Cauliflower Popcorn Two Ways: Tomato Basil and Simple Spicy

(by Mario Fabbri, TV Host, Trying Vegan with Mario)

Cauliflower is a hearty vegetable with loads of health benefits. One of the best ways to enjoy cauliflower is by coating it in a sauce and dehydrating it. When you dehydrate cauliflower it gives it a crispy bite on the outside with a meaty texture on the inside. This is an addicting snack that’s also guilt free because one cup of cauliflower is just 25 calories.

This recipe is less about what sauce you make and more about the simple idea of coating cauliflower in any sauce and dehydrating it for a surprisingly delicious snack. First you will want to cut your cauliflower into small bite sized pieces, about the size of a quarter.

Tomato Basil and Simple Spicy Flavors

Next you want to pick a sauce. This concept is so easy that you can use almost any pre existing sauce if you don’t want to make your own. You can drizzle on a little soy sauce or teriyaki, and you’ll have something delicious.

Today we’re going to take it to the next level with some special flavors. First we have a tomato basil flavor that is thickened with flour which gives it a more hearty texture. The second recipe is for a simply spicy flavor. Take your favorite hot sauce, add a few more enhancing ingredients and you have a delicious spicy snack made from cauliflower.

Flavor #1: Tomato Basil

Ingredients:
1 cauliflower head
1 handful of basil
10 sundried tomatoes
1 tbsp flour (any flour of choice)
lime juice from ½ a lime
1 tsp garlic
⅓ c water
pinch of salt

Directions:
1) Chop the cauliflower to small bite sized pieces about the size of a quarter.
2) Blend together the rest of the ingredients. Add more water if it won’t blend.
3) Coat the cauliflower pieces in the blended mixture.
4) Line the cauliflower pieces on your dehydrator sheet.
5) Dehydrate for 8-10 hours at 130°F.

Blended and Mixed

Inserting into the dehydrator.

Flavor #2: Spicy

Ingredients:
1 cauliflower head
4 tbsp hot sauce
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp garlic powder

Directions:
1) Chop the cauliflower to small bite sized pieces about the size of a quarter.
2) Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl.
3) Coat the cauliflower pieces in the hot sauce mixture.
4) Line the cauliflower pieces on your dehydrator sheet.
5) Dehydrate for 8-10 hours at 130°F.

Finished (Tomato Basil)

Finished (Spicy)