Looking to spice up your dinner repertoire? Buffalo Cauliflower is guaranteed to rock your taste bud’s world.
Cauliflower has really hit its stride these past few years. The humble Brassica can be spotted mascarding as pizza crust, the base for pancake batter and now as a substitute for chicken wings. With its mild and unassuming flavor and malleable texture, cauliflower can be rendered into a whole slew of culinary delights.
Cauliflower is a proud member of the cabbage family, along with cabbage, broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts. Traditionally harvested in late spring and summer, cauliflower is the perfect antidote to the inflammatory aspects of summer (nature always provides us with the antidote). The sweet, cool and astringent qualities of cauliflower can help quell the inner fires that build, be it from loads of time in the sun, or copious amounts of Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Hot Wing Sauce.
With its high sulfur count, cauliflower has certainly earned itself a reputation for being a gaseous food. However, well spiced and cooked cauliflower will help temper the gas forming qualities. Being lauded as the Ayurvedic Beano, I’ve added hing, or asafoetida, for good measure.
Serve these bad boys on a bed of arugula with a side of blue cheese dressing, or straight up sour cream. Trust me, you’re going to need the dairy to put out some mouth fires. Can’t go wrong rounding out the meal with some carrot and celery sticks.
Batter:
1 cup chickpea flour – this will provide more protein, can sub out for brown rice flour, APF, etc.
½ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder or a pinch of hing/asafoetida
¾ cup of water- enough to make a thin batter
Wing:
1 head of cauliflower, break off floretts
Sauce:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (option to use vegan butter)
- ½ cup of Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Hot Wing Sauce (I’m drooling just thinking about this stuff)
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut parchment paper to fit prepared baking sheet, this is critical, otherwise all the coating will be lost to the baking sheet.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together chickpea flour, black pepper and garlic, or hing if using. Feel free to experiment with various spices. Slowly pour in the water as you continue to whisk. The batter should have the consistency of crepe batter, slightly thinner than pancake batter. Added too much water? No worries, sprinkle in more flour, this recipe is very forgiving.
- Gently toss the cauliflower in the batter, hands are the best tool option here. Once fully coated, lay the cauliflower piece by piece onto the parchment paper. Allowing, for a little space between each “wing”. Bake for 20 minutes.
- While the cauliflower is baking, prepare your sauce. In a small saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, remove from heat and whisk in the hot sauce until completely homogenized. Caution, this may make your eyes burn, but it’s worth it.
- After 20 minutes of baking, remove the cauliflower from the oven completely. Loosen the cauliflower gently with a metal spatula. Pour the wing sauce evenly over the baked cauliflower, and coat as evenly as humanly possible. Return to the oven and bake 10-15 more minutes, or until the wings have slightly browned.
- Let cool for 5 minutes, and dive in.
Ayurveda Lite 