Are you looking for a decadent, out-of-this-world delicious treat to take to potlucks, Super Bowl parties and casual get-togethers? This dish will have your party guests crowded around the table until nothing is left. While the Chickapea Vegan Mac adds protein and helps fill you up, this recipe is a treat and is best suited to informal gatherings not as a meal. It is gluten-free, nut-free and vegan.

Buffalo Cauliflower Vegan Mac Dip

• Prep Time:  20 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Total Time:  1 hour 20 minutes
• Course: Appetizer
• Cuisine: American
• Servings: 8 people

Ingredients:

• 1 package of Chickapea Vegan Mac
• ¾ cup oat milk
• 2 Tbsp vegan butter
• 1 Large head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 3 Tbsp avocado oil
• 1 Tbsp oat milk
• ½ cup 1-1 gluten-free flour blend
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs, crushed
• ¾ cup buffalo sauce
• ¾ cup Frank’s RedHot sauce, original
• 1/3 cup vegan butter spread
• ½ cup vegan cream cheese

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 420°F.
2. Wash and dry cauliflower florets.
3. Place florets in a large bowl.
4. Toss florets in 3 Tbsp avocado oil and 1 Tbsp of oat milk.
5. In a separate bowl, mix gluten-free flour blend, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, and crushed gluten-free bread crumbs together.
6. Dip each floret into the flour mixture and place on a parchment-lined baking tray.
7. Continue until all cauliflower florets have been coated.
8. Bake florets in the oven for 30 minutes.
9. While the cauliflower is baking, prepare Chickapea Vegan Mac (heat 8 cups of water in a large pot over high heat until boiling. Add pasta, decrease heat to maintain a gentle boil. Stir and cook pasta for 5 minutes).
10. Drain and rinse the pasta with warm water and add it back to the pot.
11. Mix the contents of the vegan mac seasoning package, vegan butter, and plant-based oat milk, into the pasta until combined. Set aside.
12. In a sauce pan melt vegan butter over a low temperature.
13. Mix Franks RedHot original sauce and the buffalo sauce of your choice into the vegan butter.
14. Stir until well combined.
15. Remove the cooked cauliflower from the oven.
16. One at a time, dip the cooked cauliflower florets into the vegan butter mixture, coat well and return to the baking tray. Reserve unused butter sauce.
17. Return the cauliflower to the oven for another 15 minutes.
18. Press Chickapea Vegan Mac into the base of an oven-safe dish and flatten with the back of a spoon until level.
19. Pour the unused butter sauce evenly over the Chickapea Vegan Mac and allow it to absorb into the pasta.
20. Using a small spoon, add dollops of the vegan cream cheese as evenly as possible over top the Vegan Mac dish.
21. Remove the cauliflower from the oven and allow to cool slightly until warm.
22. Using a fork and knife, pull the cauliflower apart into small chewable pieces.
23. Top the vegan mac and cream cheese layers with a generous amount of the cooked cauliflower, covering the bottom layers completely.
24. Return the entire dish to the oven and bake until the vegan cream cheese melts, roughly 2-3 minutes.
25. Serve immediately with tortilla chips and enjoy!

Recipe Notes:

• This recipe can be served warm or at room temperature, not cold.
• Tofutti cream cheese was used in the recipe.
• Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 gluten-free flour blend was the flour of choice in this dish.
• Often gluten-free bread crumbs are quite large. If this is the case, crush or pulse the bread crumbs in a small food processor until they are a finer grainy texture.
• This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled for larger groups.