Thursday 21 August 2014

Spicy Buffalo Cauliflowers Appetizer

As I mentioned before, I am in the process of moving out of my residence and preparing to move to an apartment (with one of my sisters!). :)  Between packing and going to the clinic to do my research, I haven't had much time to post in the past couple of days.  (I've also been trying to finish up odds and ends in my freezer, so my meals haven't been too creative lately.)  However, I do want to share with you a recipe I made a few days ago that turned out pretty nicely!  I've seen a few similar recipes for Buffalo cauliflower "wings" going around recently, but I was first inspired by this one.  I haven't bought cauliflower too often, but as soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to try it!  I didn't have cashews in the house, but since I've been in a zucchini phase lately (and I always like adding more veggies!), I also whipped up a slightly different twist on the dip. 

 

Spicy Buffalo Cauliflowers with Cool Zucchini Sunflower Dip


Ingredients:

Cauliflowers:
Cauliflower - 1 medium
Chickpea flour - 3/4 cup
Almond milk - 3/4 cup (could use soy milk too)
Garlic powder - 1.5 teaspoons
Onion powder - 1.5 teaspoons
Cumin seed - 1 teaspoon
Smoked paprika - 1 teaspoon*
Black pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
Date - 1 small

Spicy Sauce:
Vinegar - 5 teaspoons**
Salt - 1/4 teaspoon**
Cayenne pepper - 1/2 teaspoon** (or hot sauce, see note)
Canola oil - 1 tablespoon + extra for pans

Zucchini Sunflower Dip:
Zucchini - 1/2 peeled
Sunflower seeds - 2 tablespoons***
Dried parsley - 1 tablespoon
Dried chive - 1 teaspoon
Onion powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
Black pepper - 1/4 teaspoon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450F.  Oil one large baking pan with canola oil and set aside.

In a flat frying pan, toast chickpea flour on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until it smells nutty and fragrant.  Put into a very large bowl and set aside.

In a blender, combine almond milk, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, smoked paprika, black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and date.  Blend until date is minced up.  Pour into the bowl with chickpea flour and stir until well incorporated.  Add a little water or more almond milk if it is too thick, but you do want it to be thick enough that it will stick to the cauliflower pieces. 

Chop cauliflower into thin bite-sized pieces.  The smaller you make them, the faster they will cook and the more crispy they will get.  Pour pieces into the bowl with the coating and stir until every piece of cauliflower is well coated.  Put pieces in one layer on the baking pan and bake for around 25 minutes until slightly crispy. 

Meanwhile, whisk vinegar, salt, and cayenne pepper (or hot sauce) with the canola oil in a small bowl and set aside.  If you don't like things too spicy, add a little less cayenne, or add a little more if you like lots of spice!  Set aside. 

In a blender or food processor, combine dip ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy.  Put in a bowl for serving.

Once your cauliflower pieces are cooked, take them out of the oven and toss them with the spicy sauce.  Put them back in the oven for around 10 minutes or until they are nice and crispy again. If you want you could also put the oven on broil for a couple of minutes to make them extra crispy.  Take them out and serve them hot with the cool dip!  Serves 2-4 people.


Notes:

* Smoked paprika adds a really nice smoky rich flavor to this dish!  If you don't have it, you can use regular paprika, but I really recommend it!  I also found that for me, I would have liked to have added a little more of the other spices, so feel free to double the cumin and onion and garlic powders for a deeper flavour. 

** I didn't have hot sauce, but if you have it, feel free to use 1/2 to 1 cup of hot sauce instead of the vinegar, salt, and cayenne.

*** I felt like a very light dip this time, so I didn't add many sunflower seeds.  If you want your dip more creamy, try adding a few tablespoons more sunflower seeds.  I would also recommend soaking your seeds for a couple of hours if you think of it (I didn't) - this would help it blend more easily!  Also, next time I would probably double the recipe for the dip! 

 
I hope you enjoy these spicy Buffalo cauliflowers!  :)

 

2 comments:

  1. I wasn’t sure what to do with the cauliflower leftovers, was planning to roast them for my cous cous salad later today. But I like your cauliflower recipe idea! Mmmm these spicy buffalo cauliflowers are a must to try and I love your cooking note, Sarah (haha, awesome that you’re learning to speak Korean)!

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    1. Thank you Rika! Let me know if you try them out, I hope you like them! :)

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