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Crispy Honey Lemon Cauliflower on Chili and Garlic Stir Fried Zoodles

[heart_this] · Feb 18, 2015 · 26 Comments

Crispy Honey Lemon Cauliflower on Chili and Garlic Stir Fried Zoodles

Crispy fried cauliflower in a tasty honey and lemon sauce served over a bed of tender zucchini noodles.

After recently making the crispy parmesan cauliflower bites I could not help but think that crispy cauliflower could be used in other recipes and the thing the that stuck out in my mind was using it to replace the meat in a Chinese style dish like honey lemon chicken. Normally when I am making a Chinese style dish where the meat is coated and fried until crispy I take a lighter approach and use simple sauteed meat but since the meat in this case is actually cauliflower I thought that it would be alright to indulge a bit and go with the crispy coating. The honey lemon sauce is super quick and easy to make starring, you guessed it, honey and lemon along with some other Chinese style sauce staples including soy sauce, garlic and ginger. You will definitely never miss the meat in this dish as the crispy cauliflower is absolutely amazing in the tasty honey lemon sauce!
I served the crispy honey lemon cauliflower over a bed of zucchini noodles stir fried with some garlic and a touch of chili heat to keep things nice and light.

Crispy Honey Lemon Cauliflower on Chili and Garlic Stir Fried Zoodles
Crispy Honey Lemon Cauliflower on Chili and Garlic Stir Fried Zoodles
Crispy Honey Lemon Cauliflower on Chili and Garlic Stir Fried Zoodles
Feel free to serve the honey lemon cauliflower over rice if you wish but the zoodles are so good!

Crispy Honey Lemon Cauliflower on Chili and Garlic Stir Fried Zoodles

Crispy Honey Lemon Cauliflower on Chili and Garlic Stir Fried Zoodles

Crispy Honey Lemon Cauliflower on Chili and Garlic Stir Fried Zoodles

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes Servings: 4

Crispy fried cauliflower in a tasty honey and lemon sauce served over a bed of tender zucchini noodles.

ingredients
    For the crispy cauliflower:
  • 1 medium cauliflower, cut into bite sized florets
  • 1/2 cup flour (gluten-free for gluten-free)
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (gluten-free for gluten-free)
  • oil for frying
  • For the stir fried zoodles:
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
  • 3 medium zucchini, cut into noodles
  • For the honey lemon sauce:
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice (~1/2 lemon)
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)
  • 1/4 cup vegetable broth or chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon chill sauce such as sambal oelek or sriracha
  • 1 clove garlic, grated
  • 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • For the meal:
  • 1/4 cup green onions, sliced
directions
    For the crispy cauliflower:
  1. Working in batches dredge the cauliflower florets in the flower, dip into the eggs, and coat in the breadcrumbs before frying them in oil heated to medium-high (~350F/180C) until golden brown and setting them aside on paper towels to drain.
  2. For the stir fried zoodles:
  3. Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the garlic and cook until just fragrant, about 30 seconds, add the zucchini noodles and saut?© until just tender, about 2-3 minutes.
  4. For the honey lemon sauce:
  5. Heat a pan over mediumh heat, add the mixture of the honey, lemon juice, soy sauce, broth, chill sauce, lemon zest, garlic, ginger and the mixture of the water and the corn starch and cook until the sauce thickens, about a minute, before adding the crispy cauliflower and tossing to coat.
  6. For the meal:
  7. Serve the cauliflower immediately over the zucchini noodles garnished with green onions.
Nutrition Facts: Calories 457, Fat 21.3g (Saturated 3.3g, Trans 0g), Cholesterol 82mg, Sodium 628mg, Carbs 57.5g (Fiber 7.5g, Sugars 17g), Protein 13.5g

Nutrition by: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
Similar Recipes:
20 Minute Light Orange Chicken
Crispy Parmesan Cauliflower Bites
Honey Lemon Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry
Honey and Lime Jalapeno Chicken

Cauliflower, Chinese, Food, Gluten-free, Low-carb, Main Course, Recipe, Vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. We Are Not Martha says

    February 18, 2015 at 1:48 pm

    This is SUCH an awesome idea for a delicious vegetarian meal!

    Sues

    Reply
  2. Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says

    February 18, 2015 at 1:59 pm

    Love that you served these on zucchini noodles! Such a delicious meal Kevin!

