Are you a fan of buffalo wings? If you’re looking for a zingy appetizer with bright flavor but without the zillion calories of deep-fried fat that will ruin everybody’s appetite, here’s a great alternative. Super healthy. Super fun! My family chowed them down like popcorn (or buffalo wings) . . . but without getting sick!
The recipe was inspired by Bosh! although, as with all recipes, ours tend to become personalized to taste and time constraints, so if you want the “real deal,” you’ll have to buy the book. Still, our knock-off Armstrong family version made us all happy, so maybe you’ll have fun working out your own recipe too . . . or invest in this excellent book!
Tangy Cauliflower Buffalo Wings
(Enough for a party: We served 18)
Step One: Preparing the cauliflower. My granddaughter Nycteris took on the time-consuming challenge of carefully washing 2 large heads of cauliflower and breaking them into bite-sized florets. Strangely enough, after we refrigerated them and took them out to bake, she discovered there were bugs on them, which just looked like specks to me. But, they WERE tiny insects, so we had to soak them in water and then her mom helped clean them to make sure they were bug-free. We didn’t want any unauthorized protein! :( SO, I recommend breaking the cauliflower heads into bite-sized florets and soaking them in cold water for at least five minutes, and then giving them a final inspection and rinse. (Or else this was a totally freak occurrence; have any of you ever had tiny black bugs on a head of cauliflower? I’ve been shopping at the same store for 30 years and never noticed this before.)
Step Two: Preheat the oven to 350°F. and line three cookie sheets with parchment paper
Step Three: Prepare the coating. In a large mixing bowl, combine:
1.5 cups flour (we used half whole wheat, but all white works too)
1.5 cups milk (if you want it dairy-free, use almond or oatmeal; we used almond)
1 tablespoon dried garlic flakes (or 2 fresh-pressed cloves of garlic)
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
1.5 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon seasoning salt (I used Lawry’s)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper. Whisk until it’s a uniformly smooth batter.
Step Four: Prepare the bready coating: In another bowl, empty
8-12 oz Panko bread crumbs. (We used one 8-oz cannister but ran out. They were okay dipped just in batter without the coating, but they were awesome with the crispy Panko coating too!)
Step Five: Either buy yourself a bottle of your favorite ranch dressing, or if you’re dairy-free or vegan, prepare your own dipping sauce: In a food processor or liquidiser, combine:
2/3 cup cashews
2/3 cup almonds (either as is or boiled for 5 minutes and the skins pulled off)
1 tablespoon garlic powder (or 3-5 cloves of garlic)
1.3 cups dairy-free milk
Whiz until creamy and smooth, then add:
The juice from one lemon
1 tablespoon parsley flakes or fresh, chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped chives (dried or fresh; my eldest granddaughter helped by hunting for wild chives in our yard and chopping them. :) )
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Whip together until it’s completely blended, top with a few touches of parsley and chives, cover, and chill until you’re ready to serve.
Step Six: Finish dressing the wings. Take the florets and completely cover them in the coating batter, then transfer them to the bowl of Panko bread crumbs and coat them in crumbs. Lay them individually on cookie sheets with enough room between so they can bake and become crispy.
Step Seven: Bake them in the oven at 350° for 20 minutes (or until the florets are soft and start turning a golden brown). Some of our littlest don’t like much spice yet so we made one pan plain without any added buffalo wings sauce (see below), although we did drizzle the florets with melted, plant-based butter.
Step Eight: Either drizzle your favorite buffalo wing sauce and some melted butter (or margarine) over the roasted “wings,” or in a saucepan combine:
8 oz. melted butter or margarine with
8 oz. Cholula hot sauce and either dip the wings in the sauce (really filling this way, and you may need to double the amounts above) or drizzle the mixture over all the “wings” in the pans. We chose the drizzle method for the sake of time, spiciness, and calories, but suit yourself!
Step Nine: Bake another 10 minutes at 350° until golden brown and serve immediately with the dipping sauce.
I didn’t get out to the picnic table fast enough to get an action shot, but they really did sell out fast, and I was gratified to find that they had plenty of room for all the other picnic foods that showed up soon afterward.
“Our Father in Heaven, we give thanks for the pleasure of gathering together for this occasion. We give thanks for this food prepared by loving hands. We give thanks for life, the freedom to enjoy it all, and all other blessings. As we partake of this food, we pray for health and strength to carry on and try to live as You would have us. This we ask in the name of Christ, Our Heavenly Father” (- Harry Jewell).
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” (1 Chronicles 16:34, ESV).