I want to make this clear: I am not one of those militant vegetarians. You know the ones I’m talking about. Your one vegetarian friend that winces every time you order a steak. The one that begins every sentence with some kind of snide comment about what you’re having for lunch. That one friend that sucks the enjoyment smooth out of any meal, because, you know, they’re so enlightened. I repeat: I am not one of those vegetarians. I share vegetarian recipes, but I completely understand that a lot of people eat meat, and I’m totally fine with that. I also know that some people really need meat… the iron, the protein, whatever. I’m totally cool with that too. This Crispy Cauliflower Burger recipe that I’m about to share with you, though labeled vegetarian, is completely Earth shattering-ly amazing whatever your dietary preference. So you have to feel me when I say this. Do whatever you have to do to make this here burger. Add bacon. Drink a pint of bone broth. Whatever. No excuses. You must try this!
Crispy Cauliflower Burger
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower, cut as above
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- Salt
- Black pepper
- ½ cup flour
- 2 eggs, beaten
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 2 slices provolone cheese
- 2 potato-bread buns, toasted
- Spicy Hummus-Mayo (recipe below)
- Leaf lettuce
- Sliced roasted red peppers (from jar)
Directions
***How to cut cauliflower steaks
- choose the largest cauliflower you can find; they’re much easier to cut into steaks.
- Remove the outer leaves and trim the stem end.
- Hold cauliflower with its base on a cutting board.
- With a sharp knife, make one cut through the center of the cauliflower to divide it in half.
- Now cut each half into two 3/4-inch thick slices. Save the ends to eat as a snack or serve with salad
- Blanch the cauliflower steaks by gently placing them into simmering water for about 2-3 minutes, just until crisp-tender; remove and shock in ice-water to cool; drain and pat the “steaks” dry with paper towel, carefully.
- Combine the panko breadcrumbs with the grated parmesan cheese in a large bowl, along with a pinch of salt and some black pepper, and set aside for a moment.
- Bread the cauliflower “steaks” by dipping them in the flour, then into the beaten eggs, then into the panko/parmesan mixture; set aside on a plate while you heat your oil for frying.
- Heat enough oil in a large non-stick pan to shallow fry, about 1-2 inches; once oil is hot, add the breaded cauliflower “steaks” in and fry for roughly 2 minutes per side, or until golden-brown; place the “steaks” on paper towels to drain.
- Top each “steak” with a slice of provolone cheese, and place it under the broiler (or small toaster oven) just to melt the cheese.
- To assemble the burgers, spread some of the Spicy Hummus-Mayo onto both top and bottom toasted buns, then add some leaves of lettuce; place the cheesy cauliflower “steak” over the lettuce, then top it with a few slices of the roasted red peppers, and cover it with the top bun; serve while hot with choice of sides.
Spicy Hummus-Mayo
Ingredients
• ½ cup garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons mayo
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• Pinch or two red pepper flakes (more or less depending on your preference)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions
- Place all of the ingredients up to and including the red pepper flakes into the bowl of food processor, and blend until smooth
- with processor running, drizzle in the oil, until well blended; use immediately, or store in fridge until ready to use.
Source: Cozy Apron
