STICKY CAULIFLOWER + TOFU BOWL

Here’s my spin on the Panda Express sesame orange chicken that I used to consume more than I’d like to admit…

What I’ve learned over the past couple years being plant-based is, it was never the chicken that I was obsessed with. It was the sauce, the spices, and all that addictive flavors God knows what was in that sauce that made my cravings go hay-wire.

So I present to you a much healthier, nutritious, and plant-based version!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

• 1 head of cauliflower, chopped

• a block of extra firm tofu

• seasonings for tofu: salt, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, Trader Joes vegan chicken-less seasoning (optional, but sooo good with)

• olive oil

THE SAUCE

• 1/3 cup of tamari sauce (or soy sauce if you prefer more sodium)

• 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup (or any sweetener of you choice - honey or agave…)

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder (or minced garlic)

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar

• 2 tsp sesame oil

• 1 1/2 tablespoons gluten free flour - I use Bob Red Mills 1:1

• 1/4 cup water

• sesame seeds or everything but the bagel seasoning to top it off

METHOD

I used my air fryer for the cauliflower but you can just use your oven if you don’t own one! I set my air fryer to 370 degrees F and coated the cauliflower florets with a little bit of olive oil and salt. I air fried them for about 15 minutes, shaking the bin half way. If you are using your oven preheat oven to 450 degrees F and cook for 10 minutes. Combine and whisk together the the tamari sauce, sweetener, rice vinegar, garlic, sesame oil and place this on the stove and bring it to a boil. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and water. Make sure you whisk the flour and water well, you don’t want chunks of flour in your sauce! Once the sauce begins to boil pour in the water and flour mixture, bring it to medium heat, and slowly stir. You will begin to notice the sauce thickening up!

For the tofu, drain and cut into cubes. Then take a saucepan and drizzle some oil and bring to a medium heat. Toss tofu cubes in the oil and add all the seasonings I listed above on the tofu while it cooks. Flip and turn tofu often so all sides cook well.

For this bowl, I added some sautéed kale which I just cooked with the tofu. I added in the kale at the very end and it sautéed for about 3 minutes.

Toss both the tofu and cauliflower in the sticky sauce, serve over brown or white rice, top it off with some sesame seeds and enjoy!