#346: Buffalo Cauliflower "Wings"

I have a serious addiction when it comes to buffalo wings.  I'm not overexaggerating.  It all began at VCU (my alma matar) when eachTuesday after classes we would head down to Buffalo Wild Wings for 25 cent wing night (50 cent on Thursday for the boneless - see what I mean by 'addiction').  Anyway, as poor college students this was the best cheap dinner around for me and my friends.  I was throwing on all kinds of sauces and rubs, asking the waiters to try out a whole mix.  I basically made my way through the menu.  I'm surprised I didn't put on the dreaded freshman 15 with all of that wing eating.  

Now as a 30 year old woman, I can't be downing these fried delicious wings every Tuesday, and I have to be all healthy and eat kale every now and again (I'm acting like that's a chore, but kale is so freakin good), so I was super excited when I started hearing about the buffalo cauliflower "wing" hype.  Now I'm super familiar with cauliflower rice and cauliflower mash, but I hadn't heard about cauliflower "wings."  Let me tell you, these little guys are delicious!!

Buffalo Cauliflower "Wings"

Ingredients:

1 medium head cauliflower, chopped

1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon minced garlic or garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon melted butter

2/3 cup hot sauce

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, water, garlic  powder and salt.  Whisk together until smooth.
2. Toss cauliflower into batter, making sure to coat each piece completely, then place battered cauliflower on a lightly greased, nonstick baking sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
3. In the meantime, combine melted butter and hot sauce in a large bowl, stir thoroughly.  When the cauliflower is done, remove it from the oven and gently toss it in the hot sauce mixture.  Place cauliflower back on the baking sheet and cook for an additional 25 minutes until it becomes crispy.  Allow cauliflower to cool for 15 minutes before serving (with ranch or bleu cheese dressing, duh!)

After its first round of baking, the cauliflower should just be this golden.

The melted butter + hot sauce mix (gotta love that Tapatio).

Tossed in the hot sauce mixture and back on the baking sheet for the second round of baking.

Fresh out of the oven with charred edges...yum!