Buffalo Cauliflower

A fried vegetable. Tossed in buffalo sauce. Yes it exists. Yes it is good. Think of it as a buffalo chicken nugget. Surprisingly enough it's in the healthy-ish category. This recipe calls for deep frying but an even healthier alternative would be cooking these in the air fryer. Just as good. Cauliflower tossed with olive oil, turmeric, salt and pepper is delicious in the air fryer. This vegetable is very versatile, it is open to opportunities.

Buffalo Sauce is hot sauce and butter mixed together. From that sentence alone you should already know butter will taste good in or with anything. The point is you can make your own buffalo sauce at home easily, maybe a pinch of cayenne for extra heat, vinegar for that acidity and a touch of Worcestershire sauce for the tanginess.

Ingredients

- 1 head cauliflower

- 1 cup buffalo sauce

- 2 1/2 cups buttermilk

- Bleu cheese crumbles, garnish

- Bleu cheese dressing, to dunk

Breading Set Up:

- 1 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper

- 5 Eggs, whisked

- 1 part panko - 1 part regular seasoned breadcrumbs

What To Do..

Step 1 - Gather all prep. Place breading set up all in individual bowls.

Step 2 - Cut the root of the head of cauliflower out. Start to break off individual pieces and place into a large bowl. If the pieces are too big, then cut smaller. You want the size roughly like shown in the picture. Cover the cauliflower heads in the buttermilk. Let soak for 30 minutes.

Step 3 - Get your breading set up ready in a row. Take one hand, grab a cauliflower piece and drop into the flour. Roll it around with your opposite hand and dredge off any excess, then dropping it in the egg. Take the hand you used for the buttermilk and roll in the egg once coated. Next drop into the breadcrumbs and with the hand that you used for flour, make sure the cauliflower is coated all around. Place on a tray and repeat with the remaining cauliflower heads.

Step 4 - Place a large pot over medium high heat until it reaches 375 degrees. Drop in breaded cauliflower carefully in the oil. Cook for about 7-8 minutes, until golden on all sides. Have a large bowl ready with buffalo sauce in it, large enough to toss the cauliflower. Once the cauliflower is done, carefully take out drain off excess oil and place in the bowl immediately. Toss the cauliflower with the buffalo sauce.

Step 5 - Plate and serve with celery sticks as well as bleu cheese dressing to dunk. Enjoy!

Chef's Notes

- Healthier alternative is to put these in the air fryer or oven. No waste in oil.

- If you do not have buttermilk you can make it with 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, stir and let sit for 10 minutes. You now have buttermilk.

- If you like spicer buffalo sauce, go hotter. Add a type of hot pepper in the mix.

- Blend celery through a juicer to add with the cauliflower soaking in buttermilk. Added with the buffalo sauce can settle the heat.

- Substitute bleu cheese dressing with ranch, if you're into that sorta thing..

Love,

F&B