HONEY GARLIC BAKED CAULIFLOWER

Crunchy baked breaded cauliflower pieces are coated with honey garlic sauce. It’s an easy and delicious weeknight meal.

Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 small head of cauliflower, cut into bite sized florets
2 cups panko bread crumbs (I use these)
cooking oil spray
2 large eggs, whisked
2 scallions, finely sliced

FOR THE SAUCE: (DOUBLE IF NEEDED, SEE NOTES)

6 tbsp honey
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp onion powder
6 tbsp water + 2 tsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1/2 tbsp sriracha sauce

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread panko crumbs in a thin even layer across the surface of the baking sheet. Spray panko crumbs with cooking oil spray. Bake crumbs about 5-7 minutes or until golden brown.
Set whisked eggs aside in a small bowl. Line another large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Dip cauliflower in egg mixture and then shake a few times so that excess egg drips off. You don't want to dampen your breadcrumbs with excess egg because then they won't stick to the cauliflower. Then place into sheet with panko crumbs. Cover cauliflower with panko, pressing the crumbs gently against the cauliflower to help them stick. Place coated cauliflower on empty prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all cauliflower is coated.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until cauliflower is cooked and the coating is a dark golden brown.
While the cauliflower is cooking, make sauce on the stove. In a small bowl, completely dissolve cornstarch in water and set aside.
Add all sauce ingredients except the cornstarch + water to a small pot or saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and stir a few times until ingredients are mixed. This should only take a few seconds. Then add cornstarch water to the sauce. Stir immediately to dissolve cornstarch into the sauce. Stir occasionally and let sauce come to a simmer (make sure to stir otherwise the cornstarch will clump up) and cook until sauce starts to thicken (about 2 minutes).
Allow sauce to cool a few minutes and thicken even more. Drizzle over cauliflower. If you wish to completely coat cauliflower in sauce, it's best to double the sauce and brush it on with a pastry brush. Garnish with scallions.

NOTES

You most likely won't need all of the panko breadcrumbs, but to ensure the cauliflower is completely coated it's easier to start with more than you need. The nutrition estimate was calculated with 1 cup of panko and does not include the excess.
The recipe above makes just enough sauce to drizzle over a small head's worth of cauliflower florets. If you are using a medium or large head of cauliflower or you wish to coat the cauliflower completely in sauce, you should double the sauce.
If you make any adjustments to the sauce (i.e. add more soy sauce or other liquids) you may need to also add more cornstarch to thicken the sauce. Remember to dissolve any additional cornstarch in a little water before adding it.

Recipes by kirbiecravings.com.