I’m not Vegan, but I like to play one on TV! Just kidding. I am mostly Vegetarian nowadays, but I always love to dabble with plant-based recipes, like these savory Cauliflower Fritters.
Truth be told, sometimes I go through recipe blocks. I want to bring fresh and exciting recipes to you that are easy to prepare, but inspiration doesn’t always strike. The Hubbs and I love to eat healthy during the week, but without a solid recipe plan, it means that we have hodge-podge salads for lunch. Dinner can sometimes feel like a daunting chore, especially when you don’t know what you’re going to make.
I hope to address that very problem soon: “What in the heck to I make for all 5 dinners during the week?!”, but more on that later. I’m so so stoked to share that stuff with you guys, because I’m just so JAZZED about it! It’s in the works, but now back to the subject at hand, and why we’re all here in the first place – THE FOOD!
These blocks suck so much, especially when you’ve had episodes of complete brilliance in the past, am I right? That’s where delightful cookbooks come in, where the recipes are great, good for you, and delightfully simple. Melissa’s Produce was generous enough to send me a book that fits that description to a tee right here:
Vegan by Jean-Christian Jury is literally a vegan bible. There are countless recipes for starters, soups, salads, main courses, and desserts. As I was flipping through the pages, starring recipes that I deeded “must-try’s”, I was marking up the book something fierce. Every other recipe, I’d think to myself, “MMmmm that sounds GOOD!” I didn’t even make it to the soup section before the gut started grumbling, and I decided to get to work making these awesome cauliflower fritters. A book like this is perfect to banish those recipe blocks!
The recipe said to serve with a tomato-chile-garlic sauce. I didn’t know quite what that meant – if there was a recipe for it, or to use some prepared, store-bought sauce. So, with tomatoes and jalapenos from my garden, I decided to make a roasted version of a tomato-chile-garlic sauce that turned out to be perfect with these delightful fritters!
If you’re vegan, like to dabble like I do, or simply want to eat healthier, pick up this book today!! While you wait for it to arrive, you can make these!
Cauliflower Fritters
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Cauliflower Cut into small pieces, stems trimmed
- 4 Whole Scallions (spring onions) Chopped
- 1 Cup All-Purpose (plain) flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 Teaspoon Curry Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- Vegetable Oil For deep frying
- Chile-Tomato-Garlic Sauce For Dipping, Recipe Follows
Instructions
- Using a food processor or high-speed blender, pulse the cauliflower and scallions until well chopped. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Stir in the flour, spices, and baking soda. Set aside for 30 minutes.
- Begin to heat enough oil to deep-fry the fritters in a deep saucepan or deep-fat fryer. Dust a plate or tray with flour. Line another plate with paper towels.
- Meanwhile, take 1 tablespoon of the cauliflower mixture and form a patty, compressing the mixture well in your hands. Place it on the flour-dusted plate and repeat until you have used all the remaining mixture. When the oil is hot, carefully drop the patties into it. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the edges start to turn golden brown, then flip the patties to fry the other sides for about 3-4 minutes, until golden brown. Drain the patties and transfer to the paper towel-lined plate to absorb the excess oil. Serve warm with the chili-tomato-garlic sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
Tomato Chile Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 Whole Medium Heirloom Tomatoes, halved
- 2 Jalapeños, stemmed and halved
- 5 Garlic Cloves
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat broiler, and on a small cookie sheet, place tomatoes flesh side up, jalapenos cut side down, and whole garlic cloves. Spray with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Place sheet under broiler for 5 minutes, checking periodically that the garlic and jalapeños aren't burning. Pull them when the garlic has turned a golden color, and there is char on the skins of the jalapeños.
- The tomatoes will take longer to char on their flesh side, so let them stay under the broiler longer until you see the char happening, about 5 minutes longer.
- Remove from the oven, and finely chop the garlic and jalapeños. When the tomatoes have cooled enough to handle, roughly chop, and add all veggies to a small bowl. Season with salt to taste.
Don’t forget to check out my new line of glassware including sturdy pints for your smoothies and water, and the perfect glass for those IPA’s we all love so much – the DWP Spiegelau!
*DISCLAIMER: Melissa’s Produce sent me this book, but I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.
Those cauliflower fritters look so delicious and you can never go wrong with a sauce made from your garden!
Right?! I love all things roasted too – it helped the recipe burst with flavor!
I’m definitely going to be making these – thank you for including your suggestions too! Your roasted tomato-jalapeño sauce sounds fantastic!
All of the recipes in that book sound so good! It was hard to decide which to make, so I made one that I had all the ingredients for already! Thanks for the comment, Sue! I miss you!
I stumbled upon your website googling PLUOTS of all things. Anyway…. Love your page. Been on it all day checking out your recipes. You’re inspiring! xoxo