cute and quirky and all of their baked goods were awesome.  It's an ode to the classic American bakery but with a twist - pies with local and seasonal fruit, peanut butter cookies with paprika, and savory scones.  It's everything I love nestled in corner shop on a street with really beautiful old homes.  

This book is great.  Especially now that we have gone from 80 degree and bare leg weather to me reaching for sweaters and a coat every-time I leave the apartment.  I'm not complaining.  It's baking, nesting, reading on the couch with a cup of tea and piece of this loaf weather.       

The technique used in the recipe for this loaf is awesome.  Throw all the loaf ingredients in a bowl and let rest over night.  This breaks down the oats and gives the whole thing a bit of tangy-fermented taste.  I love the juxtaposition of savory-ish cake with the sweet streusel topping.   The nuggets of cream cheese and sweet potato just make it fall.  And that's kind of all I want right now.   

Sweet Potato Streusel Loaf
Recipe from Sister Pie Cookbook

This freezes very well.  Slice before you freeze so you can have a piece whenever you want.

For the Sweet Potatoes

12 ounces of sweet potatoes (skin-on) scrubbed and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Cake

1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup full-fat yogurt
1 large egg
1/3 cup oil (canola, grapeseed, etc.)
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup spelt flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

For the Streusel 

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter straight from the fridge cut into 1/2 inch cubes 

To Finish

4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Turbinado sugar for sprinkling.

Roast your sweet potatoes.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Place the sweet potato cubes on a baking sheet and toss evenly with the olive oil, brown sugar, and salt.  Place in the oven and roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes or fork tender.  Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool.   You can prepare the sweet potatoes up to 2 days in advance and store in an airtight container in the fridge.  

Mix the batter: In a medium bowl whisk the buttermilk, yogurt, egg, oil, sugar, and vanilla until well mixed and smooth.   In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, whole wheat, and spelt flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, allspice, cinnamon, and ginger.  Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients, using a silicone spatula to gently fold them together until no dry spots remain.   Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and place in the refrigerator overnight.   

White the batter hydrates, make the streusel.  Combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.   Place the butter in the bowl and coat on all sides with the flour mixture.  Work to break up the cubes with your fingers and continue to cut the butter into the flour under the streusel resembles wet sand.   You can make the streusel up to 2 days in advance.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge.  

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9x5 inch load pan with parchment.   Butter your parchment.  Spoon 1/3 of the batter into your parchment lined pan.  Top with 1/3 of your sweet potato cubes and 1/2 the cream cheese cubes - press the cubes down into the batter.  Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.  Pour in another 1/3 of the batter and top with another 1/3 of your sweet potato cubes and the remaining cream cheese cubes.  Again, press the cubes gently into the batter and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.  Top with the remaining 1/3 of the batter and the rest of your sweet potato cubes.  Gently press the remaining sweet potato cubes into the batter.  Distribute the streusel evenly over the loaf making sure to press down to adhere.   

Place the loaf in the oven and bake for 35 - 45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.  Let cool on a wire rack.  Dust with powdered sugar.  Slice into 1 inch thick slices.  Remaining cake can be stored in the fridge for up 2 days or in the freezer for a month.   

sweet potatoes with yogurt and cilantro-chile sauce.

I've been feeling as of late un-motivated to come to this place to talk about food.  It's not that I'm not cooking, I am cooking, almost every night, and most weekends, but I sometimes feel unsure about whether blogs are now being replaced by Instagram and Tweets and things that get you information quicker and with less words.   Does anyone care to read a couple of paragraphs about my life and what I'm cooking?  

I also think, that with the guy we have currently occupying the White House, I have to spend so much more time and energy reading about what he's done that day.  It's really exhausting and it makes me feel useless.  Spewing my thoughts to my husband and co-workers about all the injustice in the world, what does that accomplish?  I keep donating money to all of these causes because I feel like it's something to do but really is it doing something?    

But if I take a step back and try (really try) to look at this all glass-half full,  I feel like I'm learning so much.   Did you know we have stricter laws about importing cheeses from Europe then we do gun laws?  It's true.  We do and that's dumb.  Because I would much prefer people buy imported raw milk brie cheese then automatic rifles (raw milk brie de meaux is so good).   I hope I'm not the only one that feels this way.  We need gun laws.  What happened in Vegas today is just another very unfortunate reminder of why.      

