Broccoli Patties

These broccoli patties are so versatile. They can be shaped into about 10 fishcake size patties or shaped into about 8 bigger burger patties for a vegetarian burger. They can also be shaped into smaller falafel size patties to be used in wraps or on a salad or even as little snacks with a dipping sauce. They are great for lunch boxes too.

I like to use quinoa in the recipe as it provides a bit more protein and fibre. Quinoa is a complete protein as it contains all nine essential amino acids that our bodies cannot make on their own. A powerhouse mixed in with the benefits of delicious fresh broccoli. You can also substitute the quinoa for some couscous instead.

Recipe by Heidi from Sheldlock Home

Ingredients

• 500g steamed broccoli (the the whole head including stems – no waste!)
• 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa or couscous
• 1 small to medium onion diced
• 1 clove of garlic chopped
• A handful of fresh herbs (I use half parsley half coriander, use what you like and what you have in your garden)
• 1 egg (or 1 flax ‘egg’ if vegan)
• 1 tsp salt and a grind of black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated cheese (cheddar or a vegan cheese)
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs *
• 2-3 T oil for frying

Steam the broccoli until just tender but still crisp. Do not overcook it or else your patties will be too soft. Pat the broccoli dry so no excess water is in the mixture. Cook your couscous or quinoa.

In a food processor, blitz your onion and broccoli until it forms a crumb. Add the rest of the ingredients except the breadcrumbs and blitz again to combine. The mixture should be slightly sticky and start to ball together. Lastly add your breadcrumbs and mix through. If your mixture is still too wet you can add a few more breadcrumbs. You want the mixture to hold in a ball.

Spoon out the desired amount of mixture onto your hand and form a tight ball and pat into your desired size patty and place on a tray. Once all your patties are ready place the tray into your freezer for 15 min to allow the patties to firm up a little before cooking. Or if you will be cooking them later pop them in the fridge until ready to cook them. You must cook them on the same day.

Heat your oven to 180 C. Place 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and gently brown each patty on both sides. I use a non stick pan and don’t use any oil. A healthier option if you need to watch your oil consumption. Pop them back onto your baking tray and place them into the heated oven for 10-15 minutes, this helps the inside of the patty to firm up.

Serve them with a delicious garlic and lemon mayonnaise or a chilli mayonnaise, on burger buns, in wraps, on salads or they are delicious on their own as a snack. Once cooked they can be kept in the fridge and warmed up when needed.

* TIP: If, like me, you can only eat sourdough as normal bread does not agree with you, keep the small side pieces of your sourdough in a freezer bag. Once you have collected a few pieces. Dry them out in a low oven until they are crisp through and blitz them in a food processor. Pop the crumbs into a ziplock bag in your freezer to use as breadcrumbs or crispy toppings. A much healthier version of breadcrumbs than store bought boxed varieties.