Sometimes, having close to nothing in the fridge gives birth to the most extraordinary dishes.
It certainly was the case for these delicious little fritters.
You see, I always like to keep my fridge more on the empty side… That way, I get to see exactly what’s in it as soon as I open the door.
That way, I run a lesser risk of forgetting something that’s completely in the back, or under a pile of something else.
That way, it’s much easier for me to plan my meals efficiently, for I can see exactly what’s left in the fridge when I put together my grocery shopping list.
And when it gets to the point when there’s close to nothing left in it, well, once in a while, I like to stretch it for a few days and not hit the grocery store, just to see if I couldn’t find a way to use up every last bit that’s still in there… well, except for that jar of pickles, the bottle of soy sauce, and that carton of milk… you know! 
I mostly try and use up all the perishables, the produce that I bought in excess because it was on sale and I got carried away, or because I didn’t necessarily need the whole thing in a particular recipe.
Well, had it not been for that “strange” habit of mine, these fritters might have never come to life, because you see, I created them on precisely such an occasion. Trust me, there wasn’t much left in the fridge that night. There, all alone on a shelf, sat half a cauliflower that was begging to be eaten. He told me that he was getting way lonely in there. The eggs and yogurt didn’t want to play with him…
How he went from cute little florets to delicious little patties, though, is a mystery to me. It’s my brain did it, really. It wasn’t even my idea. I just handed it the reins and let it go at it.
I have to say that he did a hell of a job! I think I liked these fritters even better than I did the zucchini version, and that is not something to be taken lightly.
Just as with that other version, though, you are looking at a super quick and versatile light meal that’s super low in carbs, but that will fools your brain into believing that it’s actually feeding on delicious grains, which is just perfect for me now!
These make for an awesome lunch too, for they are highly portable and you can eat them warm or cold. They reheat beautifully in the microwave: just pop them in there for a few seconds, mabye a minute, and voilà! You’re all set.
Hey, you could even eat them with your fingers if you wanted to.
Just make sure no one is watching!
INGREDIENTS INSTRUCTIONS Notes Gluten Free - Grain Free - Vegetarian - Paleo Friendly - Low Fat - Low Carb
Wow! These look amazing! Can’t wait to try
Sonia, those look delicious! I bought a cauliflower today specifically to make your tabbouleh, but the market I went to didn’t have sumac or za’atar. I wanted to make these fritters instead but I’m out of limes, hazelnuts, and poppy seeds….Do you think they would be just as good using a Meyer lemon, a different nut, and omitting the poppy seeds altogether? By the way, the third to the last photo is so great that it could be in a magazine. You must be having a great time with your new camera.
Awww, thank you so much! These pictures were taken with the old camera, however. I have yet to post some of the newer stuff… You might get to see some of that today!
And of course, you could make substitutions, it would not be a problem at all! Meyer lemon sounds good, I think I would use almonds, and if you have, sesame seeds to replace poppy, or chia, why not? This is the kind of recipe that you can definitely play with to suit your own tastes or needs!
Oh, and by the way, if you can’t find sumac or zaatar, they are not absolutely necessary for the tabouleh. They just make it better, but you can use lime or lemon zest instead of sumac (loads of it) and a mixture of dried thyme, oregano, garlic and sesame seeds instead of za’atar. Should work pretty good!
Sonia, I am so making these for my lunch. Your grain-free Tabbouleh with cauliflower was a true cauliflower revelation to me. Had it pulsed to grain size in all sorts of things salads ever since. Thanks for sharing. Just love your recipes and your ideas.
Wow, thank you so much Anja. To know that I inspire you is a true honor for me! Thank YOU for sharing your appreciation!
Can I have silly question? Is flaxseed meal same as milled / ground flaxseed? There is no such thing as flaxseed meal or almond meal for that matter here in Ireland. Thanks!
There is no such thing as a silly question Monika!
