Roasted Buffalo Cauliflower Bites, Irresistible and Simple

I’m a bad girl when it comes to food. Dirty fantasies for me include a chiseled guy in an apron saying, “Hey baby, I made this deep fried, extra fatty piece of animal meat, dipped in a super caloric and decadent dip just for you.” Swoon. The reality though is even though I think bad, I often act good; case in point this recipe for Simple Roasted Buffalo Cauliflower Bites.

Make no mistake, I would much rather sit down and mow through a full plate of crispy chicken wings, but as I get older I’m aware that staying away from foods that could kill me is probably a good idea. What can I say? I’ve lost the hubris of youth. It’s only a hop, skip, and a jump now to worrying about slipping on ice, and next thing you know I’m investing in a Medicalert bracelet.

Where were we? Oh right. Simple Roasted Buffalo Cauliflower Bites. I could have called these “Cauliflower Wings”, but you know that’s not true, and I know that’s not true, and we’re in a circle of trust, you and me. What I can tell you is that they are really frickin’ good.

So good that I routinely sit down now and eat an entire head of cauliflower to myself when I’m having a good old pity party. Which I might add really levels up my pity party game. Buffalo Cauliflower Bites indicate that I still have a certain level of self respect for myself, unlike when my pity party spirals out of control with a family sized bag of chips and boxed wine.

The surprising ingredient that makes these buffalo cauliflower bites so good is nutritional yeast. Who would have known you could fall in love with cauliflower and nutritional yeast in one recipe? Yet, here we are. In case you don’t know, nutritional yeast is used by vegans as a substitute for cheese in many recipes. While I admire my vegan friends very much, I’m still working on being a part-time vegetarian so I’m not ready to take the full leap. That being said, you can learn a lot from those self-disciplined vegans.

I tend to think of these Buffalo Cauliflower Bites as a snack food (see aforementioned pity party) but it’s actually a really great side dish too. Although a dip is not required, you can’t wrong with a blue cheese dip on the side. You don’t have to be 100% good, 99% will do.

If you’re looking for another incredible vegetable dish that will have you questioning everything, check out this recipe for Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts.