Buffalo Cauliflower Salad

One of my favorite recipes to meal-prep for lunches at work. Spicy, crunchy, and healthy (aside from the creamy treat of low-protein Ranch). It’s an easy tackle for a lot of flavor and is something even my coworkers envy from time-to-time.

Phe Count:

160 mg phe / serving
Yield: 3 servings

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower, cut into bit-sized pieces (3-4 cups total)
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
¼ tsp kosher salt

1 C Frank’s RedHot Sauce (or any buffalo sauce of choice)
3 tablespoons butter, melted *optional
2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp lemon juice

3.75 C romaine lettuce
¾ C red onion, thinly sliced
¾ C celery, chopped
2 Tbsp dairy-free ranch dressing (recipe below)

Low Protein Ranch Dressing:
Hidden Valley Ranch – salad dressing & seasoning mix
1 Cup almond milk
½ Cup Mayonnaise (cut in half from recipe on packet)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss cauliflower with olive oil and salt. Spread on a baking sheet and roast until it begins to soften. (about 10 minutes)
Meanwhile, in the same bowl, combine hot sauce, butter, garlic power and lemon juice. Add partially-roasted cauliflower and toss to coat. Return to baking sheet, and resume roasting for about 5 minutes.
To serve, prepare salad with 1¼ cup romaine lettuce and ¼ cup red onion and celery. (for the onion, I recommend using a mandolin for extra thin slices). Top with 1 C of roasted cauliflower, and drizzle lightly with ranch dressing and excess buffalo sauce.

To make dressing:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Chill overnight for best results, as dressing will thicken slightly.

FUN TIP**
If your protein allowance is high enough, try substituting the cauliflower with Trader Joe’s “Kung Pao Tempura Cauliflower” and ditching the sauce for Frank’s RedHot instead. It doesn’t reheat well (gets kinda soggy) but the crunch makes it a great treat if you’re making it for dinner. (much closer the common chicken versions of this salad)