3 Cauliflower Dishes To Bring To All of Your Summer Picnics

{This post is sponsored by ALDI. All opinions are my own}

Cauliflower isn’t usually the first thing on your list when you think of a summer picnic. But, I’ve got three dishes made with cauliflower that are sure to make your mouth water and bring the party to the picnic.

Clearly, I enjoy shopping at ALDI. I’ve shopped and saved for the ingredients in many of the amazing recipes featured on Angelica In The City over the last couple of weeks. Click here to find a location in your neighborhood! Go ahead, indulge in these delicious recipes with the freshest, most delicious ingredients from ALDI.

General Tso’s Cauliflower

Serves 6-8

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the General Tso’s Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 knob of ginger, grated
• ½ cup Chef’s Cupboard chicken or vegetable broth
• ½ cup Fusia soy sauce
• ⅓ cup rice vinegar
• ¼ cup Baker’s Corner granulated sugar (more to taste)
• 2 tablespoons Happy Harvest tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1-2 tablespoons of cold water

For the Batter:

• 1 cup Baker’s Corner flour
• ⅔ cup cornstarch
• 1½ teaspoons Baker’s Corner baking powder
• 2 teaspoons Stonemill iodized salt
• 4 SimplyNature organic cage-free eggs
• water as needed (about ½ cup)

Other Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
• a deep layer of oil for frying
• scallions and sesame seeds for topping

INSTRUCTIONS

• General Tso’s Sauce: Heat the sesame oil in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Add the ginger and garlic and stirfry for a minute or two. Add remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. Bring to a low boil; simmer for another 20-30 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Add more sweetness, citrus, etc. to your taste.
• Cauliflower Batter: Whisk all the batter ingredients until a loose batter forms. The batter should be thick enough to cling to the cauliflower and cover it but stay loose enough to easily drip off (adjust thickness with water).
• Cauliflower Frying: Pour oil into a heavy bottomed skillet to make it deep enough so it will cover the cauliflower about halfway (probably ends up being a few cups). Heat the oil over medium heat. Drop a small bit of batter in the oil to test it – when it rises to the top and bubbles, the oil is ready. Dip cauliflower florets in the batter and let the excess drip off before gently setting in the oil. Fry for a few minutes on each side, then flip, repeating sides several times if necessary until you get a nice golden brown fried exterior.

Serving: Toss the fried cauliflower with the sauce, sprinkle with scallions (if desired) and sesame seeds for serving. Serve with rice.

 

Buffalo Cauliflower (a plant based alternative for Hot Wings)

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• • 1 head cauliflower (cut into florets)
  • 1 ½ cups Friendly Farms plain soy or almond milk
  • 1 ½ cups plus 1 tablespoon chickpea flour
  • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 2 tablespoons Stonemill onion powder
  • 2 tbsp of SimplyNature organic garlic powder
  • SimplyNature organic cayenne pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons cashew cream or non-dairy yogurt

 

• ⅔ cup Burman’s hot sauce

 

Cashew Cream Ingredients

• 2 cups Specially Selected cashews
• 1 ¼ cup water
• 2 cloves garlic

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Whisk nondairy milk, flour, nutritional yeast, onion and garlic powder, and cayenne pepper to a thick pancake-like batter.
• Dip florets into batter, and place on baking sheet. (If your cauliflower head is huge, you may need to double the batter and wing sauce.)
• Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown, crispy, and fork-tender inside.
• Meanwhile, whisk cashew cream (or yogurt) with hot sauce and a few dashes of garlic powder.

Cashew Cream Instructions

• Place cashews in a bowl.
• Cover with water and soak for about 2 hours.
• Drain and rinse thoroughly.
• Place soaked cashews in the bowl of a food processor or blender with the water, garlic, and salt.
• Puree until very, very smooth.
• Thin out with more water to desired consistency.
• Toss baked florets with cashew cream/hot sauce mixture until coated.
• SERVE!

 

Roasted Cauliflower Steaks

Servings: 4-6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large cauliflower
• 1 large SimplyNature organic cage free egg
• 2 tablespoons Friendly Farms organic milk
• 1/4 cup Baker’s Corner all-purpose flower
• 3/4 cup panko breakcrumbs
• 1/4 cup Priano Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• Stonemill iodized salt and freshly ground Stonemill pepper to taste
• Oil mister or cooking spray
• Chopped chives or parsley (about 1/4 cup, but no need to be precise)
• 1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 400ºF and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Using a sharp chef’s knife, trim the leaves from the bottom of the cauliflower and cut off the very bottom of the stem. Cut the cauliflower in half down the middle, through the stem. Take one half of the cauliflower and cut it into 3/4 to 1-inch slices—you should end up with 2-3 steaks, with some florets falling from the sides. Repeat with the other half of the cauliflower.
• Whisk together the egg and milk in a wide, shallow bowl with enough room to dip the cauliflower steaks. Pour the flour onto a large plate and combine the panko, Parmesan, mustard powder, salt and pepper on a second large plate.
• Dredge the cauliflower steaks in the flour, dip them in the egg mixture, and then press them into the panko mixture. Use your hands to make sure the cauliflower is fully coated on all sides with each. Place the steaks on the prepared baking sheet and spray liberally with oil.
• Bake the steaks for 15 minutes, then flip them over and spray them with more oil. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown with tender florets. Sprinkle with chopped herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice before serving.