A Perfect Pairing 😋
When you want a satisfying, and totally healthy dinner, let’s talk Quinoa and Cauliflower Cakes with Romesco Sauce! This is one veggie filled bit of business and it’s positively top-notch delish! These healthy little patties are crispy on the outside, soft and delightful on the inside. In this version, they are paired with a kicken’ Romesco Sauce, so amazing, you’ll want to eat it with a spoon! The flavor combination is unbeatable. This recipe is pure perfection. This dish goes from tasty appetizer or main dish or side.
Romesco, Romesco, Wherefore Art Thou, Romesco? (that’s the only corn you’ll find in this recipe)
Romesco is a very easy to make, traditional Spanish sauce. It’s great on almost anything from fish, eggs, chicken, veggies, you name it. This sauce is so good, I don’t rule out just eating it with a spoon. Traditionally, romesco sauce is a tomato and pepper based sauce, made with almonds, spices and olive oil.
I’m not the biggest fan of raw bell peppers. It’s not that I won’t eat them, I just don’t really care for them. However, when you roast a bell pepper, something magical happens. When roasted, bell peppers become sweet and the skins are charred right off, leaving a delicious, and very different flavor. Roasted bell peppers is the base of romesco sauce. I will go through the easy steps of roasting your own peppers, but if you want to skip it, never fear! You can buy roasted bell peppers in jars, right in the grocery store.
The Romesco Sauce
My recipe calls for a few tomatoes and red bell peppers, simply broiled in the oven to char. If you don’t want to do this, just substitute a jar of red peppers and skip broiling the tomatoes 🍅 . Roasting adds a bit of extra flavor to the sauce, but it’s really delicious even without it.
Line a baking sheet with foil and put two whole, washed red bell peppers and 3 to 4 Roma or similar type tomatoes onto the pan. Let them broil for about 3 minutes, then turn the tomatoes and the peppers. Continue to broil another 3-4 minutes. The tomatoes will be done far ahead of the peppers. The tomatoes are done when they are just turning dark and blistering. The bell peppers should be rotated about every 3 minutes until the skins are completely charred.
Let the tomatoes cool. Put the peppers into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap to let the skins steam. This will make removing the charred skins easier.
Once the tomatoes are cool, remove the cores.
When the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the cores, then cut in half. Gently remove most of the charred skin and all of the seeds. A little of the char adds flavor to the sauce.
Into The Food Processor
Into the bowl of your food processor, add 2 cloves of peeled garlic. Let the processor run until the garlic is chopped and pressed against the side of the bowl. Add 1/2 cup of toasted almonds. You can use whole, or slivered or chopped, whatever type you have. Run the processor again to chop.
Next add all the tomatoes, the bell peppers, 1/4 cup of parsley, 1 teaspoon of paprika and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of dried red chili flakes. Remember, this will add a good amount of heat. I use only 1/2 teaspoon, but I am fairly wimpy when it comes to hot spice. Add 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let the processor run until the sauce is fairly smooth.
Once the sauce has been combined, while the processor is working, add 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil. If you prefer a thinner texture, you can add as much as 1/2 cup of good quality extra virgin olive oil. Taste, then adjust seasoning if needed.
The sauce can be served cold, warm or room temperature. It will last in a covered jar for about 1 week in the refrigerator.
The Quinoa and Cauliflower Cakes 👩🏻🍳
I can’t say enough about this recipe. The texture is perfect and the cakes are easy to work with and don’t fall apart too easily. Here’s how you make them!
Cook quinoa according the the package directions. Make enough for 2 cups of cooked quinoa, then let the quinoa cool completely. Make it a day ahead if necessary, or use left over quinoa.
Finely chop 2 cups of cauliflower or, use cauliflower rice from the freezer section of your grocery store. Chop 2 bunches of green onions (about 3/4 cup of chopped onions). You can substitute the same amount of very finely chopped or grated onion as well. I added 1/3 cup fresh chopped chives, just because I had them. They’re optional but add so much to the fresh taste of these cakes.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add the onion, chives and the cauliflower with a pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper. Cook until the veggies are soft, about 5 minutes.
Let the veggies cool completely.
