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Recipes

Buffalo Cauliflower “Wings”

IMG_8106 It’s no secret that I’ve been a fan of cauliflower for a long time, but I still find myself surprised at how many different ways I can enjoy it. More recently, cauliflower has become the poster child for paleo and carb-free diets. Its mild flavor, coloring and crunchy consistency has allowed cauliflower to be a satisfying substitute for major sources of carbohydrate in our daily diets. Cauliflower also does a smashing job as an entree for vegetarians and vegans. And did you know that cauliflower is high in Vitamin C, dietary fiber, and folate? It truly is a super vegetable!

IMG_8079 The basic preparation for cauliflower usually includes steaming or boiling, but trust me when I say that there is no more satisfying way of eating cauliflower than roasted cauliflower. The cauliflower head takes on a golden-brown color as the aroma fills your kitchen; by the time you take the cauliflower out of the oven, your mouth will be watering for those crunchy florets. Most of the time, I’m satisfied with the standard flavors included in roasting vegetables–salt, cracked pepper and olive oil. But in this particular case… you can’t go wrong with buffalo sauce, right?

IMG_8080 I found this recipe last week and my curiosity was piqued; so much so that I went out and bought cauliflower that same day for a trial run. And after making it three times in less than a week (!!), I’m not only sure I’ve improved on the recipe… I know for a fact that we’ll be coming back to this recipe time and time again. James and I are not vegetarians–far from it, really–but the ease of preparation compared to actual chicken wings can’t be denied. I love wings, but sometimes I love being lazy just a little bit more.

IMG_8090 The key to this recipe is in the preparation of the cauliflower. Roasting the entire cauliflower head instead of cutting it into florets first allows the individual stems to stay crunchy while still imparting that charred, roasted flavor. Pan-frying the cut florets in a little bit of olive oil crisps the edges and changes up the consistency of each bite. Throwing sauce onto vegetables is easy, but making sure the vegetables taste outstanding before the sauce comes into the picture is the key to making a truly successful vegetable dish.

If you prefer your buffalo sauce mild instead of medium regarding heat, reduce the sriracha amount. I’d say that this mixture creates a medium heat. And if all else fails–bleu cheese or ranch dressing will go a long way in taming the spiciness levels. We either eat this as an appetizer or as a main dish with other vegetable sides. And something tells me that this will come in handy for Fridays during this Lenten season…

Recipe adapted from Leite’s Culinaria.

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20 Comments

  1. rowanvamp0 says:

    These sound delicious can’t wait to try this out.

  2. Tracie says:

    The URL is not working. Please repost!!!

    1. admin says:

      Hi Tracie,

      I am able to see the page from my mobile and laptop, which link are you having problems with? Thanks for the heads-up!

  3. Jessica says:

    These look delicious! The link that is not working is the link back to the original recipe from Leite’s Culinaria.

    1. admin says:

      Jessica,

      Sorry for the late reply! Thanks for the heads-up–I’ll work on fixing that right away.

  4. […] Quite possibly my favorite way to spice up a simple recipe (yes, I went there), health foods included. Buffalo, Tobasco, sriracha, Cholula, there are so many options to chose from based on your personal preference. I’m a die-hard supporter of Frank’s extra hot buffalo wing sauce and fully believe that adding it to ANY food (pasta, hummus and carrots all included) instantly makes it 1,000 times better. Try this easy recipe I pinned from the blog Umami Holiday for buffalo cauliflower. […]

  5. […] hot wings, we’ve found a great alternative, cauliflower buffalo bites. And the recipe over at Umami Holiday is jus the right amount of […]

  6. Cauliflower is a current favourite of mine too, I can’t seem to get enough of it… I’ve not really thought of taking the flavour in that direction though, I usually go Indian or South East Asian, I’ll have to get creative and do some searching on the sauces though as I’ll be unable to get them out here in Rural Hungary.

    I do have a fairly good sriracha sauce replacement but could you give me some indication of what Frank’s Red Hot Sauce is or the sort of flavour profiles it has?

    Thanks 🙂

    1. Kaylee says:

      Brian, Franks Hot Sauce has mixed spices, vinegar, garlic and cayenne peppers in it! I use it to make chicken bites all the time, I am trying this recipe now! Sriracha sauce has more heat to it than Franks!! (At least to me anyway!) 😀 hope that helps you some 😀 Here is their website so you can get more info on it! https://www.franksredhot.com/

  7. Kristen says:

    I made this the other night and while it still tasted good my cauliflower burned before it got even close to crispy. Are they supposed to be soft?

    1. admin says:

      Hi Kristen,

      When I bake the head of cauliflower in the oven, it softens it enough so that it’s not raw but still has some bite to it… and when I pan-fry it, it chars the edges a bit to give the cauliflower some extra flavor. So it’s not crispy, but it’s still firm enough to have a crunch to it. Did the cauliflower burn in the oven or while on the stove? If in the oven, just bake it for less time; if on the stove, then reduce the heat while pan-frying. I hope this helps–let me know if it doesn’t and I’d be happy to answer more questions 🙂

      1. Kristen says:

        Yah I burnt them in the skillet trying to get them crispy and not so soggy after I put the sauce on them

  8. […] Skins 9. 12th Man Mini Cheeseballs 10. Beefy Cheesy Pinwheels 11. Baked Loaded Nachos Wontons 12. Buffalo Cauliflower “Wings” 13. Warm Beer Cheese Dip 14. Buffalo Chicken Phyllo Bites 15. Bacon Wrapped Dates 16. Cheesy Pull […]

  9. […] Buffalo Cauliflower “Wings” | Umami Holiday […]

  10. […] Buffalo Cauliflower Wings – use ghee or coconut oil instead of butter […]

  11. […] Buffalo Cauliflower Wings – use ghee or coconut oil instead of butter […]

  12. […] or cursing myself for not having jalapeños in the house. Today’s medicine of choice? Buffalo Cauliflower “Wings”.  I know some people hate recipes that use veggies to replace meat or carbs, but come on, […]

  13. Marisa says:

    I have made this recipe 3 times in the last week and it is hands down my favorite recipe!!! Love the flavor!! I do reduce the sirracha by half because of the heat but I just introduced my mom to this and she was licking her fingers!!! Thank you so much for this recipe! AMAZING!

  14. Karen says:

    What is the calorie count

  15. Victoria Vardon says:

    Ever try to make this in an air fryer?

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