Meatless Monday: Vegan Buffalo Wings

I have a couple of confessions to make before you read any further. 

1. This recipe doesn't quite qualify as a healthy food, it's not terrible, but it does center around a processed ingredient that I would normally stay away from. 

2. I am a cauliflower hater. 

Taking both of these into consideration, why then would I post a recipe for vegan cauliflower buffalo wings? It's because I am also a sucker for anything spicy and was way too easily tempted by all the food porn I'd been seeing posted recently for these knock off buffalo wings. I was just too curious not to give it a try. 

When I worked at Veggie Grill, the introduction of the buffalo wings appetizer was like a revelation to all employees, vegetarian or not. We all quickly became addicted to these spicy specimens. Of course, I not too long after stopped eating soy and cut down on my spicy foods, so the buffalo wings were no longer an option. I'd still drool over every plate that passed in front of my nostrils (figuratively, not literally), longing for that buffalo goodness. 

Seeing post, upon post and pin upon pin for cauliflower buffalo wings, those feelings of desire were stirred up all over again.  It's weird because I don't remember ever actually eating a real buffalo wing, yet once I went vegetarian, I quickly became hooked on those Morningstar nuggets and my love for all things seasoned with buffalo sauce had begun. 

As far as cauliflower goes, I have never been a fan. There was only one way I'd eat it as a kid and that was when my dad battered and fried it so that it no longer resembled its former self. During my first improvised cooking exam in culinary school at Bauman College, we were given mystery baskets, like on the Food Network's Chopped.  The universe played a cruel trick on me that day as the central ingredient in my basket was, you guessed it, cauliflower. I went into it with a negative attitude and it definitely showed in my dish, which turned out as a disaster. I won't get into all the details, but let's just say everything went wrong. The lentils were mush, the cauliflower was overcooked and mush, not a common texture you want when creating a dish. If only I'd taken into consideration those fried cauliflower bites my dad would make and then prepared and baked them in the same manner of these buffalo bites, things may have turned out differently. 

These buffalo wings are obviously not something I would eat on a regular basis, but they are great for special occasions and parties.  I hear there is some kind of championship game on tonight for college football, so these would be great for that.  They will be showing up for Super Bowl for sure!  

The recipe I used was partially adapted from several sources, including a PETA recipe that I had read they needed to work on. I decided I'd just go ahead and work on it. Since my version incorporates hot sauce into the batter, you can go for a milder spice by eliminating the sauce, if you are serving anyone who is sensitive to heat. If you prepare them this way, they are also healthier since there is only a hint of processed sauce, instead of them being loaded with it. They are pretty yum on their own like that... and this is coming from a noted cauliflower hater.

Spicy Cauliflower Buffalo Wings 

Ingredients
1 cup non dairy milk, or water
1 cup flour (regular or gluten free all purpose, whole wheat, spelt, brown rice)
2 Tablespoons starch (potato or tapioca recommended)
2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 Tablespoons hot sauce

1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets 

1 cup hot sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot)
1 Tablespoon vegan butter or olive oil

Oil spray 

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Combine the milk, flour, starch, garlic powder, and first tablespoon of hot sauce in a bowl and whisk until well combined.*

Coat the cauliflower pieces with the flour mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, sprayed with a little oil, then spray the tops of the cauliflower. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

While the cauliflower is baking, prepare your buffalo sauce. Melt butter or heat olive oil in a small sauce pan, then add the hot sauce and heat through, but do not boil. 

When cauliflower is done baking, transfer to a large bowl and toss it in the heated buffalo sauce. 

Serve alongside fresh cucumber carrots and/or celery sticks, and vegan ranch dressing like the one posted on The Sunny Raw Kitchen.

*If you want a thicker breading, keep the dry and wet ingredients separate. Dip the cauliflower in wet, then dry, then back to wet, then into dry again.