Healthy honey-garlic cauliflower bites

Fast, flavourful fat-free vegetable nuggets!

I have a new Gourmia air fryer and I’m slightly obsessed with cooking all the things in it. I was a little skeptical at first but after my first batch of sweet potato fries turned out really well, I was hooked. I’ll have more air fryer recipes coming your way soon but for now I’m delighted to start you off with this one, which you can prepare in a conventional oven as well. These cauliflower nuggets are irresistibly delicious, with their crunchy exterior and lick-your-fingers-clean sauce. You can easily coat the cauliflower nuggets and refrigerate them until you’re ready to cook, if you’re a make-ahead kind of person like I am. If you like this dish, I highly recommend you try my roasted cauliflower with spicy peanut sauce which you can also prepare in an air fryer or conventional oven.

Ingredients

Cauliflower:

1 small head cauliflower
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups (500 mL) Panko bread crumbs

Honey-garlic sauce:

1/3 cup (90 mL) honey
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup (90 mL) water, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons (22.5 mL) soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) Sriracha (or more, to taste)
2 teaspoons (10 mL) cornstarch

To garnish: sesame seeds and finely chopped green onions or chives

Directions

Preheat air fryer or regular oven to 400F.
Cut cauliflower into bite-sizes pieces (about 1 inch/2.5 cm).
Put beaten egg in one bowl and Panko in a second bowl.
Dip cauliflower pieces in egg then roll in Panko until evenly coated; place on a baking sheet until they are all coated.
If cooking in an air fryer, carefully transfer half of the coated cauliflower pieces to the air fryer’s basket, placing them in one layer with a little bit of space between each one. Re-insert the basket into the machine. Set the timer for 15 minutes.
Check after 15 minutes to see if cauliflower bites are golden brown on the outside. Cook for up to 5 minutes more if needed. Repeat with remaining pieces.
If cooking in a conventional oven, place all the coated cauliflower pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 – 25 minutes at 400F.

While cauliflower cooks, prepare sauce by putting honey, garlic, 1/4 cup (60 mL) of the water, soy sauce and sriracha into a small pot. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After 5 minutes, put remaining 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of water and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir to blend, then add to sauce in pot. Increase heat and stir as mixture comes to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes, until thickened, then remove from heat.
Shake cooked cauliflower out of the airfryer basket onto a clean baking sheet and keep warm in the oven until the second batch is cooked, following the above process.
Transfer all the cooked cauliflower onto a serving platter and drizzle the sauce over top. Add garnishes if desired and serve hot.

Serves 2 – 3 people as a main course or 6 – 8 as an appetizer.