Creative Cauliflower Meals

When most people think of cauliflower, they probably don’t get excited. It’s just another vegetable with a bland flavor…blah blah blah…but it’s so much more! It’s packed with fiber and B-vitamins, is incredibly versatile, and is one of my favorite vegetables to create meals with.

You can create a full meal with one head of cauliflower. Roast it, put it in soup, make pizza crust or rice, etc. I however, like to make Chinese inspired dishes with cauliflower. We did “Chinese Food Week” at our house and created some amazing meals! You can’t tell the difference in the substitution of vegetable for meat, and the flavors were out of this world.

These make great Meatless Monday meals, are all vegetarian, and are also vegan.

We made the following dishes. Recipes and instructions for each are below.

Cashew Cauliflower – start by cutting the cauliflower into florets or bite sized pieces. Also chop the bell peppers and green onion.

Add oil (I like to use avocado oil) to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the cauliflower and bell peppers. Sauté for about 5 minutes or until the veggies are tender and a little crispy on the outside. Turn off the heat.

In a separate small saucepan, add the garlic, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and water. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Combine the 2 Tbsp water with cornstarch in a small bowl to make a rue. Add this to the saucepan and whisk to combine. Continue to simmer for about 1 minutes to allow the sauce the thicken.

Pour the sauce over the cauliflower and toss to coat. Add cashews and toss to coat again.

I like to serve the Cashew Cauliflower over a bed of rice with additional cashews and sliced green onion on top. Yum!

The recipe can be found here.

Kung Pao Cauliflower – start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees and prep the ingredients. Place a piece of parchment paper or wax paper on the counter and set a cooling rack on top of it.

Peel and chop the ginger, chop the cauliflower into florets, slice the green onion, and slice the bell pepper. Set aside.

Add the chickpea flour, cornstarch, almond milk, and soy sauce to a large mixing bowl. Whisk together until well blended – the batter will be thick!

Add the cauliflower and stir to coat. Remove the cauliflower and place on the cooling rack to drain any excess batter. This is the least messy way I can think of doing this!

Move the cauliflower to a baking sheet in an even layer, leaving space between each piece. Bake for 10 minutes then remove from the oven and stir and bake for another 10 minutes.

While the cauliflower is baking, make the sauce. Add the water, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, maple syrup, cornstarch, paprika, and cayenne to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside until ready to use.

Heat avocado oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and pepper. Stir to combine and sauté for a few minutes or until fragrant. Add the bell pepper and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add in the sauce mixture and stir to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer. Let simmer for about 5 minutes to allow the sauce the thicken. If the sauce is not thickening, you can always add a little rue. Combine 2 Tbsp water with 1 Tbsp cornstarch. Add to the sauce and stir to combine. This will help the sauce thicken.

Pour the baked cauliflower in a large bowl then pour the sauce over the top and stir to coat. The recipe only makes enough sauce to coat the cauliflower so if you want a little extra on the side or to eat with some rice, make sure to make additional sauce.

Serve the cauliflower warm on a bed of rice. Sprinkle some sesame seeds and sliced green onion on top. Completely optional, but adding some peanuts also gives the dish a nice crunch! Enjoy!

The recipe can be found here.

Orange Glazed Cauliflower – start by chopping the cauliflower into florets or bite sized pieces and set aside. Zest the orange and slice it into rings, then quarter the rings and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and ¾ cup water. Mix until smooth. Add the cauliflower and toss to coat.

There are 2 ways to complete the next step; 1) place the breadcrumbs on a plate and one-by-one, coat each piece of cauliflower in the breadcrumbs and set aside, or 2) place the breadcrumbs in a bowl, add the battered cauliflower and toss to coat. I think #2 is the easier option but the cauliflower won’t be completely covered in breadcrumbs. This is OK and the taste of the dish will still be fine but hand breading the cauliflower will allow for a more breaded texture. Up to you with option you choose!

There are also 2 ways to complete this step. The first contains frying and can be a lot unhealthier while the second option involves baking. Again, it’s your preference! 1) heat oil in a frying pan or wok. Once hot, add the cauliflower and cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Fry the cauliflower in batches and use a slotted spoon to remove from the pan and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain. 2) preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the battered and breaded cauliflower on a baking sheet in an even layer. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until crisp. Make sure to stir halfway through baking.

Once all the cauliflower has been cooked, place it in a large bowl and set aside while you make the sauce.

Add 2 Tbsp water, orange juice, orange zest, maple syrup, soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar to a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from the heat.

Combine ¼ cup water with 2 Tbsp cornstarch and stir to combine. This makes a rue to thicken the sauce. Add this to the saucepan and stir to combine. The sauce should start to thicken as it cools. You don’t want the sauce to cool completely, just enough to thicken.

Pour the sauce over the cauliflower in the bowl and toss to coat.

Serve on a bed of rice. Garnish with orange wedges and sesame seeds. Bon Appetit!

The recipe can be found here.

Sticky Sesame Cauliflower – start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees and prepping the ingredients. Place a piece of parchment paper or wax paper on the count and set a cooling rack on top.

Peel and chop the ginger, chop the cauliflower into florets, and chop the green onion.

Add the flour, cornstarch, salt, almond milk, and water to a large mixing bowl. Whisk together until well combined. The batter will be thick but if you think it’s too thick to work with, add 1 Tbsp of water and whisk again.

Add the cauliflower to the batter and stir to coat. Remove the cauliflower and place on the cooling rack to help drain the excess batter.

Once the batter has dripped off, place the cauliflower on a baking sheet in an even layer, leaving space between each piece. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and stir, then bake for another 10 minutes.

While the cauliflower is baking, make the sauce. Add the tamari, agave nectar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sriracha, ginger, and garlic to a saucepan. Whisk to combine and bring to a simmer.

In a small bowl, combine the vegetable broth and corn starch. Pour this into the saucepan and whisk to combine. Continue to simmer, stir occasionally, and let the sauce thicken. If you don’t have vegetable broth on hand you can use water instead.

Once done baking, place the cauliflower in a large bowl then pour the sauce on top. Stir to coat. This recipe only makes enough sauce to coat the cauliflower. If you want extra sauce for dipping or to perhaps eat with rice, you’ll want to make additional sauce.

Serve warm on a bed of rice. Sprinkle sesame seeds and sliced green onions on top. So good!

The recipe can be found here.

Sweet & Sour Cauliflower – start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Chop the cauliflower into florets or bite sized pieces. Place in a Ziploc bag. Add the avocado oil to the Ziploc bag, seal, and shake to coat. You can also use a bowl to coat the cauliflower with oil if you prefer. Pour the cauliflower on the baking sheet in an even layer making sure to leave space between each piece.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender and slightly browned. Remove the cauliflower and pour into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

Add the sugar, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and ketchup to a saucepan and bring to a boil.

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water. This makes a rue for the sauce.

Reduce the heat to low and add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan. Stir to combine and continue to heat on low until the sauce thickens.

Pour about ½ of the sauce into the mixing bowl with the cauliflower and toss to coat. Add more sauce as needed to fully coat the cauliflower. You don’t want to add all the sauce and drown the cauliflower and you should have some leftover sauce. Better to have too much than too little!