September 16, 2019

Air Fried Cauliflower Poppers

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ChooseMazola #CollectiveBias

Cauliflower coated in deliciously seasoned rice flour, sprayed with Mazola® Corn Oil, air fried to a perfect crisp, and then served with a lime yogurt dipping sauce. These Air Fried Cauliflower Poppers are a light, delectable snack or appetizer! A recent clinical study showed that using Mazola Corn Oil can reduce bad cholesterol by twice as much as extra virgin olive oil. To learn more about this claim, see Mazola.com.

Lighter September

My kids are both in preschool, so at any given time, someone in our house has a cold. Obviously, last winter was rough, but even this past spring and summer have been difficult. I’m pretty sure the number of sick days for our family in June and July matched those we had January through April. I have gone on multiple cleaning rampages – wiping down door handles, light switches, etc., but the colds continued. So, I’ve changed gears and have been focusing on everyone getting plenty of sleep and filling their bellies with lighter meals. So far, success.

September is National Cholesterol Awareness month. So, it only makes sense that I come up with and prepare a few cholesterol reducing recipes for our lighter family meals. So, I decided I wanted to give corn oil a shot in some of my lighter September recipes.

Mazola Corn Oil is an excellent cholesterol free, all-purpose oil that is a heart-healthy* choice for cooking family meals. *See Mazola.com for more information on the relationship between corn oil and heart health. It has a variety of uses including baking, grilling, sautéing, stir frying, or mixing up a marinade or dressing.

Chicken Popper Swap

I think fried chicken poppers are quite tasty, so I wanted to find a way to swap out a few ingredients that would make a lighter and healthier popper-style snack. Well, I did it. And they were delicious!

Ingredient Swap

First, I swapped cauliflower for chicken. I’m always looking for a way to have my kids eat more vegetables, and this was a perfect opportunity.

Second, I used rice flour instead of all-purpose flour. Rice flour is gluten free, and it has more fiber than all-purpose flour.

Finally, I used Mazola Corn Oil in an air fryer instead of lard in a deep fryer to cook my poppers. This gave a lighter, yet crispy and tasty popper!

Air Fried Cauliflower Poppers

These Air Fried Cauliflower Poppers are quick and easy to put together. Recently, I served them as an appetizer for a girls’ night, and they were one of the first things to go! Here are a few tips for success when you make this recipe:

Cut the cauliflower so that each piece is about 1 inch by 1/2 inch in size. This helps to ensure even cooking.

Flip the poppers and respray them with the corn oil halfway through the total cooking time. This also helps to ensure even cooking. I have an air fryer/toaster oven and cook my poppers on 370 degrees. If you have a larger or smaller air fryer, you may need to adjust your temperature or cooking times. I recommended you reference your air fryer manufacturer’s guidelines.
To evenly apply the corn oil, I put it in a spray bottle. However, if you do not have a spray bottle, you can drizzle the oil evenly over the cauliflower, or toss the coated flower with the oil in a clean bowl.
These poppers are terrific on their own, but they pair beautifully with a lime yogurt dipping sauce. In line with healthier September, I used Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise for the sauce.

Air Fried Cauliflower Poppers

Cauliflower coated in deliciously seasoned rice flour, sprayed with Mazola Corn Oil, air fried to a perfect crisp, and then served with a lime yogurt dipping sauce. These Air Fried Cauliflower Poppers are a lighter, delectable snack or appetizer! #ChooseMazola #CollectiveBias #Ad

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Course: Appetizer

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 16

Servings: servings

Calories: 194

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Ingredients

Cauliflower Poppers

8 cups cauliflower florets cut into about 1” x ½” pieces (this uses just under 1 head cauliflower)
1 large egg
¼ cup milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ cup rice flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon cardamom
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon thyme
¼ cup Mazola Corn Oil

Lime Yogurt Sauce

½ cup plain Greek yogurt
zest 1 medium lime
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Cauliflower Poppers

In a small bowl, whisk together egg, milk, and lemon juice. Transfer to a gallon size, sealable bag. Add cauliflower florets, seal bag, and shake very well.
Stir together rice flour, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, cardamom, paprika, and thyme in a small bowl. Pour mixture into bag with cauliflower. Reseal bag and shake until cauliflower is well coated.
Place coated cauliflower in a single layer in an air fryer basket. Gently brush half of Mazola Corn Oil over cauliflower. Or, place Mazola Corn Oil in a spray bottle, and spray over cauliflower.
Turn air fryer to 370 degrees. Cook for 7-8 minutes.
Flip cauliflower and use remaining corn oil to brush or spray cauliflower. Cook for an additional 7-8 minutes, or until cauliflower begins to brown.

Lime Yogurt Sauce

Stir together yogurt, lime zest, lime juice, and salt. Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Serve as a dipping sauce for cauliflower poppers.