baked taco crunch cauliflower wings with salty avocado crema
Hopping onto your screen with a dope-ass weekend appetizer for your playoff viewing or general gathering happenings. Get hype.
I will never declare to any man, woman, or child that cauliflower wings taste like chicken wings. Anyone who says so is on some serious paint-huffing spree. What I will say, however, is a well-made cauli wing might make you rethink whether chicken is really necessary on all occasions. Sure, I’m not a meat eater, but I can appreciate the place meat has in many peoples’ diets and in social occasions. I also appreciate the ability to substitute it with a tasty plant-based alternative – which is exactly the aim of these caulis.
I’ve shared garlic pepper popcorn cauliflower and pb&j cauliflower wings, and this is the triplet. Spicy, crunchy, taco-seasoned tortilla chip coating served with a fresh and slightly salty avocado crema for a healthy-ish snack, salad topping, or taco filling.
Cauli-Powah
I’m aware of some copyright-infringement potential if I spelled the above otherwise, and I respect the law, so Cauli-Powah it is.
I buy cauliflower pre-cut, ensuring I choose bags with large florets. You can also purchase a whole head and chop florets out of it yourself. Try to get them fairly large, 1 – 1 1/2 inch. Small ones are okay too – I like munching those at random after they cook up.
I opted for yellow corn tortilla chips in my breading since they provide a nice color to the baked wings. Blue corn would be pretty odd but hey, go for it if its all you have. I’m sure it’d work fine, though it might make people think you’re Poseidon or some shit.
Grind up the tortilla chips in your food processor. You need a fine meal, so give yourself a minute or two to pulse them down. Then, pop in some spices – chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Whiz the crumbs once more to combine, then pour everything into a big bowl.
In a second big bowl, whisk a few eggs until frothy.
Drop the cauliflower into the eggs and toss the florets until coated. One or two at a time, roll in the crushed tortilla chips, shaking off excess into the bowl. Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving a bit of space between each floret.
Once all the cauliflower are done, drizzle or spray with olive oil. Bake for 20-22 minutes, turning the florets once halfway through cooking time.
Crema of the Crop
While the wings bake, whip up a simple but addictive avocado crema as your dip.
I entrusted the process to my, well, food processor, but you can easily do this by hand as well. Blitz avocado with Greek yogurt, lime juice, and salt until smooth. If you want to mash by hand, do so as meticulously as possible, but the result will likely be chunkier unless you’re a mashing wizard. If you are, props. I’d probably mash my pinky finger off or something.
When the timer dings and the cauliflower are crisped and golden and smell like tacos, serve them out with the crema, some extra limes, green onions, and hot sauce if you like a kick.
You know what else would be great with these wings? Three Cheese Pumpkin Beer Queso. You can certainly use a different beer if pumpkin is too uncool. The cilantro ranch from my Baked Southwest Avocado Egg Rolls is great too. Make up as many sauces as you please, honestly. The more the merrier.
I’m an advocate of merry.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
baked taco crunch cauliflower wings with salty avocado crema
Ingredients
- 3 cups cauliflower florets
- 3 eggs
- 3 cups tortilla chips
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground oregano
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salty avocado crema
- 1 avocado
- 1/4 cup whole milk Greek yogurt, plain
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment.
- In a food processor, crush the tortilla chips until very fine crumbs. The result should be about 1 1/2 cups of crushed chips. If needed, add more to create the necessary amount.
- Add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Process until combined. Pour the crushed chips into a bowl.
- In a second large bowl, whisk the eggs. Drop in the cauliflower florets and toss with the eggs until fully coated. Working one or two at a time, turn the cauliflower in the tortilla chip mixture to cover, shaking off excess. Set on the prepared baking sheet and repeat until all cauliflower florets are used up. Rinse off your hands if they become too crusty with chip dust. Yum.
- Drizzle the wings with olive oil. Bake 20-22 minutes, turning once halfway in cooking time, until crispy and golden all over.
- To make the crema, add the avocado, yogurt, lime juice, and salt to a food processor. Blitz until smooth. You can also do this by hand by mashing the avocado very well and mixing with the remaining ingredients.
- Serve the cauliflower with green onions, hot sauce, and crema.
