Buffalo Cauliflower Quinoa Mac Skillet

There are times when I think that my obsession with hot sauce/buffalo sauce is excessive... but I don't really care. I looooove all things buffalo/spicy. Some of my favorite dishes are the Buffalo Cauliflower Quinoa Meatballs (you can find this in past posts on my blog), healthy buffalo chicken tenders, etc. I saw this recipe when I was looking at an article sent to me by a friend; 10 recipes you MUST make using cauliflower. I use cauliflower a lot, and those Buffalo Cauliflower Quinoa meatballs were literally life-changing so I definitely checked out the article. 

I came across this Buffalo Cauliflower Quinoa Mac skillet when flipping through the recipes. This was a recipe I prepped on a Sunday afternoon during meal prep. You first make the sauce from steamed cauliflower and carrots, nutritional yeast, buffalo sauce, hemp hearts, miso paste, and lemon juice. Once the sauce is blended, and it comes out relatively thick and creamy, it's just a matter of folding the quinoa into the sauce. I found that the recipe made a ton of sauce, so I kept some aside and froze it so I can get creative with it later. It's originally a vegan recipe, and I pretty much followed that part with the exception of a teeny bit of cheese at the end. I must say, I wasn't over the moon about the texture or look of it after I made it - until I came up with the idea to throw it in a skillet, bake and then broil it up to get a crispy outer crust, and add MORE hot sauce. It was HEAVENLY. It honestly made me feel like I was digging into a sizzling skillet of traditional macaroni and cheese, without any of the guilt. Nothing wrong with a good bowl of hearty mac and cheese every now and then, but it was a great option for a healthy spin on the dish. I really enjoyed the basis of this recipe but I did a few things to change it up which are included in the ingredients/directions below. I made the quinoa on Saturday, made the rest of the dish Sunday afternoon, and then reheated it in the skillet right before eating. 

gluten free // vegan // vegetarian // dairy free

ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa

3 cups cauliflower florets (or one large head of cauliflower)

1 cup chopped carrots

1/3 cup nutritional yeast

1/3 cup buffalo sauce (choose a vegan one if making this way)

2 tbsp water

1 tbsp hemp hearts

1 tsp white miso paste or gf Tamari - aka Soy Sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

juice of 1 lemon

sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions: cook quinoa according to directions on the package. For added flavor, use chicken broth or vegetable broth (for vegan version) to cook. Once the water is absorbed, set aside. You can do this step in advance to save time. Preheat oven to 350. In the meantime, steam cauliflower florets and carrots for approximately 25 minutes. Once fork tender, scoop out some of the cauliflower florets (about 1 cup), and add them to the quinoa. Transfer the rest of the florets and carrots to a food processor an add all remaining ingredients, blending until smooth. Slowly pour the sauce into the quinoa and cauliflower mixture until you get the consistency you prefer. You can freeze or refrigerate whatever is left for another meal. In a greased cast iron skillet, spread the now mixed quinoa out. Place in the oven for about 30 minutes. After 30 min, remove from the oven and top with additional buffalo sauce and nutritional yeast, and a few crumbles of feta (or cheese of choice, optional: leave out for vegan version). Place back in the oven and broil on high for appx. 5 minutes, or until the top layer becomes golden and bubbly. Make sure you keep an eye on it; it can burn quickly!

Recipe adapted from SimplyQuinoa