Baked to perfection and dipped into a spicy cashew dip, these healthy super flavorful caufliflower pieces will be your new favorite way to eat cauliflower!
As we probably have established over the past few months, cauliflower is one of my favorite ingredients to use! How could you not love a vegetable that is so versatile. It can be gnocchi, rice, mash, pizza, steak, porridge, bread or an ingredient to add to your dishes to make it creamy. And so many more things! Cauliflower is awesome!! If you’re not a fan of cauliflower, that might be because you just know it overcooked and soft on the side of your food. Trust me, I wasn’t a fan of it either until a few years ago when I discovered its possibilities.
Because cauliflower is pretty bland on it’s own, it really benefits from lots of flavor and spices added to it. And if you add a coating, you have a beautiful crunchy texture on the outside with works super well with the softer caufliflower in the middle. I’m a big fan of textures in my food and this one ticks all the boxes. Also, you know that a recipe worked out well when your husband who is not a fan of cauliflower asks you to make this recipe several times!
It’s important that you cut your cauliflower into bite-size pieces. More crust = better! Plus then you can just pop some into your mouth when they’re done because they’re so delicious! These cauliflower pieces are first dipped into a mixture of almond milk, lemon juice and salt so that the crispy coating sticks to them. Then they’re coated in a mixture of almond meal, sesame seeds, garlic powder, turmeric and salt. Isn’t the yellow color from the turmeric so lovely?
I decided to bake them instead of frying them because it’s way healthier and equally delicious. You just need to spray them with olive oil before baking them for a crunchier outside. I think that airfrying would also be a possible option but I haven’t tried it yet. The advantage of baking them in the oven is the bigger area of a baking tray as opposed to your airfryer basket. You definitely want those cauliflower pieces to overlap as little as possible – otherwise they won’t get crispy.
As a dip, I decided to make a spicy cashew-based dip. The cashews are boiled until soft which omits the soaking time. It’s really easy to make, super creamy and spicy delicious! I used three spicy ingredients – Sriracha sauce, paprika powder and smoked chipotle powder. Together, they create a nice kick which elevates the flavor of the baked cauliflower pieces even more. I actually just wanna dip everything in this spicy sauce!
Will you make these delicious cauliflower pieces soon? Or how about my Mixed Veggie Mash & Black Bean Balls?
Baked Cauliflower Pieces & Spicy Dip
Description
Baked to perfection and dipped into a spicy cashew dip, these healthy super flavorful caufliflower pieces will be your new favorite way to eat cauliflower!
Ingredients
Baked Cauliflower Pieces
Spicy Cashew Dip
Instructions
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Cut cauliflower into bite-size pieces. Put aside.
In a bowl, mix together almond meal, sesame seeds, garlic powder, salt and turmeric. Mix well.
In another bowl, mix together almond milk, lemon juice and salt.
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Pre-heat oven to 180°C (356°F). Cover a baking tray with parchment paper.
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Dip each piece of cauliflower into the almond milk mixture and then into the coating. Roll around until it's coated well and place on the baking tray. Continue until all pieces are coated.
Spray with olive oil. Bake at 180° (356°F) for 40 - 45 minutes until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
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For the spicy dip, place cashews into a pot together with 3/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes or until almost all of the water is evaporated.
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Place in a blender together with almond milk, 1/3 cup water, chipotle powder, Sriracha, paprika powder and salt. Blend until very smooth.
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Divide the baked cauliflower between two plates and fill up the rest with mixed salad. Drizzle with the spicy sauce or use as a dip on the side. Enjoy!
