Sweet & Spicy Orange Cauliflower (Gluten-free)

October 16, 2018 • Appetizers, Mains • gluten-free, plant-based, vegan • No comments

The perks of being a cauliflower? .. Cauliflower is so versatile since it has a subtle taste! I love using it as a healthy “rice” swap, pizza crust substitute and also as a batter base in this plant-based spin on crispy orange chicken. This dish is perfect to put out as an appetizer when you have friends over, or serve with brown rice for dinner. Panko breadcrumbs are another option if you don’t use the chickpea crumbs.

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 tbsp coconut flour
• 2 tbsp tapioca starch
• Dash of salt
• Dash of black pepper
• Dash of smoked paprika
• Dash of garlic powder
• Dash of turmeric
• 1 1/2 cups almond milk
• 1 large head cauliflower
• 2 cups Chickpea Crumbs
• 1 cup organic reduced sugar apricot preserves
• 3 tbsp Frank's red hot sauce
• 3 tbsp water

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, combine almond meal flour, coconut flour, tapioca starch, sprinkle of Himalayan pink salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, turmeric, and almond milk.
2. Cut 1 large head of cauliflower into florets and coat each in the batter. Then coat each piece in chickpea crumbs. You can find these at Stop and Shop, thrive market or probably Whole Foods. You’ll need about 2 cups of chickpea crumbs, but only pour out a little on the plate as you coat the pieces one by one.
3. Place coated cauliflower on baking sheet lined with silicon mat or parchment paper and bake for 20 min, flipping halfway through.
4. While the cauliflower is baking, make the sweet and spicy orange sauce. In a bowl mix together the organic reduced sugar apricot preserves, Franks red hot sauce and water. In a small pot bring the sauce to a boil, then remove from heat and stir for a minute then leave to cool.
5. When cauliflower is done, serve with sauce on the side.

*Tip - letting the cauliflower cool for about 5 minutes before serving and also serving the sauce on the side or over the cauli (and not tossing it) helps keep it crispy!