Roasted Cauliflower in a Sticky Lemon Sauce with Steamed Asparagus
Skip the takeout tonight and make this Roasted Cauliflower in a Sticky Lemon Sauce instead! This easy vegan recipe is simple and ranks among my favorite vegan Chinese food options. To keep this vegan dinner healthy, I roasted the cauliflower instead of frying it and tossed it in an easy lemon sauce sweetened with maple syrup instead of honey. Then I paired this delightful vegan meal with simple steamed asparagus and brown rice.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry brown Jasmine rice
- 1 head cauliflower washed and cut into small florets
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 bunch asparagus prepared as described below
- 1 tbsp grapeseed oil plus spray (see directions below)
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp tamari
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice + zest
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 clove garlic
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425º.
- Cook the rice in accordance with package directions.
- Wash and break the cauliflower into bite-sized florets. Set up your steamer basket, being careful to ensure that the basket is not submerged in water. Bring the water to a boil and add the cauliflower florets. Steam until easily pierced with a fork. About 8 minutes.
- Put the steamed cauliflower into a colander. Gently sprinkle the cornstarch over the cauliflower and shake to remove any excess.
- Using a basting brush, lightly coat a large baking sheet with grapeseed oil. Lay the cauliflower out on the baking sheet. Then, either using the basting brush or a refillable, non-aerosol dispenser, lightly coat the top of the cauliflower pieces.
- Bake the cauliflower 30-35 minutes until golden-brown and crispy, stopping to flip the cauliflower occasionally.
- While the cauliflower is baking, prepare the sauce by combining the water, tamari, maple syrup, lemon juice, cornstarch and garlic in a mini food processor. Blend until smooth. If you don’t have a mini food processor, whisk the water and cornstarch together first in a small bowl then add the rest of the ingredients.
- When the cauliflower has approximately 10 minutes left, prepare the asparagus by washing and trimming the woody ends. If the spears are thick, consider peeling the ends of the spears (about halfway down the spear to the bottom) with a vegetable peeler to remove the tough exterior. Prepare your steamer, bringing the water to a bowl. Steam the asparagus for ~8 minutes. The finished asparagus should be bright green and firm, but able to be pierced with a fork.
- While the asparagus is steaming, add the sauce to a large skillet. Bring it to a simmer, stirring frequently. The sauce should start to thicken. Add the roasted cauliflower and gently toss the cauliflower into the sauce as it thickens. 2-3 minutes.
- Plate your dish with the Basmati rice topped with the sticky cauliflower. Add the asparagus spears as a side and sprinkle with lemon zest. Serve with additional tamari and sriracha sauce as desired.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!