Pita loaves are stuffed with crunchy avocado ranch dressed slaw and barbecue sauce smothered roasted cauliflower in these scrumptious barbecue cauliflower sandwiches.
Opps. I just posted a cauliflower/avocado sandwich recipe. Sticking with the theme was totally unintentional, at least on a conscious level. This happens on occasion and I often don't realize it until I actually sit down to write the post. Oh well. If there's two things I can never get enough of in life, they just might be cauliflower and avocado, especially if you put them in a sandwich.
When I posted that last cauliflower sandwich, someone commented that the fillings might go nicely in a pita. For whatever reason, I never think to use pitas for much other than falafel and hummus. That suggestion must have stuck with me, because this time around I ended up stuffing my sandwich fillings into pitas. Glad I did. I definitely need more pita in my life.
I've definitely also got barbecue and slaw on the brain as of late.
Since this is all delicious stuff that I think we all tend to crave in warmer weather, I won't spend much time explaining. Things are busy and I haven't been feeling terribly wordy lately. I'll just leave you with a promise that these sandwiches were insanely delicious. Totally worth firing up your oven in the June heat, and if you're not into that, I'm betting the cauliflower would cook up beautifully on the grill - be sure to let me know how it works out if you give that a try!
Barbecue Cauliflower Pitas with Avocado Ranch Slaw
Ingredients
For the Barbecue Cauliflower
- ½ cup tomato paste
- ½ cup water
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp. soy sauce
- ½ tsp. liquid smoke
- 1-2 tsp. sriracha or your favorite hot sauce, or to taste
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 medium cauliflower crown broken into florets
- 1-2 tsp. olive oil
For the Avocado Ranch Slaw
- 1 ripe avocado peeled and pitted
- ¼ cup unflavored soy or almond milk
- 3 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 3 cups shredded cabbage
- 2 carrots shredded
- ¼ cup finely chopped chives
- ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
For Serving
- 4 pita loaves
Instructions
Make the Barbecue Cauliflower
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Stir tomato paste, water, maple syrup, cider vinegar, soy sauce, liquid smoke, hot sauce and garlic together in small saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Lower heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a bit more water if the mixture becomes too thick.
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Preheat oven to 400º. Toss cauliflower florets in olive oil and arrange in roasting pan. Bake 10 minutes. Pour barbecue sauce over florets and toss gently to coat. Bake about 10 minutes more, until fork tender.
Make the Avocado Ranch Slaw
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Place avocado, milk, lemon juice, cider vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper into food processor or blender and blend until smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl or pitcher as needed.
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Place cabbage, carrots, chives and parsley in large mixing bowl. Stir in avocado mixture until well distributed.
Serve
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Stuff pita loaves with slaw and barbecue cauliflower. Serve.
Avocado Ranch Slaw...that is a stroke of genius! Adding in the BBQ cauliflower...cool and spicy...I can't wait to try this...definitely going on the menu for next week!
Thank you! I actually made an avocado ranch salad dressing a while back, and it occurred to me that it really needed to be in a slaw. Turned out great. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!
I absolutely love the idea of avocado ranch! I've always been a ranch fiend, but of course it's not very healthy. This is the best of both worlds--ranch flavor and healthy fat!
We had this for dinner last night. I had to make a substitution (who has no tomato paste?!!) and yet it was still excellent. Came together fast and easy. I've never had a similar dish and couldn't quite believe it was going to work. First bite I was hooked. THANKS!!
Yay! It really is a great combination. So glad you liked it. Thanks Val!
Thoughts on using frozen cauliflower? I have some I need to use...
I think you could get away with frozen. I'd probably let it thaw first and keep an eye on it during roasting. Hope you enjoy!
I am obsessed with cauliflower! I love the addition of the slaw!
Just curious why you didn't cut open the pitas and put the stuffing inside the pita?
You could definitely give this a try that way, but mine were actually pocketless so that wouldn't have been possible. Also, because there is quite a bit of filling, I'm not entirely sure it would've fit.
Thanks for a recipe. It's really healthy and tasty. I cook it for my children to school.
I'm glad you like it! Thanks so much!