Broccoli Parmesan Fritters

I don’t know about you, but I hate wasting food. I love fresh broccoli and I always feel guilty when I pitch out a large stem or two. Well, feel guilty no more, friends. You can save your unused broccoli stems and use them for this delicious recipe. An added bonus is sneaking extra nutrients and fiber into you diet. It makes eating healthier feel like a treat, not a chore. I added florets because I had them, but there is no need if you are enjoying your florets elsewhere. I used almond flour, but you could use regular flour, and I added Parmesan, but you could leave it out if dairy gives your problems. I’m not great at following directions, much to my boyfriend’s dismay. I always want to change something that makes it more “me”, whether it’s cooking or following a workout routine. I used two different recipes as guidelines to create these bad boys. I’ll put the links to the original recipes below. Get creative and have fun with healthy foods!

Ingredients

2 medium heads of broccoli, with ample stems ( roughly 3 cups when shredded/chopped)

½ small onion, chopped

1 ½ cups almond flour

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs, beaten

2 Tbsp coconut oil

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1 Tsp onion powder

salt & pepper to taste

Equipment

Food processor with shredding attachment

Mixing bowl and spoon

Frying pan and spatula

Directions

1. First I chopped the broccoli florets off the stems, and ran the stems through my food processor’s shredding attachment. I emptied the shredded stems into a large mixing bowl, then I lightly pulsed about half of my florets with the onion in the food processor and added it to the bowl.

2. Next I added almond flour, cheese, eggs, and spices to the bowl and mixed well.

3. Then I added one tablespoon of oil to my frying pan and melted it over medium heat.

4. I tookheaping spoonfuls of my mixture and formed a ball or patty with my hand and placed the them in the frying pan. I fit about 6 in the pan at a time. I cooked until they were browned on one side, then flipped and flattened them with the spatula and browned on the other. About 4 or 5 minutes on each side.

5. I repeated this process with the remaining mixture and ended up with about 12 fritters. I gobbled them up with a turkey burger and the remaining steamed broccoli florets. They were like gluten-free, low carb, little burger buns only more delicious! Thanks to PaleOMG and Smitten Kitchen for the idea!

Joanna Meade is an NSCA Certified Personal Trainer and CrossFit Level 1 Trainer.