Every time I am at the mall and I pass Panda Express, I always die over the smell of their infamous Orange Chicken. That used to be a regular choice for my cheat meals when I wasn't a vegetarian and I actually miss it sometimes! What I don't miss is all the crud they put in the chicken that would always make my stomach so upset after eating it. I know that cauliflower is used as a substitute for a lot of meat in vegetarian dishes and I thought, why couldn't in replace chicken in an orange chicken dish. From all my years in the kitchen and my many experimentations, I can almost nail down all the non-artificial ingredients in an orange chicken recipe. I think I hit the nail on the head with this one. Even my 5 year old was asking for more :) Enjoy!
Cauliflower Orange "Chicken"
Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp corn starch
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup green onion, sliced
brown rice for serving
In a large pot, add chopped cauliflower. Fill the bottom of the pot with 1 inch of water. Cover and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender. Drain excess water.
While the cauliflower is cooking, in a large pan, combine orange juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, white vinegar, garlic and ginger. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix corn starch and water. Add 1-2 tablespoons of corn starch mixture to the pan with the orange sauce mixture. Mix and allow to simmer and thicken for 1 minute.
Gently toss drained cauliflower and green onions in the pan with the orange sauce. Allow to cook for 1 minute to make sure cauliflower is evenly coated in orange sauce. Serve over brown rice with additional green onions if desired.
