Spicy buffalo sauce is one of my favorite flavors. I mentioned this in my post for Buffalo Queso Dip. Experimenting with food is kind-of a food bloggers job, and I will experiment all day with buffalo sauce! And please don’t think I’m kidding. Good hot sauce can belong on breakfast, lunch or dinner. Or on this appetizer, Beer Battered Buffalo Cauliflower!
I used to buy sauce that was labeled buffalo sauce. Now I don’t. The reason? Unnecessary additives. Buffalo sauce is basically hot sauce with added fat to make it rich. In my quest to cut down on processed foods, I read a lot of food labels (I highly encourage this habit for anyone doing the same). I started to realize that butter flavoring and hydrogenated oils were used in some brands of buffalo sauce to add richness. You can buy hot sauce and add your own source of rich fat (mmm…butter), which allows you to choose what kind of fat you want to consume, and how much! Win-win in my book!
I love that this recipe is basically all vegetable. When I nom on something, I usually try and look for a healthy option. Go figure, right? When I nom on veggies, it makes me feel good about my food choices. Even though they are cooked, coated with rich sauce and dipped in more rich sauce, this recipe for buffalo cauliflower is a keeper because it tastes so great! Enjoy!
- ½ head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- ¼ cup lager style beer
- ¼ cup white whole wheat flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic granules
- ¼ cup hot sauce, such as Franks
- 1 TBS butter, melted
- 2 TBS crumbled blue cheese, for garnish
- ⅓ cup blue cheese dressing, for serving
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together beer through garlic granules. Toss the cauliflower florets in the sauce until well covered.
- Spread out on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine melted butter and hot sauce in a liquid measuring cup.
- Pull all the roasted cauliflower into the center of the baking sheet. Pour the buffalo sauce over the cauliflower and toss well to coat.
- Return to the oven for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the cauliflower to a plate and garnish with blue cheese. Serve with blue cheese dressing.
Recipe inspired by Franks Red Hot.
