The dilemma is all too familiar…Orange Chicken…it’s DELICIOUS. But, it’s deep fried and then smothered in an indescribable sweet/sour/spicy/orange-y sauce. Therefore, it’s laden with extra fat, calories, and Weight Watchers Points, and we all try to avoid it. But we can’t. Because it’s so GOOD. And if you are a vegetarian, the smell of this entree alone is enough to make you reconsider not eating meat.
What are we to do? After dealing with this dilemma on a regular basis, I decided to get experimental. And after a few Pinterest inspiration searches, and a few recipe trials and errors, the end result is this delicious Orange Cauliflower, a vegetarian’s version of orange-flavored chicken. By subbing out the chicken with cauliflower florets, you still get all the flavors you love, but in a much healthier package. And for those of you who don’t like vegetables, this Weight Watchers Recipe is a FANTASTIC way to eat them!
It tastes NOTHING like cauliflower. And while it doesn’t taste exactly the same as the restaurant version, it’s pretty spectacular. So for all, you orange chicken junkies out there, and for you vegetarians who’ve always wanted to eat it, this Weight Watchers Orange Cauliflower is your ticket. Just 4 Points per serving, too! Enjoy.
Orange Cauliflower Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium head of cauliflower - chopped into florets
- 1 small red bell pepper - seeded and diced
- 1 small green pepper - seeded and diced
- 3 green onions - diced
- 4 garlic cloves - minced
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- 4 tbsp corn starch - divided
- 1/4-1/2 cup water
- 1 inch fresh ginger - finely minced or grated
- ¾ cup fat free broth - vegetable or chicken
- ½ cup orange juice - freshly squeezed is best
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- ¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 1-2 tbsp Sriracha sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400, and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat. Mist with a nonfat cooking spray.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour, 2 tbsp cornstarch, a bit of salt & pepper, and enough water to make a thick batter. It should be thick enough to evenly coat the florets, and not thin enough that it runs off entirely.
- Dip each floret into the batter, gently shake off the excess, then place onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Place in oven, and bake until golden brown, and tender, about 15-20 minutes. The crust should be slightly crisped. Remove from oven and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the broth, orange juice, zest, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, and Sriracha sauce.
- Prepare a cornstarch mixture with the remaining 2 tbsp cornstarch and 2 tbsp water.
- Heat sesame oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add in red and green peppers, and saute until slightly tender, about 2 minutes.
- Add in garlic and ginger, and cook for another minute.
- Pour in the broth and orange juice mixture, and bring to a boil. Then, turn to medium-low heat, and slowly pour in the prepared cornstarch/water mixture., constantly stirring until the sauce thickens, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the cooked peppers and cauliflower, and mix well. Cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped green onions and serve.
5 Comments
What type of vinegar would you recommend? Rice vinegar?
I’m excited to prepare this dish, but the directions are confusing. When cooking the peppers, what sauce gets added? Because a few steps down the instructions say to pour in the broth mixture. Isn’t that the sauce? Thanks for your help. Fingers crossed that someone can clear this up for me to make it today. All my veggies are cut and ready!
Oh geez…that was a typo! The “sauce” was supposed to say “sauté”. Thanks for catching that!
The flavor in this dish is amazing! Nice and spicy.
However, I would have liked the cauliflower to have a less “floury” taste. Would you recommend letting the batter sit a little bit before dipping the cauliflower?
I also discovered that smaller florets do better – the cauliflower is cooked a little more.
Will definitely make again – thank you so much for this recipe!
Wendy
This looks great I’m going to make this tonight!