Yes, they are the same. With most nuts and seeds, the terms meal and flour are used equally often. They are one and the same, though: finely ground nuts or seeds. You can, in fact, very easily make your own at home if you can’t find them in store. Just grind the nuts or seeds in a food processor or coffee grinder! 
Just make sure not to turn your nuts into butter, though!
OMG Sonia! I just made these and they are simply DIVINE! I did sub pine nuts for the sunflower seeds and had no poppy seeds on hand so omitted them altogether. And I added a small pinch of ground cumin and made them a bit spicier. And oh, also added a small handful of finely chopped spinach. Oh dear, I could have sat there and eaten the whole stack! I put a small dollop of hummus on each fritter and had them with a simple avocado and cherry tomato salad with a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Hmmm … simply LOVE your creativity! Thank you!
Awesome! I’ll be trying these! I have to admit anything in fritter or little patty form always sucks me in and it seems to be perfect kid food too, if they’re made small enough to pick up with little hands
Love the nuts in there!
Oh my god what a great idea! Wonder would they work with flax eggs?! I shall have to experiment!
I was thrilled to see this …I just bought cauliflower on sale and have to heads that I wanted to do something diffrent with. I was going to look up cauliflower mash rather than mash potatoes..but these seem like an even better dinner side to make. I am so excited and cannot wait to try them. Thank you for the geat insight and food. Linda
These look delicious but that is no surprise coming from you!
I am making your tabouleh again tomorrow as I am having a dinner party at my house 
Alright! Good to hear you like it so much Meg! Hope your guests like it too! Let me know what they thought! And, if you have a little extra, just send a bowl my way, I wouldn’t mind having it again…
Thanks a bunch for your kind comment, also! It really touches me!
I’m wondering if there might be a good way to bake these? My husband doesn’t like anything even pan fried and I’d love to make these.
I guess you could bake them if you wanted to, but you would have no advantage in doing that whatsoever, as you would still have to use some sort of ways to prevent the patties from sticking. Pan frying with a very little amount of olive oil (all you need is a teaspoon, really, maybe not even that) or cooking spray is just as healthy as baking. Deep frying, on the other hand, is a whole ‘nother story!
Unless maybe he has a totally different reason for not liking pan fried foods… in which case I guess I would give the oven a try. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and cook at high heat… like 375 to 400. Flip halfway through cooking. Let me know how they turn out if you do give that option a try!
Thanks, Sonia! I will make them tomorrow then! They look delicious:)
i love the texture of these fritters! spices and the seeds and a perfect balance. yumm
YAY! So happy you liked them! Thanks for letting me know!
Sonia, just made these and ate them all straight away. I guess that was my lunch (at 11am in the morning). Loved the texture. I used almonds instead of hazelnuts. Amazingly good. Thanks for sharing!
Alright, Anja! I am so happy, and flattered, to hear that you enjoyed my creation! Almonds must be absolutely fantastic in there, too! Well, as a matter of fact, I think that pretty much any nut would work. And I’m thinking sesame seeds instead of poppy would also be brilliant! Thanks for your great feedback Anja, I truly appreciate that!
ps… I too, wanted to eat the whole thing in one go, but I was a good girl and only had half the first night, kept the rest for the next day… wasn’t easy, though!
Cauliflower is great – it absorbs other flavours while adding a whole lot of fibre and other good stuff. Your tabbouleh recipe the other day inspired me to add cauliflower to my go-to lunch of curried lentils! (I don’t always have it with fries and that much cheese as in the picture). http://www.morethanjustwaffles.com/post/18322366523/curried-lentil-poutine-update-vote-for-this
By the way I tried soaking the dates for the Energy Balls recipe and it worked really well. I only soaked them for about 10 minutes in hot water and then drained them. The Balls turned out much stickier so I rolled them in some oats and they turned out great! They hold together a lot better. This weekend I tried Maple Walnut AND chocolate pecan!
