Рецепт Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower "Wings" with Homemade Ranch Dressing
It turns out it helps to know a little something about football when you're living in the US.
Take our most recent trip to LA. We crossed paths with all kinds of friendly people who asked us where we were from. My answer is still the generic "Canada" (I gave up on Ottawa some time ago since most Californians have never heard of the place).
My husband, possibly preferring to keep it simple, tells people we are from San Francisco. Not so simple.
Everyone (and I do mean virtually everyone) from the coffee shop baristas, to the families standing in line with us at Universal studios, to the bikers on ventura highway, had the same thing on their minds: FOOTBALL. Now normally this wouldn't be a problem -- we love sports and welcome chewing the fat about it. There's just one little hiccup in this case: we know precisely nothing (zero, zilch, nada) about football -- including the small fact that our newly declared "home team" was about to play a critical wild card game that would decide their seasonal fate. So we smiled. A lot. And then we smiled again.
And when we were all done smiling, I got down to business.
Fast forward two weekends and the 49ers are still in it. We're heading out to a local pub to catch all the action this Sunday. Our first public football viewing experience. I feel so integrated.
To help celebrate the fun, I'm sharing a healthier twist on a pub classic that I've been wanting to make for over a year!! These spicy buffalo cauli bites are sure to be a hit whether your catching your favorite sports team in action or cuddling up with a good book or movie this weekend.
We hope you enjoy them as much as we do. (And Go Sens Go).
Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower "Wings" with Homemade Ranch Dressing
- Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Wings with Homemade Ranch Dressing
- For the Buffalo Cauliflower "Wings"
- 1 large head of cauliflower, coarsely chopped into florets (creates about 4 cups)
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) almond milk (or milk base of choice)
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) water
- 3/4 cup (187.5 mL) flour of choice
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) onion powder
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) garlic powder
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) of your favorite buffalo hot sauce* (such as President's Choice or Frank's)
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) melted coconut oil or butter
- For the Ranch Dressing
- 4 Tbsp (60 mL) well-shaken buttermilk
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp (5 ml) rice vinegar or fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) honey
- Sea salt and coarse pepper to taste
- finely chopped fresh dill or chives
Serves 2-4
Nutrition & Cooking Notes:
If you're like me and have never been a big fan of the taste of Frank's buffalo hot sauce (I know sacrilege; who doesn't like Frank's, right?) you can make your own buffalo sauce by following this link (a delightful whole foods recipe - thank you Domestic Fits).
The convention is to serve buffalo wings with celery and blue cheese which is certainly an option. We decided to go with cucumber here and lighten things up on the dressing side with some homespun ranch.
The batter really enhances the taste of these little buffalo bites. When I first saw the recipe circulating around the blogosphere, I thought it was just cauli florets dunked in buffalo sauce (still intriguing) but the batter has the effect of 'beefing' up the taste of the cauliflower such that it creates a more substantive bite not dissimilar to a wing in that respect (maybe even heartier according to my son who was pleasantly surprised by the texture).
Though the taste and texture of these bites are very pleasing, I can't really say that they 'crisp up' in the conventional sense like a chicken wing. But still delightful in their own right.
These bites are best enjoyed warm right from the oven!
Directions:
Heat oven to 425 F.
Prepare ranch dressing by whisking ingredients together in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk together milk, water, flour, onion and garlic.
Dip each floret in the batter consecutively, allowing the excess to drip off before placing the pieces on a large parchment-covered baking sheet.
Bake battered florets for about 25 minutes until the batter has 'gelled' somewhat and the florets are fragrant.
In the meantime, whisk buffalo hot sauce with melted coconut oil or butter in a small bowl.
Once the battered cauliflower florets have baked, carefully brush the florets with the sauce, making sure they are entirely coated.
Place sauce covered florets on a fresh piece of parchment paper and back into the oven for 8-10 minutes, until the florets are just beginning to brown.
Remove from oven, allow your 'wings' to cool slightly before serving with ranch dressing.
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