Sweet & Sour Cauliflower
A delicious, easy weeknight meal the whole family will love! This Sweet & Sour Cauliflower features battered and baked sesame cauliflower, pineapple, peppers tossed in gluten-free sweet and sour sauce then served over brown rice. A perfect vegan + gluten-free meal ready in just 30 minutes!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of ALDI. The opinions and text are all mine.
Let’s stuff our faces with this Sweet & Sour Cauliflower that is better than takeout, easier than pie, meatier than chicken, sweeter than candy… all the good stuff in just 30 minutes. I hope you don’t mind my exuberance here, but this recipe is SO good and I cannot wait for you to try it, because I think you’re going to love it too!
So, here’s how it went down. First, I raided the gluten-free section on my recent grocery shopping trip to ALDI. They have some of the best gluten-free products from their exclusive liveGfree line. I swung by the produce section, the condiments, and threw a bag of rice in my cart standing in the checkout line. Boom. Done. Here’s what I got…
* Simply Nature Quick Cook Brown Rice
* liveGfree Black Sesame Brown Rice Crisps
* Fusia Asian Sweet & Sour Stir Fry Sauce
* A pineapple
* Mini bell peppers
* A head of cauliflower
Simple, right?! Easy trip for an easy recipe, because I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for ways to make things a bit easier around here. When I got home, I diced up the cauliflower, fresh pineapple, and peppers then whipped up the cauliflower batter… wait for it… using the liveGfree Black Sesame Brown Rice Crisps from ALDI. Do ya’ll mind if I pat myself on the back here?! Cuz I think it’s pretty darn creative. The sesame flavor was amazing, the consistency of the batter was stellar, and the taste of everything together in this Sweet & Sour Cauliflower just blew my mind.
When I had the idea to make this Sweet & Sour Cauliflower, I was nervous it wasn’t going to turn out like I had planned in my head. Sometimes that happens, those recipes don’t make it on the blog, but I’m happy to report that in this case, this recipe came out better than I had anticipated, and I couldn’t share this sweet, sesame-filled, Asian-inspired dish with you fast enough! It’s so totally yummy.
Now, I kept this version of sweet & sour “chicken” a bit healthier by baking the battered cauliflower, but you could certainly try to fry it. That’s totally on my list to do soon! While the cauliflower is baking, you simply cook your rice, sauté some peppers and pineapple in a little olive oil, then add the Fusia Asian Sweet & Sour Stir Fry Sauce, found at ALDI- which by the way, is also gluten-free #score! Then, toss in the baked cauli bites and serve over rice!
So here’s why I love using the liveGfree Black Sesame Brown Rice Crisps as the main batter ingredient: 1 – the crisps are flavorful enough that you don’t need to add any other spices- yay for cutting down on ingredients! 2 – sesame seems to be a staple in Asian cuisine, so these are pretty much made for this recipe. 3 – you get to snack on the crisps while your cooking, so like duh – totally a good life choice here.
You simply grind them up in your food processor/blender with arrowroot flour (or you can use cornstarch) and baking powder and combine with aquafaba (chickpea brine), and water for the best batter. You then dip the cauliflower florets in the batter and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
This recipe is perfect, especially since May is also Celiac Awareness Month! Find your own favorite gluten-free products at your local ALDI, but definitely don’t forget to get these items to make this Sweet & Sour Cauliflower!
Friends, if you’re all about quick.
All about simple.
If you like meat-free meals.
If you’re gluten-free.
Like Asian-y flavors.
Live for 30-minute meals.
This Sweet & Sour Cauliflower is gonna be your new fav.
I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a review and comment below. Also show ALDI and I some love and tag us on Instagram or Facebook @HealthyLittleVittles @aldiusa #healthylittlevittles #ALDILove. Until we chat again…
Sweet & Sour Cauliflower
A delicious, easy weeknight meal the whole family will love! This Sweet & Sour Cauliflower features battered and baked sesame cauliflower, pineapple, peppers tossed in gluten-free sweet and sour sauce then served over brown rice. A perfect vegan + gluten-free meal ready in just 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1/2 head cauliflower
- 6 small (mini) bell peppers
- 2 cups fresh pineapple, diced (1/2 a medium pineapple)
- 1 cup Fusia Asian Sweet & Sour Stir Fry Sauce
- 1.5 cups brown rice (cooked in 3 cups of water)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Cauliflower batter
- 4 cups liveGfree Black Sesame Brown Rice Crisps, makes 1 cup ground into flour
- 2/3 cup arrowroot powder/flour (or cornstarch)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup aquafaba (brine from a can of chickpeas)
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons water
Garnishes
- green onions
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
- Wash and dice all your produce.
**NOTE: you want your cauliflower bites to be medium-sized, not too large, but not too small. - Cook your rice according to package directions. While the rice is cooking, make your cauliflower batter.
- In your food processor/blender, blend the black sesame crisps until you reach a fine, flour-like consistency. Then add the arrowroot and baking powder and blend for a couple minutes more.
**NOTE: you want your "flour" to be as fine as possible - no crisp chunks. - Empty the flour into a medium bowl and then add the aquafaba and water. Stir until a paste-like batter forms. If you need more water, add it little bits at a time, but you want the batter to be thick like glue so it sticks to the cauliflower florets.
- Dip your cauliflower florets in the batter, coating all the way and then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake the cauliflower for 20 minutes.
- While the cauliflower is baking, heat a large skillet to medium and add the olive oil.
- Add the sliced/diced peppers and sauté for about 5-7 minutes until they start to soften.
- Add the pineapple to the skillet and sauté an additional 5-7 minutes.
- Add the sweet & sour sauce to the skillet and toss to combine.
- When the cauliflower is done, carefully add it to the skillet and stir to coat with the sweet & sour sauce.
- Spoon some rice in your bowl(s), then top with the cauliflower mixture.
- Garnish with fresh green onions and sesame seeds if desired.
Notes
**This post is sponsored by ALDI.
The Healthy Little Vittles blog provides general information and discussions about health, health foods, nutritional content and value, and related subjects from time to time. Read the health disclaimer for more information.
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About the author
Gina Fontana
Gina Fontana is a certified health coach, recipe developer, food photographer, published author, and blogger. Her own personal health challenges led her to a gluten-free, vegan, plant-based lifestyle where she found significant improvement in her symptoms. Her passion and mission is to now share that with others who also need (or want) to pursue a healthier lifestyle.
