Whew! Those Red, White, and Blueberry Bacon Burger with Basil Aioli burgers I made last week were sooo good!! Grilled burgers, melty cheese, crispy bacon… But they were also crazy rich, and now I’m in the mood for something lighter. And I’m always in the mood for tacos. These Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos with Avocado Crema sound like a spicy way to eat a bit healthier this week. This recipe has tons of fresh veggies, a healthy dose of hot sauce, and “good” fat from avocados. I can’t think of a reason not to make it!
This colorful, spicy, crispy, mega-yum recipe was inspired by the amazing buffalo “wings” at J. Selby’s in Saint Paul and this recipe from Sarah Sullivan. Thanks to both sources of inspiration!
The Ingredients
There aren’t too many ingredients in this buffalo cauliflower tacos recipe, and nothing was unusually expensive. It’s full of basics like fresh vegetables, sour cream, flour, and milk. I had to buy most everything but didn’t have any trouble finding most of the ingredients.
The only thing I couldn’t find was the Frank’s Hot Sauce. I did find another brand, and I mixed it with a couple I had in my pantry to get as close as possible to the taste of Frank’s. I used a blend of Cholula Chili Garlic, Crystal, and Tabasco hot sauces.
The Process
It seems like there’s a lot going on with this recipe, but it was actually pretty easy to make. Let’s go over each of the four parts: cauliflower, avocado crema, slaw, and assembly.
Making the Cauliflower
The cauliflower was the bulk of the work, but it wasn’t difficult. I started by cutting it into bite-sized florets. Then I used a pair of tongs to dip a few pieces at a time, shaking off the excess and placing them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. The batter was nice and thick, so it clung to the cauliflower, but that also made it tough to shake off. Some of my cauliflower baked into a batter puddle, but I just cut off the excess when I took it out of the oven.
While the cauliflower baked, I mixed up the hot sauce. I couldn’t find Frank’s brand hot sauce, so I blended three brands to try and get as close to the taste as possible (it worked pretty well). Then I placed the hot sauce blend into a medium mixing bowl and got to work on the avocado crema.
Making the Avocado Crema
This is where I had a bit of trouble, but that was because I can’t tell a ripe avocado from an unripe avocado. Mine were a lot harder than any avocado I’ve ever encountered before, so I’m guessing they weren’t ripe. But it was too late to turn back, so I forged ahead. The finished avocado crema tasted fine, but there were tiny bits of avocado in it that weren’t so aesthetically pleasing. No amount of blending in my mini-prep could make it totally creamy.
Finishing the Cauliflower and Making the Slaw
Right about when the avocado crema was done, the cauliflower was ready to be tossed in the hot sauce. That part was as straightforward as it sounds, and then it was back into the oven for 10 more minutes. That gave me plenty of time to shred a 1/4 of the cabbage with my mandoline and toss it in some of the crema.
Putting it All Together
All that was left was to assemble and taste my newly created buffalo cauliflower tacos. This, of course, was my favorite part. After 47 minutes of cooking, it’s nice to have a little reward. Read on for my final verdict on this recipe.