YUM! Love the Maple Walnut combination! Bet they were wonderful! Now that really inspires me. I have to come up with a Maple Walnut variation of these little balls. And I will definitely give the soaked dates a go too (I tend to keep soaked dates in my fridge at all times now, so that won’t be a problem!
Thanks for the inspiration, Elena!
Oh, and glad my tabouleh recipe inspired you to add cauliflower to your lentil dish! I really like the idea!
I was going to try someone else’s recipe for zucchini fritters but then you posted this and I knew your recipe was more reliable! I feel like I missed an ingredient though from looking at your pics again…what is the green ingredient in the pics? Anyway – they were yummy! I dipped them in a little hot mustard…will definitely make these again.
OMG, how could I forget that? I forgot to write the parsley down! It’s parsley, Joann. Fresh parsley. No exact science there, just a handful… I will correct the recipe right away. Thanks for pointing that out!
And then you say you trust my recipe as being more reliable. I suddenly doubt my own self!
I’ve yet to be let down by any of your pancakes or fritters so these are now on my must try list.
Hey, you never told me you had given them a try! Glad to hear! Hope you like these guys too! They better not let you down. If they do, let me know, and I’ll serve them a lesson they won’t soon forget!
These look awesome, you just inspired me to make them for my wife and me to take for work lunch! I’d like to try with other veggies too. I think carrots or a winter squash variety would be great too!
Glad you like! They would make an awesome lunch indeed… and I like your ideas of alternate veggies, especially the squash. Zucchinis are in these also! Hope you like ‘em!
Oh so delighted to find these! I am on the Dukan diet (modified) and plan on making these tonight with a few substitutions…1/2 cup of oat bran instead of the flax seed meal and hazelnut meal. Leaving out the sunflower seeds and the poppy seeds (don’t have.) Also I plan on subbing nutmeg for the cinnamon….just a few scrapes. Everything else will be just as listed. I am so excited…I will be searching your blog for recipes that I can modify or use just as they are. My birthday was yesterday (March 24) and as MY new year’s resolution I started this diet. Second diet I have EVER been on…first one was low fat and I lost 50 pounds. By my next birthday I will have something to be excited about…birthday’s are starting not to be so exciting for me, lol…
Real happy to hear that you have made the resolution to shed a few extra pounds Cheryl! Just make sure you do it the healthy way! I’m pretty sure you can find a few recipes on here that will inspire you and help you make some permanent changes in your diet. Glad you like the little fritters, curious to find out how your substitutions worked out!
Happy belated birthday to you, and I wish you get to reach your goal by your next birthday!
Just remember… stay healthy, make permanent changes, a little bit at a time, stay active, and the rest will follow! 
I made these today for Easter, and everyone raved about them! Even my dad who hates healthy food! I made one full recipe as stated (minus carrots because I forgot!) and I made one full recipe subbing shredded zucchini for the cauliflower. Both turned out amazing! I also subbed walnuts for hazelnuts, bc I am actually not a fan of hazelnuts. I will definitely make these on a regular basis.Thanks for the great recipe!
Oh yay! So happy to hear! Thank you so much for sharing this with me, Jess, I truly appreciate that!
I just finished eating two of these with arugula and red and green onions – very enjoyable light lunch! I’m posting to thank you for the recipe, note what substitutions I made, and hopefully prevent people from making the same mistakes I did. Substitution: chia seeds for the eggs [I think a good egg would have been nice here - would have enhanced the flavor and also binding/cooking, next time I will use a real egg though maybe still use chia somewhere in the recipe]; for the flax meal used equal portion meal to soya flour [this worked fine]; in place of nuts/seeds used soy beans [this was okay but I think the nuts/seeds would have added a nice richness and flavor to the fritters, so next time I will probably use at least some nuts/seeds]. I scaled the recipe down to 2 servings and I think that the subtleties of the spice ratios were lost in doing so. And since I liked these so much, next time I won’t have a problem making at least 4 servings. Though, I wanted to note that the fritters were bigger than I anticipated and the flavor developed over time, which is not a bad thing at all. Thanks!
