Recipe: Buffalo Cauliflower Bites with Tofu Blue Cheese Dressing

Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer

Gluten-free

Appetizers are an essential part of a great party or social gathering–and these Buffalo Cauliflower Bites demonstrate that deliciously! Someone had the brilliant–and compassionate–idea that cauliflower would make a great base for the sassy, hot sauce used to make buffalo wings. They were right, but you can also substitute broccoli, seitan, or tempeh in this recipe to create a unique appetizer that will have your guests clamoring for the recipe. Healthy, gluten-free, and vegan–you can't beat that! And it's unlikely that you'll have leftovers, but if you do, toss them in salads, in a wrap, or on pizza!

Ingredients

½ cup gluten-free flour (or use all-purpose)

¼ cup cornstarch

¼ cup almond meal

2 tablespoons onion powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup buffalo hot sauce (like Frank’s Hot Sauce)

½ cup water

1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)

1 tablespoon tamari

1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets

Tofu Blue Cheese Dressing

1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise

2 tablespoons miso

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon mirin (optional)

1 tablespoon tahini

Water, to thin, if necessary

1/4 cup crumbled firm tofu

1 scallion, thinly sliced

Carrot and celery sticks, optional

Directions

To make the cauliflower, preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. To make the batter, mix together flour, cornstarch, almond meal, onion powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, stir together the hot sauce, water, olive oil, and tamari. Add the wet ingredients to dry and stir to make a thick batter; it should have the consistency of pancake batter.

One at a time or in batches, dip cauliflower pieces into the batter. Lift the pieces out, letting extra batter drip off, and arrange them in a single layer on the baking tray. Roast for about

25 minutes or until fork-tender.

While the cauliflower is roasting, make the dressing. Mix together the mayonnaise, miso, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, mirin, and tahini. Add water, one tablespoon at a time, to thin to desired consistency, if necessary. When smooth, stir in crumbled tofu. Garnish with scallions and chill before serving.

To serve, arrange cauliflower on a platter with carrot and celery sticks. Serve dressing in a bowl on the side.