BBQ Cauliflower Bites

These are one of those recipes to have on hand when your family is hanging out on Sunday and half of them are watching football while the other half is playing with the kiddos and talking about the last Stranger Things episode (#guiltypleasure). Regardless of football season or not, we can all appreciate a nice plate full of snacks while you relax, catch up, and nibble. This is one of those vegetable-rich dishes you can feel good about snacking on — i.e. happy belly with all that fiber. This recipe really is so simple to make and it’s a great one to have ingredients stocked in your kitchen for, from BBQ sauce to ranch dressing, or make your own all from scratch!

The love of cauliflower runs deep on the NS Blog, partially because it’s one of my favorite vegetables to cook with because it’s so versatile and because the health benefits of cauliflower are notable! Cauliflower has compounds involved in cancer protection that also help with decreasing inflammation, cardiovascular benefits, digestive health (sulforaphane found in cauliflower helps protect the digestive lining and prevents bacterial overgrowth such as H. pylori.), and detoxification support (phase I and phase II). Although cauliflower hasn’t been individually studied, diets containing cauliflower and other members cruciferous vegetable family have been studied most in relation to cancer protection. As with most fruits and vegetables, broccoli contains great amounts of fiber which help our digestive system moving, keeps us fuller for a longer period of time, and releases a steady flow of energy into our bodies.

A couple time-saving tips when making these: of course you can make everything homemade here, from the BBQ sauce to the ranch dressing as a dip for fresh veggies or the BBQ bites themselves –– I will say it’s really nice to have a lineup of store-bought NS approved items stocked so you can make these on the fly and still feel really good about it.

These are meant to be a snack food to share so intentionally there aren’t Optimizer Options here to boost the protein, etc., but I hope this recipe gives you a delicious, healthy, and fun alternative to typical “football” food and snacks this time of year. I also recommend making the full recipe so you have leftovers for the week ahead to use in different ways such as topping a salad or cooked greens with the BBQ Cauliflower alongside a protein of your choice, adding them to a stir-fry, or warming them up with a side of eggs for breakfast. It’s unlikely you’ll have leftovers especially if you’re sharing them with friends and family, but if you do just store them in airtight glass containers per usual or a mason jar with a tight lid!

If you try this recipe, I wanna hear about it, so let’s chat! Leave a comment it, rate it (this helps me improve future recipes), and don’t forget to tag a picture #nutritionstripped to show how you live and try these recipes on Instagram!

NS RECIPES WITH CAULIFLOWER

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Simply Cauliflower Rice

Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

Cauliflower Steaks with Mint Chutney

Curry Cashew Cauliflower Soup