Cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, bok choy, arugula, radish, collard greens, kale…according to health sources worldwide these are on the list as the cruciferous vegetables you’ll want to eat on a regular basis to receive fantastic health benefits, a minimum of 5 cups per week, about 1 cup per day would be best.  One cup per day!  I would consider myself lucky if my kids ate one or two cups per week, but who am I kidding?  Even I don’t get there myself, but not because I find them appalling, but rather because I like a lot more variety – and to be honest, more pizazz – in my diet.

But ever so often, I do prepare any kind of cruciferous vegetable and I try my best to make it as pleasant as possible for my kids, without killing the nutritious properties with tempura deep frying or ketchup!  There’s only so much you can do with cauliflower, however.  Lately, I’ve been reading on cauliflower pizza crusts & breadsticks and cauliflower burger patties, but I wanted to keep it simple today and decided to make some (relatively healthy) cauliflower ‘boneless’ wings.

Prep for Baking

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1 cup (125g) of breadcrumbs
• Salt & pepper

Heat oven to 450°F (230°C).  Line baking sheet with aluminium foil and set aside.  Toast three to four slices of bread, and let cool.  Grind the bread with salt & pepper to taste to make the breadcrumbs (I prefer fresh breadcrumbs to the sold kind – you take your pick!).  Spread out on a plate and set aside.

Despite their impenetrable-seeming appearance, cauliflowers are pretty easy to break down into bite-sized florets. Cut the head of the cauliflower in half, and then into quarters.  Run your knife between the florets and the central stem and the cauliflower will naturally fall apart into large florets.  Simply use your hand to ‘pick’ out the smaller bite-size florets and place in a bowl.  Be sure to rinse them before continuing with the recipe.

For the Batter

• 1/2 cup (120g) of all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (60g) of coconut milk
• 1/4 cup (60ml) of regular milk
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

Make the batter by mixing all the ingredients until even.  Add the cauliflower bite-size florets.  Give them a couple of gentle twirls (by hand is best!) until they are evenly coated. One by one, roll them in the breadcrumbs making sure to coat them entirely, and place on baking sheet.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Be sure to serve with any sort of dipping sauce, as the bites themselves are rather simple, but deliciously crunchy & light!  I made a simple peanut ginger sauce, whipped out the oh-so-good BBQ sauce I keep in the fridge, and resisted the urge to put the ketchup on the table – but had to in the end for my older daughter who stubbornly refused to try them at first; she did eat enough of them with ketchup by the end of the meal to ease my nagging.  It doesn’t always work out perfectly, but it’s good to try bringing new elements to the table!  You never know!