Product: Dr. Praeger’s Gluten Free Broccoli Cakes – $3.99+
Sometimes, I don’t remember why I pick things out to try…they just sort of intrigue me at the time when I am at the grocery store. It happens. And while I have been steering mostly clear of packaged and processed foods, sometimes you just have to give in and try something that calls to you.
And that is apparently what happened when I snagged a box of Dr. Praeger’s Gluten Free Broccoli Cakes. Let me tell you…the box makes these things look amazing. Like little broccoli hashbrowns. Or…broccoli and potato latkes.
I love potato pancakes (latkes)…and I love broccoli. So this was basically Dr. Praeger’s brilliantly meshing the two of them together. BRILLIANT!!
Dr. Praeger’s is a multi-generation, family-owned food company founded by two heart surgeons. The company is committed to encouraging a more sensible and healthier way of eating. Everything created by Dr. Praeger’s begins with their no-compromise recipes that help support an active lifestyle. Every ingredient that goes into each and every Dr. Praeger’s product is pronounceable and recognizable. You know how I love that!
As I stated above, I LOVE Broccoli! Like…LOVE IT! Always have. Always will.
So, imagine my elation when I spotted this little box in the freeze section of one of the many grocery stores I frequent. I don’t know why I felt the need to snatch it up and try it…but it was like…meant to be. Because it was BROCCOLI…and…
…POTATO!
I’m Irish. Potatoes and I are BFFs. Like…for real BFFs. I eat at least…at least two potatoes a week, but usually more. No joke.
The box of Dr. Praeger’s Gluten Free Broccoli Cakes describes these little treats as a savory blend of broccoli, potatoes and onions. There are six (6) cakes in each box, making it easy to decide whether you want to eat these as a snack, a side, or as a meal.
For me…MEAL!
Oh yes…meal time.
It was actually a Friday afternoon where these were pulled out of my freezer. I had a half day at the office and was going to head into Louisville to get my grocery shopping done early so that I could go pick blueberries Saturday afternoon instead of running around and grocery shopping then. So, I wanted something that was easy to make, not too big (as I was cooking up Gluten Free & Vegan BLT Sammies…with a side of guac and blue tortilla chips. So, an easy, fast, and filling lunch was what I was looking to make for my roommate and I before we hit the numerous grocery stores. Because otherwise we are a bit like this with any samples at said grocery/natural food stores.
The Dr. Praeger’s Gluten Free Broccoli Cakes are really easy to prepare. Each round cake is individually wrapped, so, again, you can pick how many you make. The serving size is two (2) cakes, but as this was lunch, I made up all 6, so each of us could have three (3) each. The preferred method for cooking these is the one I used…preheating the oven to 450°F and putting the cakes on an ungreased baking pan. The cakes go into the oven for about 5-7 minutes until browned. Then, you carefully flip them over, cook for another 4-6 minutes, until heated through and browned. You can also cook these in a skillet or in the microwave, but the oven baked these up to perfection.
They honestly looked like little broccoli hashbrowns. Which is fine. Because hashbrowns are one of life’s best foods to ever be invented, created, and consumed. They smelled fantastic. And I ended up topping them off with a drizzle of a vegan lemon cream sauce that I had made earlier that week for another dish. Lunch was served…and it took less than 20 minutes. LOVE it.
First of all, the oven technique really does cook up the Dr. Praeger’s Gluten Free Broccoli Cakes to a crispy perfection, all without the use of butter or oil. And as I’m trying to cut back on some of that…that was a big thing with me. I was afraid they would be mushy and soft, but they totally crisped up on the outside, getting that gorgeous golden color and crunchy texture. The inside…warm…soft…and perfect. You get a lot of broccoli flavor in each bite, but you get potato and onion and whatever spices are blended into the mix. It was delicious. I was beyond surprised. I had one without the sauce, and it was fantastic. They have the same consistency as a latke or potato pancake…but the flavor is more complex with the addition of the broccoli. I loved these. So simple…yet so delicious!
So, let’s take a look at the ingredients that go into the Dr. Praeger’s Gluten Free Broccoli Cakes. These amazing cakes of green goodness are made from broccoli, potatoes, onion, expeller pressed canola oil, oat bran, potato flakes, egg whites, arrowroot powder, sea salt, garlic, and black pepper. The Broccoli Cakes are gluten-free, kosher, and non-GMO.
As far as nutrition goes, with ingredients like that, you will love the nutritional info in the Dr. Praeger’s Gluten Free Broccoli Cakes. A serving size is two (2) of the cakes and their are 3 servings (or 6 individually wrapped cakes) per box. This serving will provide you with 130 calories, 6 grams fat, 0.5 grams saturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 250 mg sodium, 16 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 2 grams sugars, and 4 grams protein. Believe it or not, these are quite filling…because the sampling snack monsters were kept at bay.
Dr. Praeger’s as a remarkable line of gluten-free and vegetarian offerings in their product line-up. Not everything they make is gluten-free and vegetarian though, so read the boxes. They label everything, so you will know just by looking at the box. I have never had a Dr. Praeger’s product that I haven’t loved…and I think lots of that is that they really do strive to use real ingredients and real foods in each and every one of their products. If you haven’t tried the Dr. Praeger’s Gluten Free Broccoli Cakes yet…go to wherever Dr. Praeger’s items are sold near you…and grab a box. Trust me…you will not be disappointed.
The Celiathlete 
Only problem I have with Dr Praeger products is that pretty much every product they carry contain onion and me along with all my family hate onions! Bummer… I’ll never understand why they decided to do that. People who like onion would still eat them without containing onion, however, people who don’t like onion will most likely not purchase. Oh well 😦
I never noticed that. That is unfortunate. Perhaps you could give them that feedback and they can take that into consideration!!
I just finished 2 of these little broccoli cakes for my supper. They smelled delicious as they were baking. They were absolutely delicious. The potatoes were well cooked and the inside of the cake was not mushy at all because of the small diced pieces of potatoes. The onions were also cooked very well, no crunch, and the flavor was perfect, not overpowering. The one thing that I did notice that was missing was the name’s main ingredient…there was no broccoli to be seen inside of the cakes. The flavor was there but other than that, no tell tale sign of green anywhere to be found. But I still give these 5 stars because they are really very tasty! And they did crisp up and brown nicely. I baked them in my convection oven and used the same time and temp as instructed in the cooking directions that would be used for a non-convection oven. I’ll definitely be buying these again. I’d seen them in the freezer section of quite a few supermarkets, even grabbed a box a couple of time but wound up putting them back each time. But this last time, I was determined that I would give them a try. Very glad I did. I’ve never seen/noticed any of their other products but will be looking out for them now.
Dr. Praeger’s does a good job for sure. I love their products. Glad you enjoyed them as well!!