Hello! I’m Anjali. I’m a board certified health coach, author, wife, mom and food lover from the SF Bay area (now living in Seattle, WA!); with a passion for delicious food and a desire to make healthy eating easy, tasty and fun! Learn more about me here and stay for a while!
Baked BBQ cauliflower bites paired with tangy avocado slaw and cilantro lime quinoa for the perfect flavorful dinner for the whole family. Ready in 30 minutes!
Is it just me or is life just getting crazier? I guess that’s par for the course when you have multiple kids, run a business, and try to live life all at the same time. Since I try hard to live life to the fullest, one thing that’s on my simplify list is meals.
I am putting easy dinners more and more in the queue. If it’s not done in under an hour, then it doesn’t happen often these days. Which is why I came up with this quick and easy power bowl.
Baked BBQ Cauliflower Bites
There is nothing quite like a quick and easy dinner, that does not require a lot of thinking, but that does satisfy your hunger like a fancy meal. This recipe is just that, but oh so much more:
easily done in about 30 minutes
has loads of flavor without a lot of fuss
only 8 ingredients, including salt
everyone can build their own bowl
easy clean up
covers all the basics: protein, veggies, carbs, healthy fat
The great thing about this is that you can always customize it to fit what you like. If you prefer lettuce over cabbage, go for it. Maybe you want rice and no quinoa? You can even add other veggies to the mix!
Each part can easily be swapped to make this an easy dinner that adapts to your personal tastes.
Is homemade BBQ sauce better than store bought?
I like to make my own BBQ sauce because my sauce happens to taste amazing. And it literally only takes a few minutes to mix up. But there are other great reasons to make your own.
Store bought BBQ sauce tends to have added sugar. In my recipe, I use maple syrup and molasses to get that hint of sweet. A healthier option for sure.
The stuff you buy at the store also is filled with preservatives so it lasts longer. While it’s nice to have something you can use for a while, my sauce does freeze very well so you can easily store it for future use.
Another great thing about making your own homemade BBQ sauce is that you can adjust to ingredients to get the perfect flavor you love. BBQ sauce tends to be personal in preference of flavor, and it’s easy to add a little more tang or sweet when making it yourself.
How do you make this meal in 30 minutes?
They key to quick meals is ordering what you do so that you are maximizing your time. This is truly done in 30 minutes if you follow the directions and are prepared. Here are some tips so that all goes smoothly:
Start cooking the quinoa first.
As soon as you put the quinoa on the stove, get the cauliflower in the oven.
While both of those are cooking, make the slaw then clean up.
By the time you are done with that, all will just about be ready!
Can you prep BBQ cauliflower bites ahead of time?
This is a huge plus about this dinner, prepping ahead so it’s even easier. Here are my tips for setting yourself up for meal prep success:
Make the BBQ sauce the day before, you can even make it a few days before since it keeps great for about a week.
Cook your quinoa (or rice) and store in the fridge.
Cut the cauliflower into pieces. You could also toss with the BBQ sauce and allow it to marinate for a few days if you want.
Chop the cabbage if you aren’t buying prechopped.
On the day you want to make this, all you need to do is bake the cauliflower and toss the cabbage slaw! Boom. Easy.
Making BBQ Cauliflower Bites
This is one of those meals that you can keep going back to over and over. Here are the easy steps to get this on your table stat!
Cook the quinoa.2. Coat the cauliflower.3. Bake. 4. Make the slaw.5. Once everything is done, all you need to do is put it together!
Just a warning, this may cause major future cravings. We couldn’t get enough and had this weekly for a few months. Which is totally fine because it’s quick and easy!
Easy BBQ Cauliflower Bites Bowl with Tangy Avocado Slaw
A BBQ cauliflower bites bowl is a dinner I lean on when I want something fresh, filling, and full of flavor without spending all evening in the kitchen. I take cauliflower, vegan BBQ sauce, and avocado, and turn it into a colorful bowl with sticky roasted bites, creamy slaw, and zesty cilantro lime quinoa. Ready in just 30 minutes, it is quick enough for a busy weeknight but still satisfying enough to have everyone at my table licking their bowls.
If you’re making quinoa, mix the quinoa, water, 2 tablespoons of the chopped cilantro and salt in a small pot.
Place on stove top on high heat and bring to a boil (about 5-7 minutes).
Once boiling, cover, turn down the heat and cook an additional 12-15 minutes until the water is absorbed.
Once done remove from heat and let sit until you’re done with everything else. If using ready rice, follow the instructions in the notes.
Meanwhile, mix the chopped cauliflower with the BBQ sauce in a bowl.
Spread on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until brown and sticky. Bake less if you like your cauliflower al dente, and more if you like it more cooked.
While it is baking, mix all slaw ingredients together to make tangy avocado slaw.
Don’t forget to watch the quinoa as the cauliflower is baking as well.
When the cauliflower is done, fluff the quinoa with a fork, and add the other 2 tablespoons of cilantro and the lime juice. Mix well.
Separate everything into 4 bowls, drizzle with extra BBQ sauce if you prefer and devour!
Notes
My #1 Secret Tip for this BBQ cauliflower bites recipe is to roast the cauliflower until the sauce becomes sticky and concentrated instead of pulling it out the second the florets are tender. That extra bit of time in the oven lets the barbecue sauce cling to the cauliflower and caramelize around the edges, which is what makes the bites taste so good in the bowl.
Cut even florets: I try to keep the cauliflower pieces close in size so they roast at the same pace. Tiny pieces can burn before the larger florets are ready, which leaves me with a mix of too soft and too dark.
Do not drown it: The cauliflower should be coated in barbecue sauce, not swimming in it. Too much sauce can leave the bites soggy instead of sticky and roasted.
Mash the avocado well: I like mashing the avocado slightly as I toss the slaw so it coats the cabbage more like a creamy dressing. It helps the slaw cling together and seasons every bite.
Season in layers: Since the bowl has a few separate parts, I make sure the quinoa and slaw each get their own salt and lime. That way, the whole bowl tastes balanced instead of relying only on the sauce for flavor.
