An amazing plant-based, vegan-friendly, soy-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free Hot Honey Cauliflower Bites recipe that makes approximately 2 servings takes about 10 minutes to prepare, with an additional 20 minutes for cook time.
Who doesn't love some delicious hot honey? One of my favorite hot honey foods used to be hot honey chicken. Unfortunately, meat consumption is consistently associated with diabetes risk and other animal by-products such as dairy consumption. Meat consumption is a risk factor for diabetes and isn't just limited to red meat consumption, as most think (1). Chicken and eggs are the top cause of foodborne outbreaks and illnesses in the United States. The two bacterias most likely to make you sick are Campylobacter and Salmonella. Less common pathogens are Shigella, Cyclospora, and Listeria (2).
Not to mention, one cup of chicken is said to have 115 mg of sodium, but what about the hidden sodium in chicken? Yeah, you read that right! I bet you didn’t know that one chicken breast could eat up 20% of your daily sodium limit before you even prepare it for cooking. This is because about one-third of the fresh chicken found in supermarket meat cases has been synthetically saturated with a mix of water and salt to simply up the weight of the chicken to sell it for more money. Then, of course, when you’re preparing the chicken, you add even more salt for “flavoring” without realizing it’s already loaded with salt (3). According to the American Heart Association, extra sodium (salt) in the bloodstream pulls water into your blood vessels, which results in an increased total amount (volume) of blood inside the blood vessels. With additional blood flowing through your blood vessels, blood pressure naturally rises. Over time, high blood pressure may overstretch or injure the blood vessel walls and speed up plaque build-up leading to a heart attack (4). Likely why research has found that a higher intake of processed meat, unprocessed red meat, or poultry was associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, and death related to heart and circulatory disease (5).
Maybe you weren't raised plant-based, but now you are, and you miss the taste of hot honey wings, or you're trying to find a healthier alternative. The closest you'll find is store-bought Buffalo Cauliflower Bites, and they're often filled with preservatives that are not healthy to consume. For instance, Birds Eye Buffalo Cauliflower Wings ingredients are cauliflower, wheat flour, buffalo style sauce (water, vinegar, canola oil, sunflower oil, spices and coloring, cornstarch, salt, chili paste [chili peppers, salt, acetic acid {preservative}], less than 2% of sugar, garlic powder, apple juice concentrate, yeast extract, dried mushrooms, canola lecithin, natural flavors, paprika extract [color]), rice flour, sunflower oil, modified corn starch, salt, whole barley flakes, less than 2% of sugar, quinoa, flaxseed yeast, sodium acid pyrophosphate, dextrose, baking soda, dried yeast, yeast extract, garlic powder, onion powder, spice, monocalcium phosphate, and paprika extract (color). Cauliflower, Wheat Flour, Buffalo Style Sauce (Water, Vinegar, Canola Oil, Sunflower Oil, Spices and Coloring, Cornstarch, Salt, Chili Paste [Chili Peppers, Salt, Acetic Acid {Preservative}], less than 2% of Sugar, Garlic Powder, Apple Juice Concentrate, Yeast Extract, Dried Mushrooms, Canola Lecithin, Natural Flavors, Paprika Extract [Color]), Rice Flour, Sunflower Oil, Modified Corn Starch, Salt, Whole Barley Flakes, Less than 2% of Sugar, Quinoa, Flaxseed Yeast, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Dextrose, Baking Soda, Dried Yeast, Yeast Extract, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Spice, Monocalcium Phosphate, Paprika Extract (Color)
Modified corn starch is treated with potentially harmful chemicals and has a high risk of contamination. An ingredient label reading "modified starch" is most likely to have been treated with things like sulfuric acid, chlorine, or other chemicals which are not altogether safe for consumption. Modified food starch is frequently composed of around 10% maltodextrin, which camouflages the existence of monosodium glutamate. Starch treatment with less than desirable chemicals increases the risk of contamination, and in some cases, we are consuming the chemicals (6).
Dextrose is another name for sugar made from corn chemically identical to glucose, or blood sugar. Medically speaking, dextrose is used to increase a person's blood sugar and should be avoided if you have any of the following:
If you have hyperglycemia or high blood sugar
If you have hypokalemia or low potassium levels in the blood
If you have peripheral edema or swelling in the arms, feet, or legs
If you have pulmonary edema, when fluids build up in the lungs (7)
Thankfully, you can safely make Hot Honey Cauliflower Bites at home and even freeze them while knowing precisely what's going into them. So without further ado, I present to you my recipe, and since I am allergic to soy and have adapted to a plant-based lifestyle (no meat or dairy), this recipe is vegan-friendly, plant-based, soy-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
Hot Honey Cauliflower Bites
Ingredients:
Pasta Salad Dressing:
1/4 cup of honey or agave
1 tsp. of hot sauce
Seasoned Flour Mixture:
1 tbsp. grilling chicken seasoning
1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/2 tbsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tbsp. garlic powder
1/2 tbsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. pink salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
Hot Honey Cauliflower Bites:
1 bag of frozen cauliflower (defrosted)
Hot honey sauce
Oil of choice (for frying)
Directions:
Breading & Frying:
Gather your flour mixture ingredients, preferably organic: gluten-free all-purpose flour, grilling chicken seasoning, smoked paprika, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, pink salt, and black pepper.
Combine all ingredients in a large glass bowl and combine the mixture well for even distribution of the seasoning.
When you're ready to bread and cook your cauliflower, start by heating your frying oil before breading your cauliflower.
While the oil is heating up, bread your defrosted cauliflower by tossing the cauliflower pieces in the flour mixture, ensuring it is coated entirely.
After breading all your cauliflower, the oil should be ready for frying—fry the breaded cauliflower for roughly 10 minutes per side, ensuring a beautiful golden-brown color.
Frying & Tossing:
As your cauliflower is frying, you can prepare the hot honey sauce. Gather your hot honey sauce ingredients, preferably organic: honey or agave and hot sauce.
Combine your hot honey sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and heat on medium heat for 2-5 minutes until it forms a watery, sauce-like texture.
When the sauce is done, and the cauliflower is fried, toss the cauliflower in the hot honey sauce, ensuring an even sauce distribution.
Serve with a side of Zesty-Creamy Ranch Dressing to beautifully compliment the flavorful cauliflower bites.
What's your favorite way to enjoy cauliflower bites?
