Let’s taco bout my obsession with cauliflower and how fun it is to make delicious and unique meals out of it. This buffalo vegan taco bowl is inspired by my cauliflower tacos (which I eat on the regular). But this cauliflower taco bowl is deconstructed with a new twist on the creamy cashew sauce and loaded with extra veg to shove into your mouth.
Is this vegan taco bowl Picky Husband Approved?
Now The Picky Husband really isn’t a huge fan of cauliflower and it greatly upsets me. He’s actually a good sport but one week recently we literally had cauliflower for dinner 4 nights in a row. I was more than thrilled about it but Adam had reached his limit (fair enough). He enjoys most vegan cauliflower recipes but just needs them spaced out.
He did give this vegan taco bowl two thumbs up and he isn’t usually a big fan of a bunch of ingredients all tossed together in one bowl. On his first bite, he got a piece of avocado and cauliflower together. Adam saw the orange colour and felt the texture of the avocado. He stared at me and asked with a mouthful, “are there yams in this?!” (he hates yams). But as soon as I could reassure him he was eating cauliflower and avocado he began to enjoy the food. He loved the flavours and suggested the addition of tortilla chips. With or without the tortilla chips, this is a healthy taco bowl full of flavour and loaded with such good nutrients.
Want more vegan cauliflower recipes? Give these vegan lettuce wraps a try or go crazy for some baked cauliflower wings.
Here are a few reasons why I love this vegan cauliflower recipe, so listen up!
- This meal takes less than an hour to throw together. What a bonus for those weeknight dinners. Any meal that takes under an hour to prepare and cook is a winner in my books. This healthy taco bowl doesn’t skimp on taste, texture or heartiness for being such an easy dinner.
- You can easily adjust this vegan taco bowl to feed 2, 4, 6 or even a bigger group! Just chop extra veg and double or quadruple the cauliflower and sauce!
- This bowl is spicy but not fire breathing spicy. If you like a little kick to your meals than this is perfect for you. The cauliflower adds some smokey flavour and heat without going overboard.
- I love a big bowl full of tasty ingredients. Each bite tastes a little different, and a little better than the last. It’s like having multiple vegan cauliflower recipes all in one bowl. You never know what will be on your fork for the next bite. Feel free to add some guacamole or salsa (this is my fav) to jazz this baby up even more!
You might have to use a fork for this kind of Taco Tuesday. This deconstructive healthy taco bowl is packed with veggies, spice and a creamy sauce. Add some zest and heat to your weeknight dinners as you dig into this vegan taco bowl.
buffalo cauliflower taco bowl
Ingredients
Cauliflower
- 1 head cauliflower
- 2 tsp avocado oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup Franks Hot Sauce
Other Ingredients for the Salad
- rice for two (I used 1/2 cup of dried rice)
- 1 can black beans
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- handful cherry tomatoes
- head romaine lettuce
- green onion
- avocado
Creamy Cashew Drizzle
- 1/2 cup raw cashews (soaked beforehand)
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 tbsp lime juice (roughly 2 limes)
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 6 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
optional
- handful of tortilla chips on top
Instructions
- Soak 1/2 cup of cashews in a bowl of water overnight or soak for 30 minutes in a bowl of boiled water. Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut your cauliflower into small florets, toss in the oil, pepper and salt. Place on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
- While the cauliflower is baking, begin to cook your rice. Follow your package instructions, but I used 1/2 cup of rice and it was great for 2 people.
- Chop your romaine, cherry tomatoes, avocado and green onions and set aside.
- Rinse and drain your black beans. Place in a pan on the stovetop (I used my cast iron pan- if you are using a stainless steel pan you may want to oil the pan lightly first before adding the beans). Add 1/4 tsp of chili powder and cumin to the beans and lightly toss. I like heating my beans just to remove some of the excess liquid but you could just eat them raw and skip this step. Stir the beans over medium heat for roughly 5 minutes until they look a little drier. Set aside.
- At this point, your cauliflower should be done. Remove from the oven and toss the cauliflower in a bowl with the 1/4 cup of Franks Hot Sauce. Place back in the oven for 10 more minutes.
- Prepare the dressing. Add the soaked cashews, water, lime juice, garlic, nutritional yeast, and spices to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
- Once the cauliflower and rice are done, begin assembling your bowls!
- Evenly distribute the vegetables, black beans, rice and cauliflower florets among 2 bowls. Option to top with tortilla chips (but not necessary). Add the cashew dressing overtop. Enjoy!
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I actually think I could make this! I’ll let you know how it turns out…
haha good luck!!!