Fioretto Cauliflower Cheese Nuggets

These Fioretto Cauliflower Cheese Nuggets are a great way to get your veggies in a totally cheesy and tasty way.

These cauliflower cheese nuggets are made with fioretto, which is a hybrid of broccoli and cauliflower, and, when raw, look like flowers on long-ish green stems. They are sometimes called "flowering cauliflower." They are much more flavorful than standard cauliflower... kind of sweet, kind of nutty.

Fioretto is delicious roasted, stir-fried, sautéed, and steamed. It stays crisp, even when cooked. It's even great served raw with dips.

I had a lot of fun playing with it, and along with these cheese nuggets, I roasted it with olive oil, parmesan, and bread crumbs. It was so delicious. I pretty much ate the whole sheet pan full of roasted fioretto like French fries (recipe from Olla-Podrida but I used fresh bread crumbs).

Roasted fioretto cauliflower with breadcrumbs and Parmesan

I learned about fioretto cauliflower from a shipment I received from Melissa's Produce to welcome spring!

I received lots of yellow produce to celebrate the theme, Here Comes the Sun!

I received some baby pineapples, golden berries, yellow dragon fruit, Buddha's hand, baby golden beets, some bananas, and the fioretto.

The baby pineapples are super sweet and easy to cut into chunks for salads. My friend Wendy made an upside down cake with the baby pineapple.

The goldenberries were super interesting. They are a member of the same family as tomatillos. They come in a husk like tomatillos, and are kind of sticky on the outside until you wash them. They are also known as cape gooseberries.

They have a tropical sweet flavor and are wonderful in salads. Check out the Goldenberry pancake syrup recipe from A Day in the Life on the Farm, the Goldenberry Chutney from Culinary Adventures with Camilla, and the Goldenberry and blueberry pie from Cooking with Carlee.

I adored the yellow dragon fruit in this gift basket. It's so sweet and flavorful. I have a dragonfruit Waldorf salad that you can make, but I loved just slicing this fruit in half and eating it out of the peel with a spoon.

This golden dragon fruit is beyond delicious and sweet. No recipe required.

There's also the Buddha's hand. What is a Buddha's hand? It's pretty much a citrus that is all rind and no fruit. The benefit is that the pith is less bitter than most citrus, and can be included in flavoring dishes.

You can make a version of limoncello with Buddha's hand. You can also use the zest for any recipe that calls for lemon zest. The zest is sweet and mild.

You can also use Buddha's had to make citron infused vodka. If you Google Buddha's had vodka, you will find that there are several premier brands that make it.

Guess what? You can make your own! Just wash the fruit, immerse it in vodka, and then strain it into a bottle after 7 to 14 days.

I'm ready for a lemon drop, French martini, or any cocktail that calls for lemon infused vodka.

For the last yellow produce, I received these baby yellow beets.

While I'm not usually a fan of beets, yellow beets are less "earthy" and milder than red beets. My favorite recipe for these beets is this Sourdough Golden Beet Braided Bread.

Melissa's Produce has introduced me to a lot of wonderful fruits and veggies, including:

Strawberry papayas and blood oranges for these margaritas.
Key limes for these mini key lime cheesecakes.
Kiwano melons, rambutans, and passion fruit for these "freaky fruit" cocktails.
Chayote for chayote with roasted tomatoes.

Definitely check out their online store. And check out this Earl Grey cake with bergamot curd filling from my friend Camilla.

Here's the recipe for the Fioretto Cauliflower Cheese Nuggets!

These cheesy snacks also delicious dipped in hot marinara sauce. They are fabulous as an appetizer, snack, or side dish.

You can substitute "regular" cauliflower and I'm pretty sure they'd still be cheesy good.

Leftovers are excellent reheated in the oven or toaster oven.