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This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy.
How about a double post for the start of the New Year and New blog?
2013 is an exciting year for many reasons, not least of which is that The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has declared 2013 The Year of Quinoa to celebrate its nutritional qualities and crop viability to celebrate its nutritional qualities and crop viability. Hurrah!
The best place to start is to start, so away we go with a New Year’s Post: Parmesan Cauliflower-Quinoa Cakes. Quick, easy, packed with protein, naturally gluten-free, and, most importantly, delicious. You can make the “dough” and saute all the patties at once, or refrigerate the dough for up to three days, shaping and cooking when you are ready (perfect for lunches). And, of course, the flavor options are boundless–add spices, herbs, and accompanying dipping sauces to your heart’s content.
One more bonus: Nick (6) gobbled up three patties in one sitting (I left out the green onions–despite green being his favorite color, he refuses all green foods save for grapes and kiwifruit).
To quinoa!
Is it wrong that I sometimes dip these in BBQ sauce? Kevin says yes, but I love a good, smokey BBQ sauce…
Parmesan Cauliflower-Quinoa Cakes
Quinoa + Cauliflower = Crispy Deliciousness. Perfect for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 bags (12 oz each) frozen cauliflower, thawed and drained
- 1 can (15 oz) white beans (e.g., cannellini or Great Northern), rinsed and drained
- 2 medium-size green onions, ends removed, coarsely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled, roughly chopped
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 cups cooked cooled quinoa
- 1-1/2 cups panko or fresh bread crumbs, divided
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- About 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- In food processor, place cauliflower, beans, green onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover; process until smooth, then transfer mixture to large bowl.
- Stir in quinoa, 1-1/4 cups bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Shape mixture into 12 patties, each about 1/2 inch thick and 3 inches in diameter, using about 1/3 cup bean mixture for each. Coat patties with remaining bread crumbs. Refrigerate about 1 hour so mixture holds together.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add about half of the patties; cook 4 to 6 minutes, turning once, until light golden brown. Repeat until all patties are cooked, adding more oil as needed.
Notes
Make it Vegan: Simply omit the Parmesan cheese.
Make it Gluten-Free: Simply replace the regular breadcrumbs with gluten-free breadcrumbs
Hi! These look great and I can’t wait to try them. Do you have the macro amounts for each serving?
Hi Camilla, these look absolutely fantastic. I am thinking of coating in almond meal as opposed to panko and then cook in coconut oil instead of vegetable oil.
That would be great, Mitch! 🙂
These look great and healthy! Once I get my new recipe search engine website up and running, this is the kind of recipe I’d love to feature! We’re not online yet, but please check out our Kickstarter campaign in the meantime:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2144869982/spoonacular-making-the-web-a-tastier-place/
P.S. We’re developing some cool tools for bloggers that you might be interested in too, like an ingredient visualizer that automatically turns standard ingredient lists into visual lists with high-quality images for your blog 🙂
Hi Camilla,
This recipe looks delicious. Is it possible to bake these instead? Temp and time? I’m thinking I might add nutritional yeast in place of the parmesan cheese.
Hi Laina,
Yes, you could definitely bake. Perhaps spritz with a bit of olive oil before putting them in the oven at 400 or 425F. I think I would heat up the baking pan and use a piece of parchment –having the pan hot would help with browning the cakes 🙂
Perhaps a silly question… did you mix the parm into the dough mix or did you coat the patties with both bread crumbs and the parm?
Sorry about that, Dina–I have corrected the recipe!
I can’t wait to try these! I will be making them for dinner tonight. I am a longtime follower of Enlightened Cooking, and I have to say I just love the new website and concept! Makes perfect sense.
Thank you SOOOOO much, Nicole!
These look great! I am searching for recipes to freeze for later and find that little cakes/patties work well. Any idea if these would defrost well?
Or would they be mushy?
Hi Julia! These freeze very well. I shape the mixture into patties, coat in bread crumbs, and freeze. Defrost in refrigerator (if you defrost in microwave they can become mushy), then cook in the skillet to finish. All the best!
No, they are great frozen and reheated!