Last week I did an instagram question poll and wanted to know what you guys would like me to make. Quite a few people asked for healthy, savoury snacks so I got to work and produced these babies. They can also be made with cauliflower & kale, which I also did, but personally I much prefer the broccoli ones.

Servings: approx 20 bites

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup quinoa, cooked according to packet instructions
• 1 head of broccoli, steamed/boiled (or cauliflower)
• 1/2 white onion, finely sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 2 tbsp parsley, finely copped
• 1 tsp italian herbs
• 1 tsp dry sage
• 1 flax egg (1 tbsp flax, 2.5 tbsp water, refrigerate for 5 mins to set)
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 3-4 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tbsp coconut oil (or any other oil e.g. olive, sunflower, rapeseed)
• Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

1. Cook quinoa according to instructions & set aside in a large bowl
2. In a blender, roughly blitz the broccoli and add to bowl of quinoa (if you don’t have a blender, chop the broccoli into small chunks)
3. Next, roughly blitz the onion and garlic and add to bowl, again, finely chop if you don’t have a blender
4. Add in the lemon juice, parsley, herbs, sage, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly
5. Next, add the flax egg, nutritional yeast and plain flour and mix thoroughly
6. Form small patties of the mixture using your hands – if the mix doesn’t seem to hold try adding more flour
7. Heat 1/2 of the coconut oil in a pan (depends on how big your pan is and how many batches you will be making – I made 2 batches worth, so used half the coconut oil)
8. Preheat oven to 180c and line a baking tray with baking paper
9. Once coconut oil is heated, turn heat to medium and fry patties for 6-8 minutes on each side
10. Transfer to a baking tray and bake for a further 15 minutes
11. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before eating – can be enjoyed straight away, reheated on a pan or straight from the fridge! Add to a tomato sauce and pasta for a vegan version of spaghetti & meatballs. Can be frozen for up to 1 month.