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Cauliflower wings are a great vegan/veggie alternative to chicken wings. They have a crispy coating with herbs and spices and are endlessly moreish. The roasted cauliflower gets a dense, soft and, dare I say, ‘meaty’ texture.

Hoarding tinned tomatoes

Are your cupboards stocked heavily enough to survive a zombie apocalypse for six months? Do you have a dozen tins of chopped tomatoes nestled next to countless half-bags of dried pasta? I’m ashamed to say that my cupboards are unnecessarily heaving.

There’s the food waste that we see daily: the flaccid carrots that hit the compost bin, the furry yogurt lost at the back of the fridge, the stale bread in the bread bin… But what about the food in the cupboards? It’s not just fresh produce where we can reduce food waste.

So, I’ve done a pantry spring clean and I'm making a commitment to stop buying non-perishables and run my cupboards down until they’re bare. Will you join me?

Using up the pantry

Let’s be creative with those forgotten bags of pulses; let’s challenge ourselves to get through every tin in the cupboard before buying more. We can pull out those dry goods and use them up before they go past their use by dates. This might require a bit of kitchen creativity by the end, but that’s part of the fun.

Soups and stews are a great way to use up random cupboard lurkers, or you could make hot grain salads. A helpful way to use food up is to plan meals ahead of time, based around a few mystery ingredients from the pantry.

Uses for cauliflower greens

When you buy a cauliflower to make these cauliflower wings, you'll find it wrapped in beautiful greens. Some supermarkets cut a bit of it off, but usually there's some left intact. Ideally, you'll use organic cauliflowers if you're going to eat the greens - but I always figure that if you eat the parts normally thrown away, then organic produce isn't more expensive than standard.

So, don’t bin those cauliflower greens; they’re nutritious and tasty. Here are some ways you can use them up:

Chop them up and sautee them with garlic, onions, a tin of tomatoes, a tin of chickpeas and some herbs – a great way to use up those pantry items.

Cook cauliflower greens into your favourite curry (like my cauliflower leaf and sweet potato curry).

Roughly cut the greens up and use them in a stew, or whiz them into a soup.

Cauliflower Wings with Herb and Garlic Dip

Use up those old jars of dried spices in a quick side dish like these cauliflower ‘wings’. If you don’t have the ones that I’ve suggested, then dig to the back of your cupboard and see which long-forgotten herbs and spices you can add to the mixture instead. While you’re there, rotate the oldest spices to the front so they can be used up.

These veggie alternatives to chicken wings have a crispy coating with herbs and spices and are endlessly moreish.

The roasted cauliflower gets a dense, soft and, dare I say, ‘meaty’ texture. The shape is perfect for dipping into the cool, creamy and herby dip. You can make them ahead of time, then pop them back into a hot oven for a few minutes to warm them through and get them crispy again.

Get the recipe

If you make this, or any other recipe from my site, please tag it with #veggiedesserts on Instagram or other social media. I LOVE seeing your recreations of my recipes.

Also, pop down to the comment and let me know how you got on with the recipe. It’s always great to hear from my readers. Your support allows me write this UK food blog and bring you vegetable cake recipes as well as vegan desserts, plus savoury vegetarian and vegan recipes and breakfasts and drinks.

My cookbook, Veggie Desserts and Cakes , is now available on Amazon (UK, Canada, USA, Australia and more)

Vegan Baked Cauliflower Wings with Herb Garlic Dip Cauliflower wings are a great vegan/veggie alternative to chicken wings. They have a crispy coating with herbs and spices and are super tasty. The roasted cauliflower gets a dense, soft and, dare I say, ‘meaty’ texture. Quick, easy and tasty! 4.84 from 6 votes Print Pin Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Total Time: 35 minutes Servings: 4 244 kcal Author: Kate Hackworthy | Veggie Desserts Ingredients 1 head of cauliflower

120 ml non-dairy milk

120 ml water

150 g plain flour (all purpose)

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried basil

½ tsp paprika

Salt and pepper For the garlic and herb dip 100 g vegan soft cream cheese

75 g dairy-free yogurt

clove of garlic minced

1 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped

1 tsp fresh thyme chopped

large squeeze of lemon juice

¼ tsp pepper

pinch of sea salt Instructions Preheat the oven to 220C/425F and line 2 x baking trays with baking parchment.

Cut the cauliflower into florets and set aside.

Mix all remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Dip each floret into the mix and coat well. Shake off the excess and place onto a baking tray. Repeat, taking care not to overcrowd the cauliflower on the baking tray and don’t pour any excess batter over the ‘wings’.

Bake for 15 minutes, then turn each floret and bake for a further 5-10 minutes or until crispy and golden.

Meanwhile, make the herb dip, by mixing all ingredients together until smooth. Nutrition Information Calories: 244 kcal Carbohydrates: 36 g Protein: 7 g Fat: 8 g Saturated Fat: 2 g Sodium: 128 mg Potassium: 152 mg Fiber: 3 g Sugar: 2 g Vitamin A: 285 IU Vitamin C: 16.9 mg Calcium: 99 mg Iron: 3 mg Tried this recipe? Mention @kateveggiedesserts or tag #veggiedesserts The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.

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