We ate a lot of Chinese take-out growing up, namely, a lot of Panda Express, and one of my favorite dishes was always sweet and sour chicken. It’s tangy and sweet, and something I often crave. Today I took that craving and decided to health it up a bit and make it with cauliflower. Yes, cauliflower. You are more than likely aware at this point of how versatile cauliflower is. Even mainstream restaurants are putting cauliflower wings on their menus, so to say cauliflower is pretty well received would be an understatement.
This recipe has all of the elements of sweet and sour chicken, except, you know, the chicken, but it is every bit as delicious, and an excellent options for those following a plant-based diet. You can definitely eat this all on its’ own, or over rice for a more hearty meal. Top with sliced green onions and sesame seeds if desired.
Sweet and Sour Cauliflower
Author: The Lean Clean Eating Machine
- 5-6 cups cauliflower florets
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1/3 cup corn starch
- Non-stick spray
- 1 green bell pepper; cut into 1/2 inch chunks
- 1 cup chopped pineapple pieces
- 1 small sweet onion; cut into 1/2 chunks
- 3-4 cups steamed rice, for serving
- thinly sliced green onions for garnish
Sauce:
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup Bragg’s apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons low sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion salt
- 1/4 cup ketchup – I used Primal Kitchen’s Unsweetened Ketchup
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 2 tablespoon cold water
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease a large baking sheet with some non-stick cooking spray. Combine cauliflower and oil in a large ziplock bag. Seal and shake to coat cauliflower in the oil. Open the bag, add corn starch, seal bag and toss to coat again.
- Transfer coated cauliflower to greased pan in one even layer. Bake for 20 minutes or until cauliflower starts to brown on the bottoms. Switch oven to broil and cook on high for 3-4 minutes just until tops start to brown (watch carefully).
- While cauliflower is cooking, prepare the sauce. Add sugar, vinegar, tamari, garlic powder, onion salt, and ketchup to a small sauce pan. Stir and bring to a boil. In a small bowl whisk together the 1 tablespoon corn starch and cold water until dissolved. Add to sauce pan and stir until thickened, then reduce to low heat.
- In a medium/large skillet, combine prepared pepper and onion with a small amount of oil and cook on medium/high heat until both start to turn golden, or about 5 minutes. Add in your pineapple chunks and cook for an additional 3 minutes, or until pineapple starts to turn golden.
- In a large, heat-safe mixing bowl, combine roasted cauliflower, sauce, and pepper, onion and pineapple mixture. Serve immediately with steamed rice and top with sliced green onions.