Vegan Sweet & Sour Cauliflower Bites Meal Prep
We love Asian food. Honestly, who doesn’t? But just like other cuisines, going out to eat can sometimes mean receiving portions that are way too big, or meals that have too much sodium or calories per serving. So we wanted to blend the recent cauliflower bites phenomenon with those craveable Asian flavors to make a healthier alternative. This easy meal prep is vegan and gluten-free, without compromising any of the flavors you expect when you think of Asian food! Perfect for when you’re craving takeout, or are just looking for something new for work lunches.
The once-dreaded cauliflower is now the king of grain-free eating. Remember when it was everyone’s least favorite vegetable? These days you’ll find it in pizza crusts, as a rice substitute, under buffalo sauce, and as varying delicious versions of cauliflower bites. We love these as a healthy vessel for all kinds of sauces and flavor treatments. The secret to successful cauliflower dishes is getting the right amount of moisture, which is typically little to none. If you’re making cauliflower bites and they’re not coming out crispy enough, try patting and drying your cauliflower with paper towels before cooking, or leaving it a bit longer in the oven. The tell-tale texture of successfully cooked cauliflower bites is a crunch!
Pro Tips:
We’re pretty excited about the homemade sweet and sour sauce in this easy meal prep. Caramel color, preservatives, and loads of sugar and sodium are common in store-bought versions. With zero added sugars (only what’s present in ketchup and maple syrup), our DIY version is a lot lighter and cleaner, but still just as tasty. Plus we chose apple cider vinegar as the tang component for this Chinese classic, an ingredient that has supportive and curative effects on our digestive systems and inflammatory responses. You know we love to come up with easy meal preps that are also loaded with healthy (or healthier) ingredients, and these cauliflower bites are no exception!
Sweet & Sour Cauliflower Bites Meal Prep Ingredients:
1 large head of cauliflower, broken into large florets
2 cups mixed seasonal veggies
2 TBS avocado oil
2 TBS GF flour
2 cups cooked jasmine rice
Diced scallion
SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE
2 TBS maple syrup
2 TBS Tamari lite
2 TBS apple cider vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
2 TBS ketchup
Filtered water, as needed, to thin
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauloflower broken into florets
- 2 cups mixed seasonal vegetables
- 2 tbs avocado oil
- 2 tbs gluten free flour
- 2 cups cooked jasmine rice
Sweet & Sour Sauce
- 2 tbs maple syrup
- 2 tbs Coconut Aminos
- 2 tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tbs ketchup
- Water as needed to thin sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the cauliflower to a large bowl and toss with avocado oil and GF flour.
- Add to the baking sheet with seasonal veggies and bake for 20-25 minutes, until cauliflower is tender-crisp but not soggy.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the sweet and sour sauce by adding all ingredients to a small bowl and mixing with a fork.
- Once the cauliflower is done baking, remove from the oven and toss with the sauce to lightly coat.
- To assemble, divide jasmine rice and cauliflower/veggie mixture between meal prep containers and top with diced scallions.
- Store in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Delicious recipe, but my sauce always comes out really runny! Any way I can modify the proportions (or add something) to have a thicker sauce?
Hi Christina, you can always add in some flour or tapioca starch to thicken it a bit.