Cheddar Cauliflower Burgers

YIELDS 4

Ingredients

For the burger:
1/2 large head cauliflower, broken into florets
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
1 cup cooked white rice
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 buns

For the pickled cabbage:
1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
distilled white vinegar

For the pesto:
1/2 cup cilantro
1/4 cup parsley
1/2 avocado
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper
water to thin

Garnish: seeded and sliced Jalapeno peppers

Directions

For the burger:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread cauliflower florets out on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast for about 15 minutes until just starting to turn golden brown around edges. Remove from oven and let cool.

Add the cooled cauliflower to a food processor and pulse a few times until “riced”. You don’t want the cauliflower to turn mushy, just enough to be finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl.

Add the rice, cheddar, breadcrumbs, egg, spices, salt and pepper to taste and stir until well combined.

Form the mixture into 4 patties and place back on baking sheet. Return to oven and bake for about 20 minutes, flipping burgers half way through.

Assemble the burgers on a bun by spreading pesto on the top and bottom of the bun and placing pickled cabbage on top of the burger. Garnish with sliced jalapeno peppers.

For the pickled cabbage:
Add the cabbage to a bowl, pour enough vinegar into bowl to just cover the top of the cabbage and let sit while you make the burgers.

For the pesto:
Add all the ingredients except the water to a food processor and process until smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Add water to the processor while running to thin out to desired consistency.

Slightly adapted from runningtothekitchen.com