I love creating recipes that rival my kid’s not so healthy favorites, like Orange Chicken. This Orange Cauliflower is gluten free and vegan, with the right amount of sticky sweet orange sauce to satisfy even a non-vegan. Served with rice and sprinkled with some green onions and toasted sesame seeds, your family will think you got takeout from your favorite Chinese food restaurant. This is a favorite in our house, and if you try it, I feel confident that it will become a favorite in yours as well!
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 cup unflavored plant based milk
- ¾ cup gluten free flour (favorite brand Mama’s Almond Blend)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 to 1 ½ cups gluten free panko breadcrumbs (favorite brand CheffJeff Nathan Creations)
- Orange Sauce
- I cup of fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ginger powder
- 2 teaspoons sriracha
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
Toppings:
- Green onions: chopped
- Toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 450 degrees
- Rinse the head of cauliflower in cold water, pat dry and then and cut the florets into bite-sized pieces.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the plant-based milk, gluten-free flour, garlic powder and salt until well blended.
- Put the breadcrumbs in a medium-sized bowl.
- Line a cookie sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Take each cauliflower piece and drench it in the milk batter and then roll it in the breadcrumbs, pressing gently to coat all sides. Place on the cookie sheet. Repeat until all pieces have been coated and placed onto the cookie sheet. Make sure to leave a little space in between each piece so that they cook thoroughly, and all sides get a little crispy.
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of your cauliflower pieces. Remove when they are golden in color and tender on the inside.
- While the cauliflower is cooking, prepare the sauce.
- In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the OJ, sugar, vinegar, tamari, spices and sriracha. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and the water until well blended and then add to the simmering sauce. Lightly boil until the sauce thickens (usually takes just a minute or two once the cornstarch is added). Remove from heat.
- Once the cauliflower is done baking, transfer to a large bowl. Add some of the orange sauce and toss, adding more sauce a little at a time until all pieces are well coated. Serve the remaining sauce on the side.
- Top with chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds and serve with rice.
