Buffalo Cauliflower Dip

It’s football Sunday which means it’s time to get out those delicious snacks and dips! This buffalo cauliflower dip has been a favorite of mine for years, and it never disappoints. It’s vegetarian, gluten free, and gets in those sneaky veggies while still feeding those buffalo cravings. It’s super easy to whip up, so you can easily have it ready in time for today’s games. Let’s get to it!

Here’s What You’ll Need:

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets

• 8 oz shredded cheddar

• 8 oz cream cheese

• 1/2 cup ranch dressing

• 3/4 cup buffalo sauce

• 1 green onion, chopped

• 2-4 tbsp blue cheese crumbles (optional)

• 2 tbsp avocado oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Toss the cauliflower florets with avocado oil, salt, and pepper, and roast in a preheated 450 degree oven for 30 mins.

2. Once cooked, “shred” the cauliflower using a fork, breaking the florets apart into smaller pieces.

3. In a large bowl, combine the shredded cauliflower, shredded cheddar, cream cheese, ranch dressing, and buffalo sauce, and mix together well. Pour the mixture evenly into a square baking dish.

4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for ~25-30 mins.

5. Top with green onion and crumbled blue cheese as desired. Serve with your favorite veggies, tortilla chips, or crackers, and enjoy!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Cauliflower Parmesan

With the kickoff of fall, it’s about time that one of my favorite cozy cauliflower recipes finally makes its way over to the blog. If you follow me on Instagram, you know this is one my favorite fall/winter dinners to make on repeat, and it never disappoints. It’s so good, the entire family will love it, and it’s pretty easy to make as well! It’s vegetarian and can easily be made gluten free. It would also be a great, fun recipe to get the kids in on! So without further ado, let’s get to it.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 head of cauliflower, sliced lengthwise into 4 “steaks” about 1.5” thick

• 2 eggs, whisked

• 1/2 cup almond flour

• 1/2 cup bread crumbs of choice

• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan

• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

• 1 cup marinara sauce

• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

• sea salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Set up a dipping station of 3 shallow bowls - one with the eggs, one with the almond flour, and one with a mixture of the bread crumbs, shredded parmesan, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.

2. Dip each cauliflower “steak” into the eggs, then the almond flour, back into the eggs, and finally the bread crumb mixture.

3. Lay each piece on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 30 mins (flipping halfway through).

4. Evenly pour the marinara sauce over the cooked cauliflower pieces and top each with shredded mozzarella.

5. Broil in the oven for 3-5 minutes until the cheese melts.

6. Serve with your favorite side(s) and enjoy!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Vegan Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

I've recently become obsessed with making my own nut milks, specifically cashew milk, ever since coming across Ellie's Best nut milk bags. For some reason I was under the impression that it would be difficult, but it's SO quick and easy. I just soaked a cup of cashews in water for 2+ hours, strained and rinsed them, and tossed them in the blender with 3 cups filtered water and a pinch of sea salt on high for a minute or two. Filtered it through my nut milk bag, and BAM delicious, creamy, unsweetened cashew milk. You can use the code Stacy10 for 10% off your own Ellie's Best nut milk bag by the way!

So basically I've been going through cashew milk like crazy these days. It's so tasty, and the consistency is nice and creamy. So I thought it would be the perfect ingredient for some creamy, vegan mac and cheese. You guys know I'm veggie crazy, so I decided to add in cauliflower because it would just soak up the taste of the delicious sauce. And I decided to keep it gluten free and protein packed with some Ancient Harvest POW! Green Lentil Penne.

