BETTER-THAN-TAKE-OUT SWEET AND SOUR CAULIFLOWER FROM OUR RESIDENT VEGAN

When I was an omnivore and even as a vegetarian, my typical cauliflower dish was either served raw with dip or as a soup or with cheese sauce or garnished with browned garlic (recipe previously shared.) It wasn’t until I became a plant-based eater that I started to use cauliflower in other ways and learned how versatile this vegetable is. Now I use it as a creamy base for soups or sauces and in a variety of recipes. I have even seen recipes where it can be used in pizza crust, something I have yet to try. Today I am sharing this sweet & sour cauliflower recipe. Other vegetables can be substituted for the ones in this recipe to suit your tastes. If you prefer more protein, tofu or Beyond Meat Chickenless strips can also be added.

Sweet & Sour Cauliflower with Mixed Vegetables

Ingredients

3 T. avocado oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb of mushrooms, sliced
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 green or red pepper, diced
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 tsp ground ginger
1 19 oz. can of pineapple tidbits, drained (save juice)
3 T. rice or apple cider vinegar
¼ cup ketchup
1 T. toasted sesame oil
1 T. soy sauce
2 T. maple syrup
Reserved pineapple juice
1 T. cornstarch or tapioca flour

Directions

Dissolve 1 T. cornstarch in ¼ cup of the reserved pineapple juice, set aside for later.
In a separate cup mix ground ginger, the rest of the pineapple juice, soy sauce, ketchup, maple syrup, sesame oil and rice vinegar, set aside.

To the oil in a deep skillet over medium heat add the onions, garlic and mushrooms; cooking until onions have clarified and mushrooms are cooked. Add the cauliflower, chopped pepper, celery and pineapple tidbits and then add the pineapple juice/soy sauce/ ketchup/vinegar mixture to the skillet and simmer over low heat, covered for 5-10 minutes, depending on how well cooked you want your vegetables to be.
Remove lid and add juice-tapioca flour mixture to the pan, stirring until thick. (Make sure you re-stir the juice mixture first to ensure it is well mixed.)

This sweet & sour cauliflower is great over rice, quinoa or noodles. I served it over small roasted potatoes and it was delicious.