Sticky Sesame Cauliflower Bowls

Are there any recipes you've repeatedly thought about making, but never have?  This sticky sesame cauliflower is 100% one of those recipes for me.  I've seen these recipes time and time again and have thought they looked delicious, but never wanted to go to Whole Foods to buy the ingredients, so I've never made it.  I was finally inspired to make it though since I knew I was going to Whole Foods anyways, so here we go!  There's something about fresh ginger that I just can't get behind - I always end up with a ton of leftover ginger that just sits around until it goes bad and I don't feel like I can taste the ginger in recipes with such bold flavors.  So naturally, I nixed it from the recipes I looked up for this cauliflower.  I also can't seem to make simple meals so I had to throw in some edamame and bok choy too.  The bok choy brings a great freshness to the dish and the edamame a pop of sweetness and protein. 

The first recipe I looked up for sticky sesame cauliflower called for frying the cauliflower which I was just SO opposed to.  Not only is it unnecessary and unhealthy, but I also didn't want to waste that much oil.  So I scanned through a few more recipes and came across this one that called for baking the cauliflower (recipe here).  And you know what’s funny about this recipe? I had all the ingredients in my pantry all along! I bought a very large head of cauliflower from Trader Joe’s to make this recipe, so I ended up doubling it, which I highly recommend. The flavor of the sauce is so amazing, you’re going to want to eat more of this recipe.

Total Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 3

Ingredients:

For the Bowl:

2 cups cauliflower florets

2 heads bok choy, thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups rice, cooked

1 cup edamame

For the Batter:

1/2 cup flour

3 tbs corn starch

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup water

2 tsp sesame oil

For the Sauce:

2 tsp sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup maple syrup or coconut sugar

1 1/2 tbs rice vinegar

2 tsp cornstarch

1/4 cup cold water water

1 tbs sriracha

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425° F.
2. Wash and dry the cauliflower. In a mixing bowl, add the batter ingredients except for the water.  Slowly add water until you have a pancake batter like consistency.
3. Toss cauliflower in the batter until coated and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 30 minutes.
4. While the cauliflower is baking, make the sauce.  Add sesame oil and garlic to a large pan and cook for 1-2 minutes, until garlic is fragrant.  Add soy sauce, maple syrup and rice vinegar and bring to a boil.  Mix cornstarch with water and add to the pan, bringing back to boil. 
5. Remove the sauce from the heat and brush over baked cauliflower florets.  Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes to achieve desired consistency.
6. Serve cauliflower over rice with edamame and chopped bok choy.  Optional: top with more sriracha and/or sesame seeds.