Cauliflower Fritters with Carrots and Spinach
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Recipe type: Entree or Side
Serves: 7-8
Ingredients
  • Fritters
  • 1 large head cauliflower (about 2 ½ pounds or more)
  • 3 medium carrots, peeled and grated
  • 1 yellow onion, peeled and grated
  • 2 cups packed fresh spinach, chopped
  • 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ inch piece ginger root, peeled and grated
  • 1 tsp ground cumin seed
  • 1 tsp ground coriander seed
  • 2 Tbsp lime juice (can be fresh or bottled)
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 ¼ cups white rice flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • High smoke point oil like rice bran oil
  • Cilantro Lime Aioli
  • 1 medium garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tsp cooking oil
  • 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • Juice of a small lime (about 5 tsp)
Instructions
To make the dip:
  1. Place the minced garlic clove and the tsp oil in a bowl and microwave on high 20 seconds. Give it a stir and let it sit a couple minutes.
  2. Stir in cilantro, mayonnaise and lime juice and set aside.
To make the cauliflower carrot and spinach fritters:
  1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
  2. Remove core from cauliflower and cut rest of head coarsely into large florets.
  3. Put about an inch of water in a large pot and set a steamer basket over water if you have one.
  4. Heat to boiling.
  5. Add cauliflower and steam covered for 7 minutes – it should be fork tender but not really soft. Remove from heat and drain.
  6. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat (you can use this pan later for frying the fritters, too).
  7. Add the cumin and coriander and stir 30 seconds.
  8. Add the grated carrot and onion and stir about 2 minutes until tender.
  9. Add garlic, ginger and spinach and stir until spinach wilts, 1-2 minutes.
  10. Remove from heat and set aside.
  11. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs lightly, mix in lime juice, salt and pepper.
  12. Mix in rice flour.
  13. Add cooked cauliflower to batter and mash with a potato masher until mashed into small bits/pieces (not fully pureed).
  14. Add cooked carrot, spinach mixture and toss to mix well.
  15. Wipe out skillet with a paper towel.
  16. Heat ¼ inch deep oil in skillet over medium high heat until quite hot, but not smoking. (If you run a little water over your fingers and shake them at the pan from a foot or two away, the water droplets should sizzle vigorously and perhaps splatter just a little, but if they splatter all over the place it’s too hot.)
  17. Form about ½ to ¾ inch - thick patties with your hands (don’t drop them into the hot oil), put them against a slotted spatula and use the spatula to gently slip them into the hot oil.
  18. Fry about 4 at a time, not crowding the pan.
  19. Fry about 2 minutes until browned on the bottom, then turn gently with spatula and fry about another 2 minutes until browned on other side.
  20. Remove to a platter lined with a paper towel and keep warm in oven as you fry successive batches.
  21. Give vegetable mixture a stir before forming each batch of patties.
  22. Serve warm with dip if desired.
Notes
Makes about sixteen 3-inch wide fritters.
Recipe by Savory Nature at http://savorynature.com/2014/04/29/cauliflower-fritters-with-carrot-and-spinach-gluten-free/