Once cool, transfer the veggies to a large bowl, along with the cool, cooked, quinoa. Add the zest of 1 large lemon along with 1 cup of Quaker Oats (uncooked) and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix well to combine.
In a small bowl, crack 3 eggs and lightly beat together. Add the eggs to the mixture, then mix well.
Form into even sized balls, about 1/4 cup each. Place the balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Once completed, lightly flatten into patties. This recipe makes 12-13 patties.
Cooking
Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to a pan and heat on medium high. Once the oil is hot, put the patties into the pan. Let them cook on one side, about 3-4 minutes until nicely brown. Turn over and cook on the other side again, another 3-4 minutes.
Remove from the pan onto a plate.
Serve the Quinoa and Cauliflower cakes with Romesco Sauce. To warm the sauce, just heat over a low flame until warmed through. It’s also good served room temperature.
Cauliflower and Quinoa Cakes with Romesco Sauce
Notes
The recipe makes 12 small cakes or 4 servings.
Ingredients
For the Romesco Sauce
- 2 red bell peppers (or substitue 1 jar)
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley
- 1/2 cup toasted almonds (whole or slivered)
- 2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper flakes
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
For the cauliflower quinoa cakes
- 2 cups quinoa, cooked per package instructions and cooled
- 2 cups cauliflower (or cauliflower rice) finely chopped
- 2 bunches spring onions, chopped all white and most of the green
- 1/3 cup freshly chopped chives (optional)
- zest of 1 large lemon
- 1 cup Quaker quick cooking oats (or similar)
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
For the Romesco Sauce
- Line a baking sheet with foil and put two whole, washed red bell peppers and 3 to 4 Roma or similar type tomatoes onto the pan.
- Broil on high for about 3 minutes, then turn the tomatoes and the peppers. Continue to broil another 3-4 minutes. The tomatoes are done when they are just turning dark and blistering. The bell peppers should be rotated about every 3 minutes until the skins are completely charred.
- Let the tomatoes cool.
- Put the peppers into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap to let the skins steam. This will make removing the charred skins easier.
- Once the tomatoes are cool, remove the cores.
- When the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the cores, then cut in half. Gently remove most of the charred skin and all of the seeds. A little of the char adds flavor to the sauce.
- Into the bowl of your food processor, add 2 cloves of peeled garlic. Let the processor run until the garlic is chopped and pressed against the side of the bowl.
- Add 1/2 cup of toasted almonds and processes again, about 15 seconds.
- Next add all the tomatoes, the bell peppers, 1/4 cup of parsley, 1 teaspoon of paprika and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of dried red chili flakes, add 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let the processor run until the sauce is fairly smooth.
- Once the sauce has been combined, while the processor is working, add 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil. If you prefer a thinner texture, you can add as much as 1/2 cup of good quality extra virgin olive oil.
- Taste, then adjust seasoning if needed.
- The sauce can be served cold, warm or room temperature.
- It will last in a covered jar for about 1 week in the refrigerator.
For The Quinoa and Cauliflower Cakes
- Finely chop 2 cups of cauliflower or, use cauliflower rice from the freezer section of your grocery store.
- Chop 2 bunches of green onions, about 3/4 cup of chopped onions. (You can substitute the same amount of very finely chopped or grated onion as well). Add chopped chives if using.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add the onion, chives and the cauliflower with a pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper.
- Cook until the veggies are soft, about 5 minutes.
- Let the veggies cool completely.
- Once cool, transfer the veggies to a large bowl, along with the cool, cooked, quinoa.
- Add the zest of 1 large lemon along with 1 cup of Quaker Oats (uncooked) and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Mix well to combine.
- Into a small bowl, crack 3 eggs and lightly beat together.
- Add the eggs to the veggie/quinoa mixture, then mix well.
- Form into even sized balls, about 1/4 cup each.
- Place the balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Once completed, lightly flatten into patties. You should have 12-13 patties.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to a pan and heat on medium high.
- Once the oil is hot, put the patties into the pan.
- Let them cook on one side, about 3-4 minutes until nicely brown.
- Turn over and cook on the other side again, another 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from the pan onto a plate.
Serve the patties with the sauce. The sauce can be warmed gently on low heat.
Karen Harris https://www.bittersaltysoursweet.com
