TAMPA (BLOOM) – It’s easy for vegetarians to feel left out at a Super Bowl party, but food journalist Dalia Colón who is the author of “The Florida Vegetarian Cookbook”, joined Gayle Guyardo the host of the global health and wellness show Bloom, with a chicken wing alternative sure to score a touchdown with herbivores and omnivores alike.
“They’re crispy on the outside, meaty and tender on the inside, so be sure to make enough for your meat-eating friends, because they won’t be able to resist on game day. Buffalo cauliflower also makes a great taco filling.”, said Colon.
She shared her Game Day Buffalo Cauliflower recipe with Bloom viewers.
Serves 2 to 4
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ cups unsweetened oat milk or almond milk, plus more if needed
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
3 cups seasoned panko (Japanese-style) breadcrumbs
½ cup buffalo sauce or hot sauce
2 tablespoons refined coconut oil or extra-virgin oil
4 tablespoons raw honey or pure maple syrup
Optional: celery sticks and/or dipping sauce of your choice (see note below)
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add the flour, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and milk. Whisk to combine. If the batter is too thick, add an additional splash of milk.
- Pour the breadcrumbs into a medium bowl.
- Line up the batter, breadcrumbs, and prepared baking sheet to create an assembly line. One by one, dip each cauliflower floret in the batter to coat, gently roll the battered floret in the breadcrumbs to coat, then arrange on the baking sheet, allowing some space between the florets.
- Bake for 10 minutes to set the breadcrumbs.
- Meanwhile, in a small, oven-safe bowl, stir together the buffalo sauce, oil, and honey. If it’s too thick, pop the bowl into the oven for a minute or two until it’s easily stirred.
- Brush the buffalo sauce mixture onto each floret. Return the pan to the oven to bake for 10 minutes.
- Use tongs to flip the florets and brush with more sauce. Bake another 10 minutes or until crispy on all sides. Keep an eye on them. If the cauliflower is getting too dark, tent with foil and reduce heat to 400 degrees.
- Serve alone or with a dipping sauce, such as cashew cream, honey, maple syrup, blue cheese, or honey mustard. Celery sticks are nice on the side.
Dalia’s note: The smaller you cut the florets, the more surface area you’ll have for batter. Adjust the baking time as necessary and keep an eye out because smaller pieces will require less baking time. Also, to switch up the flavor profile, replace buffalo sauce with sweet and sour sauce.
