These cheezy cauliflower bites make the perfect snack or side for any meal. In just a few minutes, you can turn a regular cauliflower into something spectacular. Great for dipping with any side sauce or even better as an accompaniment to a salad or power bowl.

Sometimes I like to use spray oil as opposed to bottled oil as it coats everything that much more effectively. Also, tossing everything with a bit of your favorite hot sauce prior to roasting is quite nice.

Air frying is also another great option for these bites. I would just make sure to add the cheezy topping after the cauliflower is fully roasted as any excess topping may just end up at the bottom of your air fryer.

Ingredients:

1 ½ tbsp olive oil or spray oil

1 small head of cauliflower, broken up into bite-sized florets (about 6-8 cups)

1 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

3/4 tsp -1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp chili powder blend

pinch of black pepper

Parmesan

½ cup walnuts or almonds

3 tbsp nutritional yeast

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Core the cauliflower with a knife. Using your fingers, gently break the cauliflower into medium bite-sized pieces. You don’t want small crumbly pieces. Place the cauliflower into a large bowl. Drizzle or spray the oil over all of the cauliflower. Gently toss to fully coat it in the oil. Set aside

In a small bowl, combine the turmeric, paprika, onion and garlic powders, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the oiled cauliflower. Gently massage all of the spices into the florets. This part is very important as it is the one chance you have to fully inject flavor into the cauliflower. Make sure you take a minute or two to fully coat the cauliflower in the golden spice mix.

Pour cauliflower onto prepared baking sheet and spread all the pieces out so they are not touching. This will allow the everything to crisp up nicely. If you were to pile the cauliflower on top of itself it would just result in partially, seasoned cauliflower.

Roast in preheated oven for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.

While cauliflower is roasting make the parmesan. In a blender, food processor, coffee or spice grinder, pulse the walnuts and nutritional yeast. I used my bullet blender to grind up this mixture. I pulsed the machine for 30-40 seconds until everything was fully ground together. It should be a coarse powder.

After the cauliflower has roasted for 30 minutes sprinkle parmesan over top. Quickly toss everything together and return the pan to the oven for 3-5 minutes. This will gently toast the nutritional yeast and walnuts, giving everything a nutty flavor.

Remove from oven. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Sometimes it needs a touch more salt. Serve right away while still warm. This can also be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.