Spicy Cauliflower Bites

With football season here now, we all want to snack a little during the games. However, the mindless snacking can add up to unwanted calories, especially when you reach for processed junk food that your body will have to work harder to detoxify. That doesn’t mean you have to give up flavor…or crunch with a healthier option! These Spicy Cauliflower Bites are full of flavor thanks to a few easy additions and especially the BOLD Blue Diamond Habanero BBQ Almonds used. Another healthy aspect are that these tasty treats are baked, not fried, and still have a great crunch that a lot of people crave for their snacks. This is also a healthy side option for a meal, instead of fried squash, zucchini or okra, (which you could also drench and bake with this same recipe.)

Let’s begin!

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1 cup Bold Blue Diamond Habanero BBQ almonds
• 1 cup plain or Panko breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Spicy Dipping Sauce

• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup Habanero Pepper Sauce (or your favorite spicy sauce; I used Smoked Habanero Pepper Monk Sauce that was a gift from family)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400℉ / 205℃ and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Wash, then cut cauliflower into bite-sized pieces, leaving a slight bit of stem attached.

Add almonds to a blender or food processor and pulse or blend on high until they are chopped fine, about the size of bread crumbs.

Transfer chopped almonds to a small or medium shallow bowl, then add the bread crumbs.

Mix bread crumbs and almonds together until well combined.Then, in a separate bowl, add eggs and seasoning and slightly whisk.

Grab your cauliflower florets and start dipping each piece into the egg mixture, then roll each piece (one-by-one) in the almond/bread crumb mixture until evenly coated and then place on prepared sheet pan at least 1 inch apart. When all pieces are coated, place in preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

While cauliflower is baking, you can put together the dipping sauce by simply mixing the habanero sauce and mayo together in a small bowl.I like to put sauce in individual dipping cups for guests, (to keep the cauliflower nice and crunchy)or you can drizzle sauce over baked cauliflower, if desired.