March 20, 2026
Friday happy hour @vanaprastha. Salmon croquettes and roasted cauliflower. Stories and recipes on Substack tomorrow.
An old tried-and-true, salmon croquettes, and something new: Buffalo Cauliflower Bites, a promising recipe that didn’t pan out. Why? Too much seasoning, the floret “bites” cut too small, and the hot sauce overwhelming, even for Keith.
My track record for new recipes is pretty good, about 90%, but there’s always that 10% potential for ‘meh’ or dogfood. In this case, not even dogfood but trash. I’ve included the recipe below as fair warning.
And yet, we both like cauliflower, and roasting is a good cooking method. So next time, instead of an appetizer, I’ll adjust the recipe to make a side-dish. Large florets tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper then roasted for about 15 minutes. Voila.
Buffalo Cauliflower Bites (adapted from a newspaper recipe)
Ingredients:
1 medium head of cauliflower (~2 pounds), cut into large florets (~8 cups)
4 Tbs. olive oil, divided
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/3 cup hot sauce
Directions:
Move oven rack to the lowest position and heat to 475 degrees. Place cauliflower florets in a large bowl; drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil, toss; sprinkle in garlic powder, kosher salt, and pepper and toss again until evenly seasoned. Arrange cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer. Roast until golden brown and beginning to crisp, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk together hot sauce and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small bowl.
Remove cauliflower form oven, pour hot sauce mixture over the cauliflower, and use a spatula to toss until evening coated. Return baking sheet to oven and roast until crispy, about 5 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
I’m cooking vegan black bean chili again today—I promise to share that yummy recipe soon—and ginger sparkle cookies—the GF version here. We’re hosting our neighbor’s annual meeting this afternoon. Got to cook, shower Mac, and finish cleaning the house.
Happy first full day of spring. See you next week! -C.D.
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