Hot Honey Cauliflower Nuggets for Major League Snacking
Up your snack game with these gluten-free, healthier-than-you'd-think bites
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We’ve taken bite-sized cauliflower nuggets and made them better for you – without sacrificing any of the crispy, crunchy goodness you love. With a few strategic swaps, you can get your crunch on and still feel like a champ.
Cauliflower gives these nuggets tons of nutrients and gut-friendly fiber. Starting with thawed frozen florets saves time, as they’re already chopped and are softer than raw cauliflower, so you can bread and fry without breaking out your knife or steamer basket. Then, we bread the florets with a gluten-free mix of mineral- and healthy-fat-rich almond flour and spices, so you don’t get the crash that comes from breading made with refined flour. (Pro tip: Don’t forget to double dip into the breading to get that satisfying crunch.) Finally, we fry the nuggets in heart healthy, inflammation-fighting avocado oil. A simple dipping sauce made from raw honey or your favorite honey alternative such as agave mixed with hot sauce sweet heat.
You can serve these tasty cauliflower nuggets as an appetizer, a snack, or even a fun side dish for dinner any night. You can dip them a few hours ahead of time, cover and refrigerate, and fry just before serving.
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Cauliflower ‘Mac’ and Cheese
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Hot Honey Fried Cauliflower Nuggets
Ingredients
Honey dipping sauce:
- ¼ cup raw honey or honey alternative
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- Pinch of fine sea salt
Cauliflower:
- 1 cup (104g) almond flour
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs or equivalent egg replacer
- 1 lb frozen cauliflower florets, thawed, drained, pat dry
- Avocado oil, for frying
Preparation
- Have ready a large baking sheet lined with parchment and a large plate lined with paper towels. In a bowl, whisk together honey, hot sauce and a pinch of salt.
- In a shallow bowl, combine almond flour, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper; whisk to mix well. In a separate bowl, beat eggs until well combined. Working in batches, dredge cauliflower in flour mixture, then dip into eggs, then dredge in flour mixture again. Place breaded cauliflower on lined baking sheet.
- Warm 1 inch of avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot (an instant-read thermometer should read 350ºF). Working in batches, but not overcrowding the skillet, fry cauliflower until golden all over, turning occasionally, about 2 to 4 minutes total per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining cauliflower.
- Serve hot with honey dipping sauce.