I came back to this place today because I missed it, because I wanted to just throw a lot of random thoughts down so I can come back later and re-evaluate my sanity, but mostly so I could talk about these sweet potatoes which are honestly the most exciting thing I've made as of late.   Seriously, the most exciting thing.  It comes down to the green sauce which is kind of like a greem romesco but better.  SO MUCH BETTER.  Honestly, I could eat this for lunch every day for the next month and never get tired of it.  The contrast of sweet potatoes with herby, spicy green sauce and creamy yogurt is just so good.  It also tastes great at room temperature, doesn't get soggy, and pairs well with just about anything (Chicken!  Fish!  Lamb!).   There isn't much to be excited about right now, but this salad is one of those things.   

Sweet Potatoes with Yogurt and Cilantro-Chile Sauce
Recipe from the NYTimes 

¼ cup plus 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
½ tablespoon honey 
Juice of 2 limes
Kosher salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
2 ¼ pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch wedges
½ bunch cilantro, leaves only (1/2 ounce)
2 green chiles (I used jalapenos), seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane or minced
2 tablespoons sliced blanched almonds
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 cup Greek yogurt

Pre-heat the over to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup oil, the honey, juice from 1 lime, a large pinch of salt and pepper to taste, and toss with potato wedges. Spread in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet, bake until tender and lightly browned in spots, 45 to 55 minutes. Sprinkle with additional salt to taste.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse to combine 1/3 cup oil, the cilantro, chiles, garlic, almonds, juice from remaining lime, vinegar and a large pinch of salt, until it forms a chunky purée. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Spoon the sauce over the potatoes, dollop with some yogurt, drizzle with oil, and serve with any remaining yogurt on the side.

pasta with brussel sprouts, cheese, and sweet potato.

Hi 2017.

I debated endlessly over doing my yearly end of year life/blog/things of note re-cap but if we are being honest, 2016 took a lot out of me (I have so many more grays then I did a year ago) and I just didn't feel up to re-living it. 

But 2017, I have goals for you.  Finally (I mean it) making homemade croissants, traveling again (Charleston this weekend!), being a more mindful person and asking myself why (Why do you need this shirt?  Why do you need another cookie instead of an apple?).  Listening more to my gut, giving more hugs to my husband and dog, being a better consumer, trying new recipes that utilize new ingredients.  Go and visit my parents more often, throw a dinner party at least once a month, find a nightstand and bedroom table lamps, learn how to keep a plant alive, take more walks, listen more. Spend more time reading.  Watch some new documentaries. Learn more about wine.  Take a yoga class at least once a month.      

One of my goals is also continue to figure out ways of how to do something out of (what feels like) nothing. Being a cook means you look for ways to use what you have instead of always relying on some ingredient (you may need to buy) to make a meal.  Making something out of nothing is an art and it's an art I hope to perfect.   

This recipe is one of those turn leftovers into a meal kind of recipes and I feel its genius.  Roast some vegetables, turn a small bit of ricotta into a sauce, throw in some pasta, and suddenly, you have dinner.  Its magical and delicious and such an easy way to clean out the fridge.  Here's to more kitchen magic in 2017.   

Pasta with Brussel Sprouts, Cheese, and Sweet Potato
Adapted from the NYTimes 

I loved the idea of this recipe (pasta bake!  lots of veggies!) but felt it could be improved upon.  I roasted my veggies instead of boiling them because roasted veggies are far superior.  I swapped the white potato for a sweet potato because that's what I had on hand and because I love sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts together.   I grated the cheese over cubing it since I find grated cheese disperses itself more easily.   Regardless this is a stellar recipe that lends itself to endless variations (mushrooms and white potato anyone?). 

1/2 - 3/4 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved (or quartered if large)
1 (8-ounce) sweet potato, peeled and in 1-inch dice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound pasta (NYTimes recommends whole wheat or spelt tortiglioni or penne)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 - ½ cup ricotta
4 ounces Gruyère, parmesan or pecorino romano grated 
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
Additional parmesan or sprinkling on top  

Heat oven to 400 degrees. On a large baking sheet, place the sweet potato.  Drizle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.   Roast about 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and add the bruseel sprouts to the same sheet pan, drizzle sprouts with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and return the pan to the oven for another 12 minutes or until everything is roasted and browned.    Remove from the oven but keep oven on.   

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water generously, then the pasta, and let water come back to a boil. Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until pasta is al dente. Just before draining, remove 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid and set aside.

Return pasta to the pot.  Add brussels sprouts and sweet potato, then add ricotta, Gruyère (or parmesan) and 3/4 cup cooking water, and toss well. Taste and additional salt and pepper if needed. Add more liquid if you think the pasta is too dry.

