These crispy cauliflower bits are crunchy bits of goodness with that hot wing taste we all love. The hot bits are tossed onto a cool salad and served with a cool lemony plant yogurt dressing.

The salad itself can be your favorite vegetables you love to enjoy with your hot wings. Enjoy my version or make up your own but you have to try the cauliflower!

There are recipes for tomato basil soup or Provincial red pepper soup that would accompany this nicely. My Bloody Mary would be a nice cocktail and keep up with the trend of having an entire hot meal served on a drink. (Think Pluckers).

Image of salad with buffalo cauliflower bits

Buffalo Wing Cauliflower salad

This salad has a variety of greensand vegetables I associate with hot buffalo style chicken wings. It is topped with crispy, hot cauliflower bits and cauliflower marinated in lemon juice and salt for that "cheese kick".
Print Recipe
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Servings4
AuthorSnap Pea Sheep
Cost8

Equipment

  • Baking sheet with rack or parchment
  • Convection oven or air fryer

Ingredients

  • 1 Cauliflower
  • 1 Cup Hot Wing Sauce I use Primal Kitchen Medium Buffalo Sauce - see notes
  • 1/2 Cup Panko crumbs I use Ian vegan crumbs
  • 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
  • 1/4 Tsp Salt
  • 1 Head Romaine lettuce
  • 2 Stalks Celery
  • 16 grape tomatoes or 1 campari tomato per serving
  • 6 Green onions
  • 1 Cup Sugar Snap Peas Blanched
  • 8 Radishes
  • 1 Cucumber
  • 1 Carrots
  • 4 Stems Parsley
  • 20 Green olives stuffed with pimento or jalapeño. Optional
  • 4 Cherry peppers Optional

Mustard - Ranch Dressing

  • 1/2 Cup Plant yogurt I use So Delicious unsweetened coconut yogurt
  • 3 TBSP Yellow Mustard Use organic with no additives
  • 1 TBSP Lemon juice
  • 1 TBSP Apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 TSP Dill weed
  • 1/2 TSP Garlic powder May use minced garlic)
  • 1/2 TSP Onion Powder
  • 1/4 TSP Kala Namak salt
  • 1/4 TSP Himalayan salt
  • 1/4 TSP Black Pepper

Instructions

  • Wash cauliflower and divide head into quarters
  • Cut cauliflower into bite sized florets. Save stems for a later use. Set aside little cauliflower crumbs for your lemon juice marinade.
  • Add the little cauliflower crumbs to a shallow bowl and toss in lemon juice and about 1/4 tsp salt. Set aide to marinate and stir a few times during your food prep.
  • Place cauliflower florets. on a baking sheet lined with parchment (or a large flat baking pan). Pour buffalo sauce over the cauliflower , top with 1/2 the panko and toss. Add remaining panko and toss again to ensure a nice coating on the florets.
  • Place buffalo cauliflower in the over at 350°F for about 30 minutes. Air fryers, convection ovens and regular ovens all have different cooking times. Check on these and take them out when they are a nice golden brown!
  • Wash and chop your lettuce.. I soak mine in a salad spinner for a few minutes then spin dry before adding to the salad bowl!
  • Wash and de-string sugar snap peas. Blanche a handful. I let them steam about 8 minutes or boil for 2 minutes then rinse in ice water to cool the peas and stop the cooking process.. Cut into one inch pieces and add to salad.
  • Peel carrot and thinly slice on the diagonal. Add to salad.
  • Wash and de-string the celery. Thinly slice on the diagonal and add to salad.
  • Slice tomatoes into 4 wedges per person (or slice grape tomatoes in half). Add to salad.
  • If using an English or baby ORGANIC cucumber, there is no need to peel. Just wash and slice. Peel the cucumber If it is NOT organic as there is a wax coating on them. TIP. Take a fork and score the cucumber lengthwise all the way around before slicing to make them pretty.
  • Clean the green onions. Remove the tips on each end and peel off any papery or slimy parts. Chop well into 1/4" pieces and use both the white and green parts. Add to salad.
    You may use red onion or vidalia onion if you prefer.
  • Slice radishes and add to salad.
  • Toss the salad and divide evenly into four bowls. Top with cherry peppers and olives.
  • Divide the buffalo cauliflower on top of the salads.
  • Drain the cauliflower from the lemon juice and use to top the salad.

For the Dressing

  • Add all ingredients into a carafe and shake to blend. Add to salad as desired.

Notes

Used logo
 
This is a Snappy Sheep recipe
Chicken wings are one of America's favorite foods. There HAS to be a vegan version.
The prep on this is very easy. Feel free to add as much sauce or panko as you need.
I use Pre-made buffalo sauce to save time.  I use Primal Kitchen Medium Buffalo sauce.  It is fairly hot! My husband prefers the hot and I prefer the mild so the medium is a good compromise. You can always make it a little hotter with more cayenne.
You can make your own sauce with tomato sauce, Apple cider vinegar, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic and onion powder. Just experiment a little to get the ratio to your taste. 
IAN Panko is one of  the few brands I could find with no egg. I have found these with and without oil so I don't know what to tell you there. I use the plain ones. Panko holds up to the sauce. Bread crumbs will not.
The cauliflower in lemon juice is to mimic cheese. You can leave it off it you wish. For the non WFPB in your family let them use blue cheese crumbles instead. Warning, if these are left to marinade too long, they get too salty and inedible. Rinse with water if need be. I sometimes just use chopped preserved lemon or chopped black olive.
Add whatever veggies you want to this salad! The important element here is the hot cauliflower. Enjoy!
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