Cauliflower beet patties

Some of my recent recipes have contained different types of vegan cheeses, and things like seitan, and were created to mimic more traditional dishes. This time around I thought I’d avoid all that kind of stuff and make something different. This colorful dish would make the perfect plant-based Easter main course – but can be enjoyed any time at all!

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that I recently mentioned my ongoing attempt to appreciate beets (or beetroot as some of you might say). Yeah, that’s right, I’m trying to like them, by eating them more often. They’re so good for you and they’re so colorful, and well, they’re one of those things that I feel an adult should like, haha. Plus, as a vegan, I feel that I should get along with all vegetables and fruits, and not disclude any from my plate. So, when I was at a friend’s recently and asked if beets were OK for dinner, I smiled and said “Bring ’em on!”  That said, I’m still in the early stages of beet be-friending, so you won’t see me eating sliced, whole beets anytime soon. Nope, at the moment I’m still trying to disguise them!

So how you do disguise a vegetable? Well, I don’t mean put a hat, glasses and a mustache on it like Mr Potato Head! No, I mean I grate it and mix it it together with a lot of other stuff so that while I’m eating entire beets, and all the goodness and color from them is still there, the textures and flavors of the other ingredients help “take the edge off”. This creation is inspired by a recipe I saw in a Swedish magazine last year – when I still was not so beet brave. I added the chickpeas, breadcrumbs, potato flour and herbs to help alter both the consistency and the flavor a bit more to my liking. Here I am blabbing about beets, when the main ingredient is actually cauliflower! While I quickly boiled the cauliflower this time, roasting it in the oven is even better, and imparts even more flavor.

The lupine bulgur I’ve mentioned earlier in my flower sprouts recipe. I wanted this entire meal to be bright and happy, and these lupines turn a wonderful yellow when cooked. Topped with the quick-roasted snack peppers, the colors just pop. We don’t need nearly as much protein as people are often going on about, but since the patties contain very little (only from the small amount of chickpeas) I wanted to get some in here through another source. This is a good place to point out that while protein might be missing from one part of a plant-based meal, you can make up for it another. Just like in this dish, where you might normally expect the protein to be in the patties, you can, for example, have a vegetable-only pasta sauce, but use protein-rich bean pasta. See, we vegans are creative like that! There’s no need to get hung up on protein, but when you’re planning meals, it’s good to remember all the ways we can incorporate it into a dish.

And it wouldn’t be spring if there wasn’t any asparagus – oh how I love primeurs! I’ve always liked the word primeurs (and I’ve always enjoyed pronouncing it incorrectly, too!) and I’ve always associated it with asparagus. While beets and I still have some issues to work out, I get along really well with all the more or less bitter green veggies like asparagus, Brussel sprouts and leafy greens like arugula and kale. And for all the sauce lovers, I included a quick and easy one with tahini and creme fraiche. Don’t sweeten it too much – even if if may seem like it needs it at first – when paired with the beets the flavors perfectly balance each other out.

So there you have it – cauliflower beet patties and one of the most colorful, main courses you could ever hope to find on a plate – ideal for Easter or any other special dinner!