WHAT IS VEGAN ORANGE CAULIFLOWER?

We’ve all heard of (and possibly tried) the famous Chinese orange chicken dish. It’s sticky, saucy and absolutely slammin’ with flavour! Since I don’t eat meat, I wanted to sub the chicken for a plant-based ingredient, and what’s more versatile than the humble cauliflower?! Nothing is – cauliflower wins, hands down.

Personally, I am in love with this dish and most dishes with cauliflower as the star. Eat it with rice, some green onions and your choice of protein – vegan or not!

THE INGREDIENTS

Although this recipe may seem intimidating, the ingredients and method are truly simple. I add a medium head of cauliflower to the batter (as outlined below), bake it, and then quickly coat it in the sauce after they are baked through.

The batter:

• Whole wheat flour
• Paprika
• Salt & pepper
• Plant-based milk

The Sauce:

• Juice from an orange
• Soy sauce or tamari
• Maple syrup, agave or honey (if not vegan)
• Garlic
• Rice vinegar
• Cornstarch

HOW TO MAKE STICKY VEGAN ORANGE CAULIFLOWER

After you have washed, dried and broken up your cauliflower into florets, you will want to coat them in the batter. Whisk together the flour, spices and milk, and dump the florets into the smooth mixture, coating fully. Spread them out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, turning halfway.

While the cauliflower bakes, mix the sauce ingredients together and add to a hot pan with some sesame oil. Create a slurry with the cornstarch and some water and add it to the sauce with the baked cauliflower. It will get nice and thick and ooey and gooey. It’s like a saucy, boneless chicken wing, minus the chicken. So good!

OTHER CAULI-FORWARD RECIPES

Sumac Roasted Cauliflower (a crowd-pleaser!)

Hot and Sweet Cauliflower Wings (an amazing substitution for regular wings)

Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower (AS good as mashed potatoes)

Easy Creamy Cauliflower Soup (perfect for a cold winter day)

TOOLS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

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Sticky Vegan Orange Cauliflower

Serving size: 4-5

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 medium head of cauliflower, washed, dried and cut into florets
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 1/4 cup plant-based milk (I use oat milk)
• juice of one orange
• 1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tbsp maple syrup (or honey, if not vegan)
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. For the batter: Whisk together the flour, paprika, salt, pepper and milk until smooth. Coat each cauliflower floret in the batter and shake off any extra. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, turning halfway through. While the cauliflower is baking prepare the sauce.
3. For the sauce: Whisk together the orange juice, soy sauce, maple syrup, vinegar and garlic. In a separate bowl, whisk the cornstarch with two tablespoons of cold water to make a slurry.
4. Heat the sesame oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. When the cauliflower is ready, add it to the hot pan with the sauce and cornstarch slurry. Mix continuously for a minute or two – the sauce should thicken immediately. Remove from heat, sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve!

NOTES:

• This vegan orange cauliflower is great with rice and green onions

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Feeling sad about the virus during the holidays? Do what I do – spend ample amounts of money on yourself, eat endless desserts and relish in all of your glorious decorations! It will 100% make you feel better.

Firstly, let’s talk about self-love. Haven’t you ever heard, “You gotta look out for #1?!” That’s you, babe! You’re #1! This holiday, why not buy that nice blender you wanted? Or, that new piece of art for your wall? I’m not seeing the people I normally see on Christmas, meaning, I don’t need to buy them gifts, so that money has to go somewhere…right?! Right!

I actually just bought myself a nice, new mattress, and you know what?! I deserve it. If not because I work hard, than because I survived this year. If you are looking for a well-priced, well-made mattress, check out Endy. They are a Canadian company, and have endless 5-star reviews. You get $55 off your purchase by clicking here…Treat yo’self!

The holidays are also for munchin’. It’s stretchy-pant season and I’m all for it. I had every intention of delivering this cake to some family members, but NOPE. Changed my mind. I ate it instead.

I have a passion for cake decorating – it makes me happy to bring together two of my loves – art and food. For this cake, I wanted to create a clean, and fresh winter scene. The mood is meant to be bright, airy and uplifting. I love how clean and profesh (that’s short for professional…did I just make up the next trending word?!) white looks on cake. I also wanted to add a little sparkle, because it’s Christmas, so I decorated with some gold and white sprinkles to pull it all together!

In terms of the cake itself, I wanted to stay true to holiday flavours – warm and aromatic spices with subtle notes of vanilla. I chose a pear filling that screams winter. Did I mention this cake is vegan and gluten-free as well? Yaass.

