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.

Chimi Seitan Salad with Grilled Vegetables

Welp, this is officially my favorite salad to date. Enough reading, more eating.

Peppered seitan tossed in chimichurri sauce with grilled corn, sweet potato, broccoli and red pepper, garlic croutons and ranch dressing. What's not to love?

Chimichurri Sauce
1 cup packed parsley leaves
1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tbl balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth, brushing down the sides to make sure everything is combined. Taste and season with more salt if necessary.

Ranch Dressing
1 cup vegan mayonnaise
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine and taste to season if necessary.

Chimi Seitan Salad
8 oz seitan, small dice
1 tbl black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
1 cup small diced, peeled sweet potato
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozan
1 small head of broccoli, cut in florets
1 red bell pepper, medium strips
1 head romaine, dark green parts, roughly chopped
2 slices seed bread, crusts removed, medium dice
1 tsp garlic powder

Prepare a grill to medium-high heat. Place a large piece of foil over the hottest part of the grill.
Toss the seitan chunks with black pepper and 1 tbl of olive oil. Spread evenly over the foil and grill for 7-10 minutes until lightly charred. Set aside.
Boil the sweet potato in salted water for 5 minutes then drain.
Toss the sweet potato and corn together in 1 tbl of oil and a pinch of salt. Spread evenly over the foil piece and grill for 5-7 minutes until the sweet potato is fully cooked and the corn has some char on it.
Toss together the broccoli and red bell pepper with 1 tbl of oil, salt and pepper. Grill on the remaining part of the grill for 7-10 minutes until charred and the vegetables are tender. Remove from the grill and roughly chop.
Combine the lettuce with the seitan and all of the grilled vegetables.
Toss the bread chunks with a drizzle of olive oil, garlic powder and a pinch of salt. Grill for 4-5 minutes, tossing occasionally so the croutons don't burn. Add the croutons to the salad mix.
Toss the salad with 3-4 spoonfuls of chimichurri sauce and some ranch dressing to taste.