Spiced Sweet Potato and Chickpea Patties

Okay, so a few things about this recipe. Firstly, I have to say that I am not a vegetarian; people often ask me this. I'm a sort of lazy-wannabe vegetarian. This does have something to do with what I do for work...cook other people's food who are carnivores. I have to taste what I cook and on occasion eat it (if I forget to bring or don't have time to prepare my own food). But this said, I haven't cooked meat in my house in years. This is the reason I post vegetarian recipes; simply said I feel better about myself when I don't eat meat and that alone is a good enough reason for me. Some of the recipes, such as this one, are accidentally vegan (though I could never be vegan because of my love of cheese).

I also sometimes receive comments regarding esoteric or obscure seasonings that I use (but they are really not) and it deters the person(s) from trying the recipe. These recipes are suggestions, not blueprints. If you don't like or cannot obtain a certain item then simply remove it or replace it with another. An example in this recipe is the inclusion of Aleppo pepper. This is not always easy to find but it is available. It is a mild, sweet-smokey pepper. If you do not have this particular pepper simply omit it or use about 1/4 the amount of crushed red pepper. Lastly, these patties are so incredibly easy to prepare and so incredibly freaking delicious that you'll wish you made more. I had them for dinner with kale tossed in caramelized onion, and roast cauliflower. Now if you'll excuse me I think I'll go back for seconds...

Spiced Sweet Potato and Chickpea Patties

Makes about a dozen 3-inch patties

1 medium sweet potato, peeled
1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained
1 small onion, peeled
4 tablespoons chickpea flour
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper
2 teaspoons whole cumin seed
2 teaspoons whole coriander seed
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon kosher salt
vegetable oil for pan frying.

Using the grating attachment to a food processor, shred the sweet potato, chickpeas, and then the onion. (If you do not have a food processor, shred the sweet potato by hand, mash the chickpeas, and thinly slice the onion.)

Combine all of the ingredients except the oil in a bowl and mix well, then let rest at room temperature for a few minutes.

Heat about an 8th of an inch of oil in a cast iron or non-stick skillet, shape small patties out of the mixture, and place them in the hot oil. This may have to be done in batches.

Cook the patties for a few minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown and cooked through.