Pour the pasta into an 8x8 square pan.   Sprinkle with Panko, Parmesan,a and additional black pepper, and bake for 20 minutes, by which time the surface will be scorched a light gold. Let stand for at least 15 minutes before eating.

roasted broccoli and sweet potato bowl with miso-tahini dressing.

Each week I'm responsible for a lot of meals.   Ensuring two adults and one dog are fed healthy wholesome meals (with some cookies thrown in for good measure) is essentially a full time job - one that requires a lot of foresight and planning.   I've turned Sunday into a kind-of bum around the house/prepare meals for the week day. Doing so has helped alleviate some of the stress that comes from getting home from work, walking the dog, and pondering the age old question "what the heck are we going to eat for dinner?".

I've come to rely on roasted vegetables as the base for many meals throughout the week.   Combine roasted potatoes and beans and you're halfway to a breakfast taco for dinner.   Extra roasted cauliflower?  Toss it with bulger and a lemon dressing and you've got yourself a substantial salad that brings to life the flavors of the Middle-East.   But of all the roasted veggie dishes I make, my absolute favor is roasted broccoli and sweet potato with miso-tahini dressing.  It's incredibly easy, absurdly flavorful, and best of all, it's a salad that doesn't wilt which means leftovers work the next day for lunch.  How's that for winning?   

Roasted Broccoli and Sweet Potato Bowl with Miso-Tahini Dressing

Recipe adapted from Goop.  Dressing adapted from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Serves 4

Rice is optional though it makes the whole thing more filling.  Any rice will do though I'm partial to sushi rice since I love sticky rice.   Also some sliced avocado up top makes for a very welcome addition.   

For the Bowl

1 cup sushi rice

1 head of broccoli (about 1.25 pounds) cut into 1 inch pieces

1 pound of sweet potatoes, peeled, and diced into half inch cubes

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 tablepsoons olive oil

Sesame seeds for garnish

For the Dressing

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 small garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons white miso 

2 tablespoons tahini 

1 tablespoon honey (I use Mike's Hot Honey)

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon Sriracha

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place rice and cooking liquid in a rice cooker or on the stove. Cook according to package directions.  Set aside.

Coat one large or two smaller trays with a thin slick of olive oil. Layer sweet potatoes on tray(s) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, until browning underneath. Flip and toss chunks around, then add broccoli to the tray(s), season again with salt and pepper, and roast for another 10 to 20 minutes, until broccoli is lightly charred at edges and sweet potato is fully bronzed and tender. Toss chunks around one more time if it looks like they’re cooking unevenly. 

While vegetables roast, prepare sesame-miso dressing: Combine everything in a blender and run until smooth, scraping down sides once. Taste and adjust ingredients if needed.

Assemble bowls: Scoop some rice/grains into each, then pile on the roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli. Coat lightly with sesame-miso dressing and finish with toasted sesame seed duo. Serve with extra dressing on the side.

roasted yams with honey, aleppo, and lime yogurt.

I received the Gjelina Cookbook for Christmas (thanks Aunt Carol and Uncle Dennis!) and have been blown away by how good it is.  The book itself is gorgeous but the real kicker is how accessible everything is.   These aren't labor intensive weekend long projects.  These are realistic meals and side dishes - things you can make even if you only have 35 minutes to throw dinner together.   

The chapter that has me most captivated is the vegetable chapter.  Gjelina (like a lot of restaurants now a days) treats vegetables like the main attraction and it's fun and exciting to learn new ways to make vegetables shine. Yogurt shows up a lot and deservedly so; it can add a richness to a dish that people love.  Spices are used with abandon and roasting seems to be the cooking method of choice.   The whole thing feels very here and now.  It's how I want to eat come 2016.  

I've made a handful of dishes thus far but my favorite may be this roasted yams dish.  In January when you are trying to wean yourself off holiday cookies and cake, this dish is a welcome distraction. It has depth and an absurd amount amount of flavor and the lime yogurt just brings the whole thing together.  Serving it with some crusty bread and leftover roast chicken makes for a most excellent meal.   

Roasted Yams with Honey, Aleppo, and Lime Yogurt
Recipe from Gjelina Cookbook

1/2 cup Greek Style Yogurt
Juice of 2 limes
3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 medium to large yams/sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons honey (I used Mike's Hot Honey because I love the extra heat)
1 tablespoon Espellete, Aleppo, or crushed red pepper flakes
Flaky sea salt
2 green onions (white and green parts cut on the bias) or 2 tablespoons chives minced

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

In a small bowl combine the yogurt with the lime juice, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.   Set aside.

