Vegan Buffalo Wings!

People always have random questions about special events, and how we do them as vegans.  "So do you have backyard barbecues?".  One might wonder how a vegan can get festive with football season so near and dear to many.  "What do you serve during a super bowl party?".  Well, to be perfectly honest, I have never met a vegan that was a die hard football fan.  Most vegans are out attempting to save the world, and find things such as football quite frivolous.  But there are a few left in this world, that still enjoy the company of their brothers and friends, and are happy to accommodate a little football party, that is; as long as there is a sweet vegan wife behind him, who is willing to experiment and plan ahead for such an occasion.  I personally died a little on the inside when the craving struck for a buffalo chicken salad from Zaxby's, and I realized that never again would these taste buds reach such satisfaction (tear drop and sniffle).  That is, until recently.  The thought returned to my mind as I watched my beloved grandmother massacre a box of buffalo wings, while I ate my bean burrito at the end of a victorious UGA football game.  "I just can't let go... there must be a way".  Recently I joined the ever famous Pinterest, and one of the first vegan recipes that I found was a some-what blasé attempt at vegan buffalo wings.  I'm tired of eating processed gluten and isolated veggie proteins.  I want to move away from ALL that is unnatural for our day to day food options.  So I decided after seeing cauliflower used as a chewier alternative to other mushy vegetables, that I must give it a try.  If you have an unnatural dislike for vegetables and refuse to take this route, you could always use a Morning Star, Boca, Gardein, or any other brand of "chicken like" nuggets or wings, they offer many at most Walmarts and all Publix stores.
There are lots of health conscious, diabetic, and cardiac patients who might enjoy the comfort of eating an old favorite, without suffering the consequences to their health.  So without further ado, I give you unprocessed, natural, vegan buffalo wings.  No, it doesn't taste and feel just like chicken, but you still get to get all messy in buffalo sauce and scream at the t.v. like you understand what just happened in the 1st quarter.

Ingredients:
2 heads of cauliflower OR 2 large crates of mushrooms (baby portobellos are my fav.)
1.5 Cups of your favorite buffalo sauce (make sure the ingredients are vegan, lots are!)
1 Tbs. of oil or vegan butter (I used earth balance)
Batter

This is all that was left of the batter!

Batter ingredients:
1 Cup non-dairy milk ( I use almond milk)
3 tsp. of garlic powder
2 Tbs. of Beef like seasoning (optional, but highly recommended)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. Nutritional Yeast Flakes
1 Cup flour (I used unbleached organic white flour)

Florets once they are battered.  Some are darker because I tried two different batter recipes at once.  The darker ones are what this recipe produces.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
grease 2 cookie sheets with spray oil
Wash and cut your cauliflower into bite sized florets, OR wash your mushrooms (don't cut them)
Mix your batter ingredients, add a little water if it's too thick, add a little flour if it's too runny (it should   be thicker than pancake mix, you want it to stick to your "wings" without dripping too much)
Toss your florets or mushrooms into the batter and with clean hands coat each one thoroughly (you have to do just a few at a time)
Let any excess drip off into batter bowl, and place on cookie sheet, so that they're not touching
Bake for 20 minutes on 450 degrees
While baking, mix your vegan butter or oil with your buffalo wing sauce
When 20 minutes is up, remove from oven and brush or spoon your buffalo mixture onto each floret or mushroom.  Cover them well with the sauce, leaving about two tablespoons in the bowl
Place back in the oven for 5 minutes
When finished baking, put on plates or serving tray and brush on what is left of your buffalo sauce (if you like lots of sauce).
Serve with your favorite Vegan blue cheese or Ranch dressing (there are tons on the internet, I may post mine shortly, but there are two little boys screaming "Mommy!" right now... Duty calls!

**Mushrooms can also be battered and fried before putting the buffalo sauce on, instead of baked

Buffalo sauce added, now to bake for 5 more minutes!