Delicious Cauliflower Burgers (that don't taste like cauliflower)!

Cauliflower burgers - you never knew that cauliflower could taste SO good! 

Yeah, so I know what you are thinking. Cauliflower...in a burger? Yes, it's a thing and it's a totally awesome thing. I came across the recipe for cauliflower fritters on the vegetarian food blog Oh My Veggies. This recipe is an adaptation of those fritters. I was a little skeptical of it but I thought it was worth a shot after reading all of the glowing comments from readers who had already tried the recipe. I am so happy I tried them!  I've made them twice in the past couple weeks and bought another head of cauliflower the other day so I can make them again this weekend. Greg was definitely skeptical too when I told him that there was cauliflower in the burgers I was making. He has never liked cauliflower before, and after eating a couple of the burgers, he said that he never knew that cauliflower could taste so good! I agree. I have never been a huge fan of cauliflower either and I am now looking forward to trying more fun recipes with cauliflower!  These burgers are easy to make and take about 1 hour or less from start to finish. They are a great vegetarian meal where nobody will miss the meat. Don't forget to add the spicy mayo! Enjoy.

Recipe for Delicious Cauliflower Burgers
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of baby carrots, chopped into matchstick sized pieces
2 cups of cauliflower florets
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. of garlic powder
1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. of kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. of Panko breadcrumbs
1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp. of finely grated Asiago, Parmesan, or Romano cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup of Italian parsley leaves, stems removed and torn
Olive oil or olive- canola oil blend, for frying

Fixings: 
Spicy Mayo: In a small bowl, mix together 4 Tbsp. of mayonnaise, freshly ground black pepper, 1/8 tsp. of garlic powder, and a couple pinches of cayenne pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.
6 Lightly Toasted Buns
Baby Spinach Leaves

DIRECTIONS:
Bring a pot with 4 cups of water to a boil and add in the chopped carrots and cauliflower. Cook for 4 minutes. Drain well. Transfer vegetables to a cutting board and chop more finely (it doesn't have to be perfect, you can have some bigger pieces and some smaller pieces)! Gather vegetables in paper towel and press down try to get out as much excess water as possible. Transfer to a large bowl. Add in the flour and stir well to coat. Add in the garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, Panko bread crumbs, grated cheese, egg, and parsley leaves and gently mix until ingredients are well incorporated.

Heat 1 - 2 Tbsp. of oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to scoop up mixture and then tap it onto the saute pan. Press down with a spatula to shape into a patty. Cook for about 3 - 4 minutes, or until golden brown on one side. Carefully flip and cook the other side until it is browned. Transfer to a plate. Continue this process until there is no more batter left. Then sprinkle each one with salt and pepper. If desired, place patties on a baking pan and heat in the oven at 225 degrees for a couple minutes while the buns are toasting, just to warm them back up a little.

Toast the buns lightly in a toaster oven. Put mayo on each side of the bun, add on the patty and a few spinach leaves. Serve with your favorite sides. We served them with baked beans and potato chips!

Recipe Adapted from: Oh My Veggies

Recipe makes 6 burgers (unless you nibble a bunch on the burgers while making them...)