Cut the yams lengthwise into 8 - 10 wedges (about 3/4 of an inch).   In a medium bowl toss the yams with the honey, 1/2 teaspoon of the Espellete/Aleppo/Crushed red pepper flakes, and the remaining olive oil.  Season with sea salt and pepper.   Marinate for 10 minutes tossing once or twice to coat.  

Transfer the yams to a rimmed baking dish and roast until they are nicely caramelized around the edges and soft when pierced with a fork at the thickest part, 25 - 35 minutes.   

Transfer to a serving platter, drizzle with yogurt all over, and garnish with green onions or chives and the remaining Espellete/Aleppo/Crushed red pepper flakes.   Season with flaky sea salt.  Serve warm.   

spicy sweet potato chip and avocado sandwich.

Last week's issue of the NYTimes dinning section stole my heart because my love of sandwiches knows no bounds.   It is safe to say that after reading the article about how to build a better sandwich, I had a SERIOUS hankering for something stuffed between two slices of bread.   

And so I made one epic sandwich.  

Some may scoff at the idea of a sandwich containing no meat.  While vegetarian sandwiches are not the norm, they are incredibly delicious especially when they encompass lots of different textural and flavor elements. The key to a good sandwich is juxtaposition - something crunchy with something soft.  Something spicy with something sweet.  If you can get that balance right the sandwich possibilities are endless. 

This particular sandwich has it all - crispy, crunchy homemade sweet potato chips.  Creamy avocado and a particularly addicting spicy special sauce.  It's not neat and it's not pretty but it's good and satisfying and absurdly delicious.   

Spicy Sweet Potato Chip and Avocado Sandwich

Recipe adapted from Dolly and Oatmeal

Makes 2 Sandwiches

1 large sweet potato, sliced lengthwise to about 1/8-inch thickness

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Large grain sea salt + fresh ground pepper

1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika

1 ripe avocado, sliced

Micro greens, sprouts, small lettuce, etc.

2 ounces of goat cheese

4 slices bread (or 2 rolls), toasted

Spicy Special Sauce (see below for recipe)

Pre-heat oven to 375° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.

Mix sliced sweet potatoes, oil, paprika, a couple pinches of salt, and a few grinds of pepper, until potatoes are evenly coated.  Spread potatoes in a single layer, do not overlap or overcrowd.

Bake for 15 minutes, then flip each potato over and bake for an additional 15 minutes.  At this point some potatoes might be crisp; if so, remove from baking sheet and transfer to a large platter or plate. Continue this process until potatoes are lightly browned and crisp.  Let potatoes cool in a single layer. (Placing them on top of one another while still hot will result in a soggy chip.)

Remove spicy sauce from fridge and spread a good amount on both sides of the bread.  Add avocado, chips, micro greens, and goat cheese, and top with remaining slice of bread

Spicy Special Sauce

1 teaspoon good dijon mustard

2 1/2 tablespoons mayonaise or vegenaise

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 teaspoon sriracha

1/4 teaspoon maple syrup

Whisk all ingredients together in a small mixing bowl; cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at 1 hour or up to 1 week

coconut-sweet potato pie.

Let's talk about pie.  Pie is the official dessert of that little holiday that happens next Thursday and it also happens to be the kind of thing that intimidates people.  They get nervous about the crust and how to roll it out and what blind baking means.  They get overwhelmed by the filling and how to make the filling cook with out burning the crust.  It's an utterly intimidating thing which is why I tend to avoid pie.  

I should rephrase that, I used to avoid pie, now I am a pie-a-holic. 

Nothing really changed, I didn't take a pie class or read a book, I just kind of accepted that pie is suppose to be homey.  It doesn't need to look perfect (though if it does all the more power to you), it just needs to taste exceptionally good which is why I love this sweet potato pie. 

I embraced my inner Southern woman with this recipe.  Or rather I embraced my inner Southern woman but added a very me twist to the whole thing with the addition of coconut milk.  This is a nice twist on the classic. The interplay of crunchy graham cracker crust (which is an easy way to introduce yourself to pie!) with creamy sweet potato custard is divine  The coconut milk brings an unexpected flavor and it also lightens the whole dish which is why its such a perfect ending to a Thanksgiving meal.  

