First of all (I’ll admit) – these turned out WAY better than I expected them too! They were so good that I wiped through an entire tray with three other people in less than a half hour. So, this was definitely a pleasant surprise. I actually don’t really like cauliflower (unless it’s blended into a soup or puree), so I was somewhat skeptical on trying to create a recipe like this. I’m not a vegan or a vegetarian, but I LOVE finding ways to incorporate more vegetables into my diet! Especially creative ways that somewhat “masks” the vegetable in a delicious way. And this is one of those recipes! The breading creates a perfectly crisp crust around the cauliflower, which is firm but soft after baking (not mushy), and has an incredible flavor when tossed in buffalo sauce (and dipped in bleu cheese dressing, of course!). Even if you aren’t a cauliflower or vegetable fan (and can’t imagine yourself having anything other than a “chicken wing”), I challenge you to give this a go! 🙂 It is SO surprisingly delicious – definitely a great addition to your Super Bowl Sunday menu!

Serves Multiple People as An Appetizer (Makes 1 Full Tray)

Recipe by © Alysha Melnyk 2018

Kitchen Tools:

Oven, Preheated to 450°F (Use middle oven rack for baking)

Baking Sheet

Ziploc Bag

Mixing Bowl

Liquid Measuring Cup

Measuring Spoons

Dry Measuring Cups

Knife

Ingredients:

*Disclaimer – I am including certain brand names of things I use (just because they are personal favorites of mine), but feel free to use whatever brand you like, is the cheapest, is on sale, what you have on hand, etc.*

2 Teaspoons Olive Oil (*For Coating Baking Pan)

1 Small/Medium Cauliflower, Cut Into Bite Size Pieces (I had around 4 cups worth)

1 Cup All-Purpose Flour

1/2 Cup Dairy or Non-Dairy Milk of Choice (I used Stonyfield Organic Whole Milk)

1 Tablespoon Aluminum-Free Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon Onion Granules

1 Teaspoon Garlic Granules

1/2 Teaspoon Pink Himalayan Salt (or Salt of Choice)

1/4 Teaspoon White Pepper (or Regular Pepper)

3/4 to 1 Cup Buffalo Sauce or Wing Sauce of Choice (I used S&F Honey Buffalo Sauce)

*Optional for Serving: Bleu Cheese Dressing, Bleu Cheese Crumbles, Ranch Dressing, Celery Sticks, Carrot Sticks, Extra Pepper

Featured Artists/Products:

Square Platter and Pinch Pot by Jeremy Ogusky, Creater of Ogusky Ceramics (based in Jamaica Plan, MA)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Grease baking sheet with olive oil.
3. Placed bite-sized cauliflower pieces, all-purpose flour, milk, baking powder, onion granules, garlic granules, salt and pepper all in a Ziploc bag, seal and shake to mix/thoroughly coat all cauliflower pieces. *Make sure the pieces are thoroughly coated/breaded.
4. Next, place cauliflower on sheet pan (I LOADED the pan, so they had space to lay flat but were super close).
5. *Just a note before beginning baking – cauliflower will brown/darken slightly during the process- this is ok! Just make sure your oven isn’t blackening them in an entirety. My end pieces had a few black spots on them, but you want to make sure they get nice and soft!*
6. Bake for 20 minutes total (but flip at 10 minutes).
7. After 20 minutes, leave oven on but gently remove breaded cauliflower “wings” and place in a mixing bowl.
8. Dump buffalo sauce all over wings, and use hands to gently coat each wing in its entirety. 3/4 cup was perfect for me, but you might need/want more.
9. Lay wings back on same aluminum pan, and bake in oven for 30 more minutes (flipping at 15 minutes).
10. After this, remove wings from pan and serve with preferred sides.
11. Enjoy warm! 🙂

*Leftovers reheat nicely in oven.*