One of the challenges we face when eating more plant-based meals is feeling satisfied once you are done eating. Cauliflower doesn’t really come up in our minds when we think of a hearty satisfying dish, but I beg to differ. Generally, we enjoy eating cauliflower in a variety of ways; sautéed, in soups, baked, roasted and now battered and saucy!
I want to clarify, eating cauliflower wings does not replace chicken, it’s not high in protein, therefore if you’re looking for a protein replacement you’ll need to look elsewhere. Despite it’s lack in protein, cauliflower has a variety of health benefits worth eating for:
- high in fibre which is great for digestion, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol.
- good source of vitamins (such as Vitamin C, K and B)
- Can help with strengthening bones
When you have picky toddlers, I find that battered veggies can sometimes help with their vegetable intake. Some might also criticize that cauliflower has a particular odour that is unappealing, this recipe definitely helps with that.
When working with this recipe, there are a few things to consider:
- wash the cauliflower florets and dry them off before adding them to the batter (you don’t want to add the batter when the florets are still wet).
- you want the batter to be thick enough that it properly coats the cauliflower. If not, you’ll have a lot of sparse areas.
- You can choose any bbq sauce you like, I’ll usually make my own which consists of fresh minced garlic, honey and soy sauce. If you have your own favourite bbq sauce that works too.
- You can be creative with the spices you want to use. I included the ones we use, but don’t be afraid to try other ones!
Cauliflower Wings
Ingredients:
- 1 full head of cauliflower cut into small florets
- 2 cups of flour (AP unbleached or Whole Wheat works)
- 2 cups of milk (I use almond milk, but regular milk or other nut milks work also)
- 1 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp of freshly ground pepper
- 1 tsp of thyme
- 1 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp of chili powder
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425F and line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- Wash and cut cauliflower into florets (make sure they are dry prior to batter)
- Mix the milk, flour and spices in a bowl, until it resembles a thick batter.
- Dip the cauliflower in the batter. You can choose to do either way:
- Dip them one by one
- Dip a small batch at at time
- Place the battered cauliflower onto the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, flipping them halfway. You want to avoid having them too close together as they will stick together.
- While the cauliflower is baking, prepare your sauce (I have used store bought or made my own honey garlic with freshly minced garlic, soy sauce and honey).
- Once the cauliflower has baked for 20 minutes, remove them from the oven and brush each one with your sauce of choice, coating them evenly.
- Return cauliflower to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until desired crispness.
Enjoy!
Antonietta xo
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