Real glad you liked the fritters, Lauren! Love your substitutions too! Might give some of them a try in the future! Thank you so much for sharing!
These are glorious. I bought cauliflower to make the cauliflower pizza and now I think this has changed my mind.
Can you describe what these taste like at all? I’ve only had cauliflower once and it tasted like rotten smelling broccoli. Thats the only flavor I can form in my head.
LOL Trina! It’s hard to describe exactly what they taste like, but I can guarantee that they do NOT taste like rotten smelling broccoli. I suspect that the cauliflower you tasted had gone bad… I think you should consider giving it another try!
Made these for dinner tonight. I was out of sunflower seeds so subbed with sprouted pumpkin seeds, finely chopped. Delicious!! Loved the poppy seeds. I made a dipping sauce to go with them: mixed together homemade mayonnaise, fresh lime juice, chopped cilantro and salt & pepper. Thanks for a great recipe!
No, thank YOU Caroline for your amazing feedback! Real glad to hear you liked the fritters. And sprouted pumpkin seeds? Really? Never heard of them. Sounds super interesting. Definitely have to research them…
These are the pumpkin seeds I used. Very tasty.
http://www.goraw.com/products/Sprouted_Pumpkin_Seeds
Wow, thanks for that! I will definitely give them a try!
Made these for dinner tonight and they were a hit! I’m a lover for all things healthy, I will definitely make them again sometime. Thanks for the recipe!
So happy to hear, Theresa! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your impressions! I really, truly appreciate that!
do you have the nutritional breakdown for these?
Sorry Jenn, I haven’t crunched in the numbers for that one. However, there are many great applications online that you can use if you feel like doing it. I tend to use My Fitness Pal or Calorie Count.
thanks for the reply. I am aware of those website. I thought I would ask you first. If I get around to entering it, I will let you know the details of the analysis.
I made these last night but with little success. I followed the recipe exactly, but could not get the patties to stay together without adding more flaxseed. The flavor was then muted from the additional binder. Total flop.
Sorry to hear, Fran… but these are not patties, they’re fritters. They’re not meant to be made into patties, you’re supposed to drop the mixture directly into the preheated pan.
I’m sorry if my instructions weren’t clear enough… I’ll make sure to revise them!
Hi there,
I’m making these at the moment, but it seems like a LOT of cauliflower. I’ve put it all in a 2 litre bowl and can barely mix it, it’s so full. I’m assuming it will be a lot more than 8 fritters.
I’m wondering if I used half a humungous cauliflower, instead of half a large one. What size cauli do you think yours was? Mine would have been about the size of a soccer ball.
Yikes! Cauliflowers really are super large where you are! I guess a quarter would’ve done the trick in your case. Hope the fritters turned out great still! I bet you got a load of them, too! Let me know how things went…
This looks like a lovely recipe. Does your calorie count include the oil for frying?
No, I didn’t include the oil in the calorie count, but I used very little… you’re talking maybe half a teaspoon per batch, if that!
Just made these. I found the texture to be too crumbly, so I tried cooking one and it fell apart. It tasted nice, but there was no way I could possibly pick it up with my hands. So I added another egg to the rest of the mix and they held together nicely. I managed to get 12 fritters.
Looking at your photos, I can see the egg clearly overlapping the edges. Is it really just 2 eggs? Maybe my cauliflower was larger than yours, although it was a standard size (1 kg/2lb head.
That’s strange, Wendy, because I did indeed use only 2 eggs and found that it was maybe a tad too much for, as you said, it did sort of leak at the bottom…
Maybe my cauliflower wasn’t all that big after all? I really should’ve weighed it (which I tend to do now!) I’m thinking that the fact that you managed to get so many fritters indicates that your cauliflower was indeed much bigger than mine.
Glad you managed to save the recipe! I think I need to redo them myself, and I’ll weigh my cauliflower this time!
What a wonderful and healthy idea. Putting these on my menu.