On Beyond Bovine #18 - Cauliflower

I'm just going to put this out there.

I hate cauliflower. I do not like it. Sam I am.

I do not like it raw, I do not like it cooked, I do not like it when someone dresses it up and pretends it's the same as mashed potatoes, because it is NOT. Don't even pretend it is.

So when I saw this recipe for vegetable cookies that contained other elements I did like, I thought, well maybe it has a mellow enough flavor that this might just be the only way I will eat it.

So I made vegetable cookies. And if you've ever mentioned carrot cake in my presence you will know that I am anti-vegetablizing sweets. Actually I can handle carrot cake, but those people who put spinach in brownies as if a teaspoon of spinach in a brownie they give their kid somehow means it's a vegetable make me crazy - don't ruin sweets so you can feel better about giving him a cookie. Luckily for me these are like zucchini cakes, except not zucchini and not fried. So not like them at all.

Here we go:

I used 1/2 a head of cauliflower, 3 green onions, 2 carrots, and the equivalent of 1 regular sized clove of garlic. When Kay made hers she said they were bland, so I added the garlic, because I'm a garlicoholic. I can't help myself. I often want to add just one extra clove, just in case. I resisted and only used one clove, well 2, but they were small.

I put everything in the food processor until it was finely minced, not like mush, but well minced. My food processor is tiny, so I had to do it in shifts, but it was fine. Then everything went in a skillet with a couple tbsp olive oil.

I sauteed them for a while, until they were pretty tender. If I had to guess I'd say a little over 5 minutes. Then I added 3/4 cup of flour, and stirred it around until it pretty much disappeared.


Then I added salt (not as much as is pictured here, I threw about half of that in the sink, so maybe like a tsp.)


And pepper. I did about 10 twists.



This is the point at which you want to taste it, because you do not want them under seasoned. Once seasoned, I removed it from the heat and added the cheese. I didn't use Gouda, and I didn't measure. I used the cheese we had - mild and sharp cheddar - and I probably used between 1/2 and 3/4 cup.


I mixed it until well blended and then set that aside to cool slightly. Meanwhile, I beat 2 eggs and 3 tbsp milk together.




Once the veggies were cooled slightly, kind of went off recipe here, I wanted to temper my eggs. Kay didn't do this, but I'm thinking I'd have ended up with scrambled eggs if I did what she did. So I took a little of my veggie mixture and put it in my eggs and mixed it well. I then took a little more and did the same thing. Basically it prevents my eggs from scrambling from the heat of the veggies.

Then I mixed everything together and dropped in patties on a baking sheet. Very neatly in exact rows, as you can see. This is the whole batch, I got 12 cookies that were about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. They don't expand during baking, so you can get them fairly close together.

I put them in the oven at 400° for 20-25 minutes.

We used Ranch dressing for dipping.

I gave one to Landon and winced while he took a bite, thinking I was going to get yelled at about how "THIS IS NOT A COOKIE, MOMMY!!!" But surprisingly he loved them, he ate 2 1/2 of them. Which is 2 1/4 more than Clinton ate.

I like them, I was surprised by how garlicky they were considering how little garlic I used. I loved that I could not taste the cauliflower. They do not reheat very well in the microwave, and are definitely better warm.

I'm thinking that I might want to try some other combos. Sweet potato and carrots or maybe pumpkin with cinnamon? As a replacement for zucchini cakes? Adding meat? Kay suggested maybe adding bacon, Clinton thought sausage might be a good addition.

Also considered they might be a good appetizer in a smaller dollop.

Clinton didn't like them, he's not quite the garlicoholic that I am and so I understand that.

But if I have to eat cauliflower, I think this is my preferred method.