Vegan Orange Cauliflower

5 from 8 votes

Are you craving Chinese food? This healthy vegan orange cauliflower recipe is gluten-free, nut-free, oil-free, and did I mention delicious? Air fry or bake, and serve over brown rice with wok-fried vegetables.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Entrees

Cuisine: Asian

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 358kcal

Author: Kathy Carmichael

Ingredients

Orange Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower cut into florets (equal sizes)
2 cups plant milk
1 orange zested
2 cups chickpea flour or any flour of choice
1 cup nutritional yeast
½ cup breadcrumbs I used gluten-free

Orange Sauce

1 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
3 Tablespoons maple syrup or date syrup
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 inch ginger grated
2 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon sriracha
¼ cup water mixed with 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch or arrowroot powder

Brown Rice

3 cups cooked brown rice or rice of choice 1 cup uncooked

Stir-Fried Vegetables

8 ounces mushrooms sliced
½ head broccoli cut into florets
½ pound green beans trimmed
5 baby bell red peppers sliced

Garnishes

1 bunch green onions chopped
2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Instructions

Preparing the Cauliflower

Remove the core from the base of the cauliflower.
Cut the cauliflower into florets.

Prepare 3 Dredging Bowls

Prepare three different bowls: 1 with plant milk, 1 with the flour and orange zest mixed, and 1 bowl with mixed nutritional yeast and bread crumbs combined.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Now, take each cauliflower floret, dip in the plant milk, then the flour mixture, then back in the plant milk, ending in the nutritional yeast/bread crumb bowl.
Set each floret on the lined baking sheet.

Making the Orange Sauce

First, mix the corn starch and water in a small bowl and set aside.
Now, in a small saucepan, add the rest of the ingredients.
If you want a stronger orange taste, add additional orange zest.
Cook the sauce on medium-low until heated through.
Then, add the cornstarch (arrowroot powder) mixture.
Reduce the temperature to low and stir.
The sauce will thicken.
Once thickened, remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.

Baking

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Cook cauliflower for 30 minutes
Remove from the oven, and using tongs, transfer the hot cauliflower to a large bowl.
Then, add ½ cup of orange sauce (reserve 2 Tablespoons of sauce for vegetables) and gently toss until all the cauliflower is coated with a thin layer of sauce.
Although more time-consuming, another method of saucing the cauliflower is to individually dip and coat each cooked cauliflower floret in the sauce and lay it on the baking sheet. Although more arduous, this method helps keep the coating on the cauliflower.
Transfer the orange cauliflower back on the lined baking sheet, and cook for 10 minutes with the sauce.

Air Frying

Place a single layer of coated cauliflower florets in the base of the air fryer.
Set the air fryer at 370 degrees; preheat the oven to 325 to keep the cooked cauliflower warm while batch cooking.
Cook for 8 minutes, checking halfway through to shake the contents of the base to allow cauliflower to cook evenly
Remove cooked pieces from the air fryer and place them in a bowl while cooking in batches until all the cauliflower is cooked.
Add ½ cup of orange sauce (reserve 2 Tablespoons sauce for the veggies) and gently toss, coating all the cooked cauliflower with sauce.
Although more time-consuming, another method of saucing the cauliflower is to individually dip and coat each cooked cauliflower floret in the sauce and lay it on the baking sheet. Although more arduous, this method helps keep the coating on the cauliflower.
Transfer to a baking sheet and place into a 325-degree oven for 10 minutes while stir-frying the vegetables.

Brown Rice

Cook the brown rice according to the directions; 1 cup of dry rice yields 2 cups cooked.

Stir-Fried Vegetables

Heat a wok to medium-high
Add mushrooms and broccoli and cook for 10 minutes, tossing the vegetables with a wooden spatula or spoon.
If the vegetables start to stick, add a small amount of water or vegetable broth.
Add the green beans and red bell peppers.
Cook for another 5 minutes.
Now, add reserved orange sauce, toss in the sauce and cook for the remaining 5 minutes.
Remove vegetables from heat.

Serving

Place the brown rice on a platter or in the base of
individual bowls.
Top with the orange cauliflower and stir-fried vegetables.
Sprinkle with sliced green onions and sesame seeds
Serve with extra sauce on the side.

Video

Notes

Prepare the brown rice and orange sauce to save time.
Any color of cauliflower works well with this recipe.
Use gluten-free flour and Tamari to choose a gluten-free option.
Wok vegetables cook quickly, so allow 10 minutes while the cauliflower heats for the additional 10 minutes once the sauce is added to the cauliflower.
Reserve 2 Tablespoons of orange sauce to add to the vegetables after cooking before serving
Choose any vegetables for the stir-fried vegetables: Bok Choy, carrots, onions, green or red bell peppers, snap peas, cabbage, etc.
Although more time-consuming, another method of saucing the cauliflower is to dip and coat each cooked cauliflower floret in the sauce and lay it on the baking sheet. Although more arduous, this method helps keep the coating on the cauliflower.

Nutrition