Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

These little spicy bites of cauliflower are awesome! Pinterest wins again.
The other night I laid in bed, late and wide awake. I found myself scouring the food & beverage section of Pinterest looking for new ideas and saw Buffalo Cauliflower over and over again. As someone who loves buffalo sauce and cauliflower, I added this to my list of things to make. Roasted instead of deep fried and tossed in a small amount of olive oil instead of butter, these bites are a perfect snack, appetizer or side dish that you can feel good about eating over and over again.

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Tender pieces of roasted cauliflower tossed in hot sauce and served with crisp sticks of celery, carrots and vegan ranch. Here I included several recipes for ranch that I love to make including traditional, avocado or cilantro ranch.

Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
serves 3
1 large head cauliflower, cut into medium florets
3 tbl extra virgin olive oil, divided
salt and pepper
3-4 tbl hot sauce

Preheat the oven to 425.
Toss the florets with 2 tbl of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast on a baking sheet for 20 minutes then place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes until crispy and browned.
Toss with the remaining 1 tbl of olive oil and hot sauce, to taste.

Ranch Dressing
1 cup vegan mayonnaise
2 tbl unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp salt
pinch black pepper
2 tbl chopped fresh parsley

Combine the mayo, milk, vinegar, garlic, onion, dill, salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth. Stir in the parsley by hand. Chill for 15 minutes to allow for the flavors to meld. If it's too thick for you, add more almond milk to thin it out.

Avocado Ranch
1/2 ripe avocado
1/4c vegan sour cream
1/4c vegan mayonnaise
1 tbl unsweetened almond milk
1 1/2 tsp white vinegar
1/8 tsp each: salt, dried parsley, onion powder
pinch of each: dried dill, dried garlic powder

Combine all in a food processor and blend until completely creamy. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes to set back up.

Cilantro Ranch
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
1/2 cup vegan sour cream
3 tbl fresh minced cilantro
1 tbl lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
salt & pepper, to taste

Combine all in a blender and season to taste. Chill for at least 15 minutes for serving to allow flavors to meld.

Sloppy Janes

Sloppy Jane, the sister to Sloppy Joe, is a little more refined and effortless. She has pizazz and stands out in a crowd. Unlike her brother she really shows her Southwestern roots but still maintains that traditional flavor you grew up with as a kid. She is mock meat free and relies on cremini mushrooms and black beans to give a hearty and even sloppier bite than Joe has ever been able to bring to the table. Let's face it, Jane was the favorite child.

Cremini mushrooms, black beans, red onions and green chiles slow simmered in a crock pot for 5 hours with hints of sweet and sour flavors. Serve on toasted rolls with sweet potato fries.

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Sloppy Janes
serves 4-6
3 garlic cloves

1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
1 small red onion, roughly chopped
8 oz cremini mushrooms
1-15oz can tomato sauce
1-15oz can black beans, drained
1-4oz can fire roasted green chiles
1/4 cup organic light brown sugar
3 tbl tomato paste
2 tbl apple cider vinegar
1 tbl vegan worcestershire sauce
1 tbl dijon mustard
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
4-6 hamburger buns, toasted

Pulse the garlic, carrot, celery, red onion and mushrooms in a food processor into small chunks.
Transfer to a crock pot and add the remaining ingredients. Cook on high for 4 hours then remove the lid and cook one hour more.
Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Potato Salad with Homemade Rosemary Mustard

Time and time again I have made my own ketchup but I never thought to make my own mustard. The inspiration to make it myself came from my husband's distaste for it. He claims to hate anything with vinegar in it and mustard can be pretty stringent. I thought if I made my own, I could adjust the vinegar to fit both of our palettes. The process is pretty quick and painless and lends it's hand to making mustard in any flavor you want.

Red potato salad with corn, red onions, scallions and celery for crunch tossed in homemade mustard while warm.

Rosemary Mustard
1 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbl fresh rosemary leaves, roughly chopped
1-2.6oz container yellow mustard seeds
2 tbl white wine vinegar
1 tbl agave
1/3 cup water
salt & white pepper

Saute the shallot and garlic in olive oil until soft and fragrant, 5 minutes. Add the rosemary and mustard seeds and cook until the seeds have toasted. Add the vinegar, agave and water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth, adding more water if necessary to get desired consistency. Cool for later use or toss in potato salad while warm.

Potato Salad
8 red potatoes, medium dice
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small red onion, small dice
1 celery stalk, minced
1 cup fresh corn kernels
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper
1 bunch scallions, green parts only, small dice

Combine the potatoes with salted, cold water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender but not falling apart. Drain.
Saute the onion in olive oil until tender, 5 minutes. Add the celery, corn and garlic. Season with cumin, salt and pepper. Add half of the scallions.
Mix the potatoes with the vegetables and toss with mustard. Garnish with the rest of the scallions.

Beans & Greens with Cornbread

Black eye (or is it eyed? I've seen them both ways) peas are my favorite legume and collards are definitely top 10 spot on my vegetable list so what could make this meal any better? Cornbread that's what!

Spicy jalapeno black eyed peas served with tangy collard greens and slightly sweet cornbread.

Cornbread
1 tbl ener-g egg replacer
1/4 cup water
1 cup almond milk
2/3 cup organic cane sugar
1/2 cup melted earth balance vegan butter
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a loaf pan.
Whisk together the egg replacer and water in a medium bowl until frothy, 2 minutes. Add the almond milk, sugar, butter and vinegar and stir to combine. Add the flour, cornmeal, baking soda and salt.
Bake for 20 minutes at 350 then turn up the heat to 400 and bake 15 more or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Black Eyed Peas
1 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1/4 red onion, small dice
1 jalapeno, seeded, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-15 oz can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup vegetable broth
salt, to taste
1/4 cup bbq sauce

Saute the onion, jalapeno and garlic in olive oil until soft, 5-7 minutes. Add the peas and broth and simmer for 10-15 minutes over medium-high heat until most of the liquid has absorbed. Use a potato masher or fork to mash half of the bean mixture up. Once plated, drizzle the whole meal with a little bit of your favorite barbecue sauce.

Collard Greens
1 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 head collards, roughly chopped
1 tbl organic light brown sugar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbl apple cider vinegar
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup water

Saute the greens in olive oil for just a few minutes to soften. Add the sugar, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and toss to combine. Add the vinegar, broth and water and simmer for 25 minutes.