Coconut Sweet-Potato Pie
Recipe adapted from Mark Bittman at the NYTimes

So! Considering my level of insanity, I made my own graham crackers.  (Would you ever expect anything less from me?)  Obviously homemade graham crackers are beyond wonderful but you don't need to make yourself crazy if you choose to buy them, that is probably the more sane option when you are preparing an entire turkey dinner.  The graham cracker recipe is here.  You only need a half batch to make the crust but I would make a full batch and store the rest in the freezer.  I have another graham cracker crust pie already bookmarked.  

I also made candied nuts for the top.  Also unnecessary but it makes for a nice presentation and the crunchy nuts pair beautifully with the creamy pie. Recipe for those is here.  I just halved it and omitted the vanilla and added a pinch of cayenne.  

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (or 2 cups of puree)
1 1/3 cups graham crackers which is 1 package of graham crackers if it has 9 full crackers
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (brown or white)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
6 - 8 tablespoons butter melted 
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
Large pinch of salt
1 cup full-fat coconut milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put the sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan, add water to cover by about an inch, and bring to a boil; reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the potatoes are very tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain, then rice the potatoes or run them through a food mill.

While the potatoes cook, put the graham crackers in a food processor and pulse several times until they are finely ground. Add 2 tablespoons of the sugar and 1/4 teaspoon each of the ginger and cinnamon, and pulse once or twice; add the melted butter (start with 6 and add the other 2 tablespoons if it doesn't come together) and pulse just to combine. Press the mixture into a 9-inch pie dish and bake for about 7 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and cool.

In a food processor, combine the eggs with the remaining sugar, ginger and cinnamon, along with the nutmeg, cloves and salt; pulse until well combined. Add the coconut milk and pulse to combine, then add the sweet potatoes and pulse until just smooth.

Put the pie plate on a baking sheet. Pour the sweet potato mixture into the crust and bake until the mixture is set on top but still quite moist, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature.

sweet potato-quinoa burgers

This recipe was stumbled upon.  I wasn't thinking about sweet potatoes or quinoa or burger alternatives but, while browsing the cookbook selection at Anthropologie (they have one of the best curated selections ever) and searching for the quintessential French bistro napkins I am obsessed with (I still haven't found them), I discovered it and proceeded to make it that evening.  

This is probably the best veggie burger I have ever encountered.  It doesn't crumble or fall apart after one bite (the way most every veggie burger has the habit of doing), it feels and tastes substantial which is why even hardcore meat eaters will love it (the boy gave it two thumbs up).  The combination of spices works amazingly well with the sweet potato and quinoa and that elevates the burger from boring to bold.  Served with your favorite burger fixings and you have one epic (vegetarian friendly) burger night.  


Sweet Potato-Quinoa Burgers
Recipe adapted from The Kinfolk Table Cookbook 

I loved the idea of this recipe, I absolutely detested the fussiness of it. I streamlined things, upped the level of spices, and basically made it much more user friendly.  

Makes 6 burgers

1 pound (455 grams) sweet potatoes, scrubbed
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces/100 grams) quinoa
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
1 cup (240 milliliters) water
1 cup (4 ounces/115 grams) chickpea flour
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon (3 grams) ground corriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika or regular paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin 
1 - 2 tablespoons basil or cilantro or a combination of both 
1 teaspoon sesame seeds plus additional for sprinkling the burgers with 
For serving: Buns or english muffins, sliced avocado, roasted tomatoes, fontina cheese, or whatever burger accompaniments you love (this is just what I love!).  

Position a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Arrange the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and cook for about 45 minutes or until tender.  Transfer the sheet to a rack to cool the potatoes for about 10 minutes.  

Meanwhile, rinse the quinoa under cold running water in a fine mesh-sieve until the water runs clear.  Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium sauce-pan over medium -high heat until shimmering.  Add the quinoa and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until the quinoa is beginning to dry and turn golden. Add the water and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 10 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated.  Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes until all of the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender.  Fluff the quinoa with a fork and transfer to a bowl. Cool completely.  

Peel the potatoes and add the softened potato to the bowl with the quinoa.  Use a fork to smash the potato and mix to combine with the quinoa. Add in the corriander, cayenne, paprika, cumin, basil or cilantro, sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Add the chickpea flour 1/4 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition.  The mixture should be a little tacky but soft.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 5 hours or overnight.  

Remove the mixture from the fridge, form 6 patties about 3 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick.  Sprinkle the patties with sesame seeds.  Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Place 3 of the burgers in the pan and cook the burgers for about 3 minutes per side or until well browned.  Remove from the pan and repeat with the other 3 patties.  Serve with condiments of your choice.