Buffalo Cauliflower in a Salad

Welcome back for another Vegetarian April Celebration recipe!

 

Oooh and was I excited to make this recipe! I seriously love buffalo sauce SO much. I would pour it on a piece of cardboard and eat it if I thought it would be socially acceptable - haha! When trying to think of some of my all-time favorite vegetarian meals to share for this month's theme, my mind went to a salad I used to enjoy (OK, obsess over) when I was in college. I went to Coastal Carolina University (go Chants!!), which is just outside of Myrtle Beach, SC. Being a beach/resort town, Myrtle Beach has a lot of restaurants, but as poor college students, my roommates, boyfriend, and I could only indulge in a night out at a real restaurant on occasion. I was lucky enough to have my dad come to town to visit a few times a year and he would treat all of us to dinner (isn't he awesome?!). Once I discovered this salad at Damon's, I made us go there every time he was in town.

 

This salad I speak of was a buffalo shrimp salad. Yum! In college, my palatte wasn't as sophisticated as it is now, and my go-to restaurant meal was a salad and baked potato - pret.ty.boring. But back then (a whopping 10-13 years ago) and especially in the south, there weren't a whole lot of interesting options for a vegetarian at regular American fare restaurants. So this salad was really something special. I love buffalo sauce and it's rare to find buffalo anything that isn't meat, so I was super excited to see buffalo shrimp on the menu, and in a salad was even better! The shrimp were battered, fried, and then tossed in buffalo sauce (much like this recipe), and the salad was pretty simple, made up of iceburg and standard salad veggies, with a handful of shredded cheddar, topped with a healthy dose of housemade ranch dressing. Pure heaven. You can see why I would want to recreate such a recipe in my own kitchen!

 

This being a month to celebrate my 20 years of vegetarianism, I definitely wanted to include this recipe - since I do love salads! - but do so in an all vegetarian way. I keep seeing recipes for buffalo cauliflower all over Pinterest, so I decided to whip up my own version and use that to top the salad instead of fried shrimp. I was skeptical about the buffalo cauliflower and didn't understand what all of the fuss was about, but lemme tell ya: I get it. The flavor of the cauliflower goes so well with the buffalo sauce and it's the perfect platform to let the sauce shine in all of its tangy, spicy glory. I fancied up the salad base for this recipe and included some protein with chick peas and sunflower seeds. I kept the dressing really light (skipped the ranch) and sprinkled in some blue cheese crumbles since blue cheese goes so well with buffalo sauce. This salad was really filling and tasty - I think you'll really enjoy it, vegetarian or not!

 

OK, let's get tangy!

 

Buffalo Cauliflower Salad

Servings: 4 as a side dish, 3 as a meal

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

 

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower, trimmed into bite-size florets

1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper (FCBP)

1 very tiny pinch of salt

1 head organic Boston Bibb lettuce, chopped

1 spear organic romaine hearts, chopped

1 handful cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 radish, sliced paper thin

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 handfuls shredded carrots

1/3 organic cucumber, sliced

3 handfuls de-shelled sunflower seeds

1/2 16oz can chick peas

1/4 cup buffalo sauce

2 handfuls blue cheese crumbles

 

Dressing:

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon FCBP

1 pinch salt

 

Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

To make the dressing, combine all ingredients in a salad dressing bottle or a food storage container with a tight fitting lid. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Set aside.

 

Evenly distribute the cauliflower florets over a non-stick baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place the cauliflower in the oven to roast for 20 minutes, checking on them every five minutes and moving them around on the sheet with a spatula so they don't get burned onto the bottom of the pan.

 

While the cauliflower are cooking, assemble your salad.

 

Place the lettuce at the bottom of a medium sized bowl.

Then pile on the chopped veggies: carrots, cuc, tomatoes, radish, celery.

Sprinkle the top with the sunflower seeds, saving a little for garnish at the end.

Last, add the chick peas.

To prepare for when the cauliflower is done cooking, drizzle the buffalo sauce into the bottom of a small bowl.

At the 20 minute mark, pull the cauliflower out of the oven. They should be a little charred looking and slightly crispy.

Scrape the cauliflower florets into the bowl with the buffalo sauce.

Use a spatula to gently toss the florets with the sauce, making sure to cover each piece.

Add the mound of buffalo cauliflower to the top of your salad.

Use salad tongs to scoop out a bunch of salad onto your serving dish, drizzle with the salad dressing, and sprinkle the top with blue cheese crumbles.

Serve alongside a cold glass of white wine or light beer and enjoy!

Salute!