Spicy Vegan Cauliflower Wings With Pesto Dipping Sauce

Trilogy Sanctuary

Spicy Vegan Cauliflower Wings With Pesto Dipping Sauce

A cooling pesto-cashew dip provides creamy, herbal complexity with these jalapeño-spiced pan-fried cauliflower wings. 

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Serves: 2
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We’ve all had buffalo cauliflower wings by this point, but this recipe from the Healthy Living Through a Plant-Based Diet: A Trilogy Sanctuary Cookbook swaps the buffalo sauce for an aromatic, homemade seasoning blend that still packs in the heat, but with earthier, peppery notes. 

What you need:

For the seasoning: 
⅓ cup grapeseed oil
½ jalapeño
¼ medium yellow onion 
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin 
1 tomato

For the cauliflower:
1 medium cauliflower, chopped into florets and steamed
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

For the dip:
¼ cup vegan pesto 
¼ cup cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons lemon juice

For serving: 
2 carrots, peeled and cut into sticks
3 celery stalks, cut into sticks

What you do:

  1. For the seasoning, into a blender, add all ingredients. Blend on high speed until combined. 
  2. Into a large bowl, add cauliflower and pour mixture over and mix well. Let marinade 5 minutes. 
  3. For the cauliflower, in a large frying pan over high heat, warm oil. Once hot, add cauliflower in batches and cook 6 to 8 minutes, turning occasionally until browned and crispy on edges. Repeat with remaining cauliflower. 
  4. For the dip, in a high-speed blender, add all ingredients and blend until completely smooth.
  5. To serve, on a plate, arrange carrot and celery sticks with cauliflower wings and dip, and enjoy.
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