Winter Pear Spice Cake with a Vanilla “Buttercream” (Vegan, GF)

Yield: A two-layer 6-inch cake

Prep time: 60 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 1 cup canned coconut milk
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp brown sugar, packed
• 1 banana, mashed
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups gluten-free flour, I use Bob’s Red Mill
• 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon, separated
• 1/2 tsp dried ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 large pear, peeled and finely diced

For the icing:

• 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 3-4 tbsp canned coconut milk

Instructions:

For the cake:

1. Grease two, 6-inch baking pans,* line with parchment paper and dust with flour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Stir coconut milk and apple cider vinegar together and set aside.
3. Wet ingredients: In a large bowl, beat 3/4 cup brown sugar with the banana and vanilla until combined.
4. Dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
5. In a few additions, alternate between adding the flour mixture and the coconut milk to the wet ingredients. Beat on medium speed until combined.
6. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake 30 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let sit in pans for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
7. While your cakes bake, combine the diced pear together with the remaining two tablespoons of brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. Let sit for at least 15 minutes.

For the icing:

1. Beat butter, shortening, vanilla and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add one cup of powdered sugar and beat on low. Continue adding sugar by the cup, along with the coconut milk, one tablespoon at a time, until you have used all of the powdered sugar. If frosting is too thick, slowly add more coconut milk. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar.

To assemble:

1. Use a serrated knife to trim the top (dome-like) part of the cakes off. Place one layer on your turntable, serving plate or cake stand, and dollop a large amount of frosting on top of it. Spread with a spatula to the edges to create an even layer of frosting, and then apply pressure in the middle with a small, offset spatula to create a “well.” You should have a “dam” around the circumference of the cake to contain the filling. Fill the well with the pear mixture. Place the second layer on top, upside down. Place another dollop of frosting on that layer and spread to the edges again. Add more icing to your spatula to cover the sides of the cake. Use a cake scraper to smooth out the icing. Serve and enjoy!

NOTES:

*Sometimes I like to create thinner layers and I use three 6-inch pans instead. If you do this, the cook time will reduce by about 10 minutes…Keep a close eye!

The post Winter Pear Spice Cake with a Vanilla “Buttercream” (Vegan, GF) appeared first on Never. Not. Eating..

Alright, I’m taking full advantage of the local produce, here in Southern Ontario. We have amazing peaches during the summer months and I’m using them today to make this caramelized peach oatmeal. Typically, I don’t eat oatmeal very often, but when I do, it needs to be topped with nuts, fruit and maple syrup. Otherwise, I won’t eat it.

So today, I bring to you, my Caramelized Peach and Pecan Oatmeal. Creamy, spiced oatmeal with soft, tender peaches and sticky maple pecans. YUM.

Let’s talk oatmeal. Because I don’t drink cow’s milk, I always make my oatmeal with plant-based milk. You can check out my Homemade Cashew milk, here. This is a really great milk choice for this recipe as it is creamy and flavoured with vanilla. Otherwise, you can use almond milk, soy, oat, or even water. Whatever you have on hand!

The best part of this recipe would have to be the toppings. Peaches and pecans are a match made in heaven. I have even seen whiskey with these two flavours infused…YUM. The peaches become soft and fork-tender when cooked down with maple syrup, some lemon juice and a pinch of salt. You could easily just eat these themselves.

Pecans are delicious naturally, but when coated in the sticky syrup, they are even better. Not to mention all of the benefits you get from eating pecans – good fats, tons of fibre, magnesium, iron and protein. Tree nuts are a vegans dream food.

Finally, I always like to top my oatmeal off with (yet another) drizzle of pure Canadian maple syrup and a pinch of cinnamon.

This one’s for you, oatmeal lovers!

Caramelized Peach and Pecan Oatmeal

Serving size: 1

Prep time: 2 minutes

Cook time: 5-8 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup plant-based milk (check out my homemade cashew milk, here)
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon, divided
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg, divided
• salt
• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1 peach, sliced into wedges
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp butter or oil of choice
• 1/4 cup raw pecans

Instructions:

1. Add milk, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of salt to a small pot over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and add the oats. Stir, bring back up to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until oats have absorbed most of the liquid and mixture has thickened.
2. To a small bowl, toss the peach slices with the lemon juice, a pinch of salt, the remaining 1/4 tsp cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg and the maple syrup.
3. Add the butter or oil to a medium pan (or cast iron skillet) over medium-high heat. When butter is hot, add in the peach slices. Cook for 3 minutes and then add the pecans. Finish cooking when the slices are fork-tender, stirring occasionally, another 2-4 minutes.
4. Scoop oatmeal into a bowl and top with the caramelized peaches and pecans. Top with extra maple syrup and a dash of cinnamon if desired.

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