Baked Cauliflower Dijon Patties

As you may have observed in the recipe photo to the left, today I'm dealing with one of the major foes of a food blogger: The Brown n' Beige Blahs.

You know the usual culprits: corn, potatoes, rice, bread. Try as they might, they're just not Cover Girl material. Food bloggers prefer the Heidi Klum's of the culinary world: bright green cilantro, vibrant red bell peppers, and juicy purple blackberries.

Today's recipe is freak-tastically good. It's finger-lickin' tasty. It's literally erupting with flavor. But let's face it, friends: These patties have a face that only a mother could love.

We're talking Baked Cauliflower Dijon Patties. Holy delicious-ness! We served ours on top of a bed of lettuce, smothered with sauteed onions, bell pepper, and garlic, and topped with chopped avocado.

Adam adapted these baked cauliflower delights from a recipe in Lukas Volger's Veggie Burgers Every Which Way. You MUST buy this cookbook. It's loaded with over 150 pages of meat-less burgers and (of course) burger condiments. We're hoping to cook our way through the entire book.

Lesson learned today: Don't judge a book by it's cover. You never know when your Beige n' Brown Blahs will turn into Cover Model material.

Baked Cauliflower Dijon Patties

(adapted from a recipe in Veggie Burgers Every Which Way by Lukas Volger)

You can't tell in the picture below, but there IS a Cauliflower Patty buried under that pile of veggies. While I LOVED the Parmesan crumb topping on these patties, you could easily vegan-ize the recipe by eliminating the cheese. If you're feeling daring though, go ahead and mix some Parmesan right into the burgers. A little more cheese never hurt anyone :)

Ingredients:

• head of cauliflower, cut into large florets
• 3 TBSP Dijon mustard
• 2 TBSP cornstarch
• 1 egg
• 1 TBSP lemon juice
• 2 - 3 TBSP dried parsley (use fresh if you have it; we just didn't have any on hand)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. salt, divided
• 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs, divided
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• For topping: sauteed onions and bell pepper, spinach/lettuce, and chopped avocado

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2) Over a saucepan of simmering water, steam the cauliflower for 8 - 10 minutes, or until very tender (easily pierced with a fork).

3) In a food processor, puree 2/3 of the cauliflower mixture with the mustard, cornstarch, egg, and lemon juice. Transfer to a large bowl. Chop the remaining cauliflower into small pieces and add to the processed mixture. Stir in parsley, pepper, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 cup bread crumbs. Shape into 6 patties.

4) Combine the remaining 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 1/2 tsp. salt, and Parmesan on a plate. Dredge the patties in the crumb mixture until they are fully coated on both sides. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 - 25 minutes, flipping halfway through, until burgers are nicely browned.

5) Serve on top of a bed of lettuce or spinach, topped with sauteed onions and bell peppers, and diced avocado.