Here's What You'll Need:

-7 oz Ancient Harvest POW! Green Lentil Penne
-1/2 head cauliflower, cut into pieces
-1/2 cup unsweetened cashew milk
-1/4 cup nutritional yeast
-2 tsp Dijon mustard
-1 tsp lemon juice
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1/4 tsp sea salt + extra
-1/4 tsp black pepper + extra
-1/8 tsp turmeric
-1/8 tsp chili powder (optional)
-2 tbsp avocado oil

Serves 2

Instructions:

1) Toss your cauliflower in the avocado oil with some sea salt and black pepper, and roast it in a preheated oven at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes until it starts to brown and soften.
2) In the meantime, cook your pasta according to the directions.
3) Strain your pasta, and use the warm, empty pot to mix together the cashew milk, nutritional yeast, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, turmeric and chili powder.
4) Once cooked, remove your cauliflower and cut into smaller pieces.
5) Mix the cauliflower and cooked pasta into the sauce, serve, and enjoy!

Not into cauliflower? Feel free to swap it out with the veggie of your choosing! I also topped mine with a bit of red pepper flakes for some extra heat. Let me know how you play around and what you think in the comments below!

Cauliflower Nachos

Cauliflower has easily become one of my favorite veggies. It's delicious on its own or roasted, and it can literally be made into or the vehicle for basically anything - pizza crust, rice, buffalo "wings", you name it! It just has a naturally great flavor without being overwhelming. 

So earlier this week when I was craving nachos, I figured why not?! Sweet potato nachos are delicious, so why not swap out the chips (or sweet potatoes) for cauliflower this time. I just sliced the cauliflower into thin, chip-like pieces, seasoned them a bit, and they were the perfect base for some delicious nachos.

Here's What You'll Need:

-1 head of cauliflower, sliced into 1/4-1/2" strips (they will naturally break into "chips", and you can cut them into smaller pieces if desired)
-2 tbsp avocado oil
-1/4 tsp sea salt
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1 tsp Just Spices Flavors of Mexico Seasoning (the code juststacy15 will get you 15% off)
-1/2 cup black beans
-1/2 large tomato, cubed
-1/4 cup red onion, chopped
-1/2 avocado, cubed
-1 jalapeno, chopped (optional)
-1/4 cup salsa
-1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

Instructions:

1) Toss the cauliflower pieces with the avocado oil, sea salt, black pepper, and Flavors of Mexico spice blend, and spread the cauliflower evenly over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
2) Cook in a preheated oven at 450 degree for 15-20 minutes until tender.
3) Remove from the oven, and evenly spread all of the other ingredients over the cauliflower.
4) Return the cauliflower to the oven at the same heat for an additional 5 minutes until the cheese melts.
5) Remove, serve, and enjoy!

Easy peasy, right?! And it's oh so delicious! You won't be missing those chips, trust me! I'd love to hear what you think in the comments below.

BBQ Cauliflower Steak

Cauliflower steak - lazy or brilliant? That's what I ended up asking myself as I was throwing this one together. To be honest, for me it was probably lazy, BUT it was just so good that I don't even care!

I was going to grill up a big veggie-filled lunch, and cauliflower was in the mix. I love BBQ roasted cauliflower, so I figured why not just try it out on the grill. I knew it would be delicious and take about half the time to cook. 

As I was about to prep it, cauliflower steak popped into my mind. I have heard of/seen it before, but never really looked fully into it. I was already planning to grill, so this was the time to go for it. It ended up cutting my cauli-cutting time probably by 1/10 - four easy cuts versus cutting each little cauliflower piece off the stem. Plus there was the added bonus of not wasting as much stem, and if you know me and broccoli stems, this is a BIG DEAL.

Here's What You'll Need:

-1 head of cauliflower
-1/4 cup olive oil
-Sea salt and pepper to taste
-1 cup all natural BBQ sauce

Instructions:

1) Remove the leaves from the cauliflower, and cut it into four slices of equal width.
2) Brush both sides of each slice or "steak" with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. You don't have to use all of the olive oil. You just want to lightly brush each side.
3) Toss the steaks onto a preheated grill and cook for 5 minutes per side.
4) Slather BBQ sauce onto each side of the steak and grill for an additional 3-5 minutes per side.
5) Remove from the grill, and serve with your favorite sides.

I hope you all enjoy this BBQ cauliflower combo as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below!