Cauliflower Quinoa Fritters

It's the New Year and I decided to join in a cultural phenomenon that I don't understand...black eyed peas.  Once I cooked up a batch I was considering options for the rest of the meal and I figured why not just take the southern concept all the way!  To be a southern meal I thought you needed a little something fried and a little something pork.  For the pork I made Kale with Turkey Bacon.  This month on Smitten Kitchen, my favorite food blog, she  presents some Cauliflower Feta Fritters, so this was my base, but I changed it considerably by adding quinoa instead of feta cheese and didn't bother with making any topping or sauce.  They were delicious with a wondeful chewy texture.

1/2 a large cauliflower chopped into smallish pieces
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup quinoa, I used rainbow variety
1 cup of water
1 egg
teaspoon of salt
1 clove of garlic
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
oil for frying, I used sunflower

I first got my quinoa started by heating a small pot and slightly roasting the dry quinoa for a few minutes.  I then added one cup of water and simmered uncovered for about 10 minutes, or until all the water was absorbed.  Once the quinoa was started I began to cook the cauliflower and 1/2 cup of water in a smaller pot over low heat until cauliflower was soft, about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.  When finished we want to cool the quinoa, I spread it out on a plate.  The cauliflower I first drained in a strainer and then poured over several layers of paper towels and gave it a few good squeezes, getting all the water out.  I then put the cauliflower in the freezer so it would cool off.  Once the cauliflower has cooled (and won't cook our egg when combined) I whisked together an egg, salt and crushed garlic.  I added the cauliflower to the egg and mashed it up with a potato masher, breaking up the big chunks.  I then stirred the quinoa into the cauliflower mash.  In a separate bowl I mixed together the flour, salt, pepper and baking powder then added this mixture to the cauliflower batter and gently mixed them together.  In the meantime in a pan I heated about a cup of sunflower oil and once hot I began to spoon the batter into the shallow oil.  They formed the best shape when I formed a tight ball of dough and gently placed it into the oil.  Cook a few minutes till golden, then gently flip and fry the second side a few minutes until golden.  Remove from oil and place on layers of paper towels to absorb the excess oil.