Crunchy Chive Cauliflower Bites

making cauliflower bites

NOURISHED & BOTANY FACTS

Ok, there’s no fooling you. Cauliflower will never taste like chicken wings. Nor should it.

Cauliflower is a part of the Brassicaceae family, like it’s cousins broccoli, cabbage, kale and mustard. In Botany, we also call this family of plants the cruciferous clan, because of their name, Cruciferae. And the name comes from the cross-shaped flowers with four symmetrically placed petals, sepals and alternate leaves.

Known for having an acrid taste profile, Brassicaceae is an important economic crop around the world. What I love about this family of plants goes beyond the diversity and flexibility in the kitchen. Studies have shown that a high intake of cruciferous veggies has been associated with a lower risk of lung and colorectal cancer. (1) But chop, chew and create the chemistry in your mouth, activating glucosinate products.

Other studies have demonstrated that eating an abundance of cruciferous veggies can alter the gut microbiome’s diversity (2) which may have epigenetic effects, perhaps explaining the link between eating these foods and lowering the risk for certain cancers.

One thing is certain, diet is not the only tool in the toolkit when it comes to health. Taking care of your mind, spirit, body, breath through lifestyle is core to your health. Build your team of health care pros and YOU are your own health advocate.

Ingredients & Directions

Estimated time: 30 minutes

Effort/Skill: Medium

Ingredients

✏️ 1 head cauliflower broken into bite-sized pieces

✏️ 1/2 cup oat flour

✏️ 1/4 cup corn flour

✏️ 1 tbsp chia seeds

✏️ 1 tsp each of onion powder, garlic powder, dill

✏️ 1 tbsp chives

✏️ 3 tbsp nutritional yeast

✏️ Juice from 1/2 lemon or 1 tbsp ACV

✏️ 1/4 cup plain vegan yogurt - oat, coconut, or soy

✏️ 1/4-1/2 cup oat milk

✏️ Salt & pepper to taste

Dressing

✏️ 1/4 cup plain vegan yogurt

✏️ 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

✏️ 2 sprigs green onions diced

✏️ 1 tbsp maple syrup

✏️ 2 drops (super duper) hot sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Mix batter ingredients and coat cauliflower pieces.

3. Bake at 400F for 35-40 min

4. Mix dressing ingredients

5. Serve with dressing

Sources:

(1) Higdon, J. V., Delage, B., Williams, D. E., & Dashwood, R. H. (2007). Cruciferous vegetables and human cancer risk: epidemiologic evidence and mechanistic basis. Pharmacological Research: The Official Journal of the Italian Pharmacological Society, 55(3), 224–236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2007.01.009

(2) Kaczmarek, J. L., Liu, X., Charron, C. S., Novotny, J. A., Jeffery, E. H., Seifried, H. E., Ross, S. A., Miller, M. J., Swanson, K. S., & Holscher, H. D. (2019). Broccoli consumption affects the human gastrointestinal microbiota. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 63, 27–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnutbio.2018.09.015