    Reply
  3. Maria says

    February 18, 2015 at 2:14 pm

    Love this recipe! Can't wait to try it!

    Reply
  4. Julie @ Table for Two says

    February 18, 2015 at 2:31 pm

    These look amazing!! I LOVE that outer crispy crust!!

    Reply
  5. Heather Christo says

    February 18, 2015 at 2:58 pm

    this is just so cool Kevin! What an awesome Idea!

    Reply
  6. Chrissy says

    February 18, 2015 at 3:47 pm

    I have a spiralizer begging to be used. This would be perfecto for Lent. Thanks!

    Reply
  7. marla {Family Fresh Cooking} says

    February 18, 2015 at 4:27 pm

    My kids will LOVE this chicken!!

    Reply
  8. Joanne says

    February 18, 2015 at 4:29 pm

    OMG that cauliflower!! I really thought it was chicken. Definitely trying this!

    Reply
  9. Rocky Mountain Woman says

    February 18, 2015 at 11:10 pm

    What a great idea!

    Reply
  10. ben says

    February 19, 2015 at 12:47 am

    How did you make the zucchini noodles/zoodles?

    Have you ever used (sea tangle) kelp noodles? They're not quite as soft as regular noodles, even after slow-cooking for 10 hours, but they're also a nice alternative to pasta!

    Do you ever use a slow cooker for anything? I'd love to find a crock pot recipe for (fresh, not canned) tomato soup! Any suggestions?

    Reply
  11. ben says

    February 19, 2015 at 12:53 am

    Sorry, almost forgot.. what kind of wok/pan do you use to stir-fry? And would a higher smoke point oil be healthier, albeit alter the flavor slightly? I'm thinking of avocado or macadamia nut oil. Thanks!

    Reply
  12. Nancy Worster says

    February 19, 2015 at 3:15 am

    Looks Yummy. All your recipe dish photos are beautiful. Good Job! When I see a recipe with great photo it makes me want to try the recipe even more.

    Reply
  13. rancholyn says

    February 20, 2015 at 4:22 am

    All I can is WOW!

    Reply
  14. The Healthy Apple says

    February 20, 2015 at 5:49 pm

    Such a fun recipe, Kevin! LOVE this. Looks so great for a wonderful weekend.

    Reply
  15. Catherine says

    February 20, 2015 at 9:54 pm

    That is such a nice and tasty meal.

    Reply
  16. Gaby says

    February 20, 2015 at 10:46 pm

    This is right up my alley! I am dying for this lemony goodness right now!

    Reply
  17. Jenny says

    February 21, 2015 at 4:59 am

    Love these flavors Kevin! Looks great!

    Reply
  18. HipFoodie Mom says

    February 22, 2015 at 2:09 pm

    Kevin, OH MY GAWD! I love this!!! I love cauliflower and love the Asian spin here. . totally going to try this!!!

    Reply
  19. kevin says

    February 22, 2015 at 5:01 pm

    ben: I used a spiralizer but a mandoline would also work to make the zucchini noodles. I have never tried kelp noodles but now I will have to look for them! I do use a slow cooker but mostly for pulled meats, braised meats and long simmered soups. I would say that you could use a slow cooker canned tomato soup recipe and just use fresh diced tomatoes instead. (I would probably roast the tomatoes in the oven first to bring out more flavour but that would take extra time.) I am just using a cheap wok with a small flat bottom on the outside that can be used on my old electric stove. I tend to go with peanut oil for high temps but other high temp oils would also work and you would not have to worry about peanut allergies.

    Reply
  20. Kristen @ The Endless Meal says

    February 22, 2015 at 6:09 pm

    This looks incredible! I can't get over how crispy and delicious the cauliflower is. 🙂

    Reply
  21. Kate Ramos says

    March 1, 2015 at 1:23 pm

    This looks so good. I love cauliflower and how ingenious to sub it in for the meat, I'm definitely making this one tonight!

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      August 15, 2019 at 12:54 am

      You continue to amaze me! Thank you for saving my tastebuds from the daily burger or grilled chicken…one dinner at a time.

      Reply
  22. Wayne E Justason says

    August 19, 2019 at 4:31 pm

    I tried this last night and was great. I made it Vegan by substituting Flax meal mixed with water to replace the eggs. The flavors are very good.

    Reply
  23. Lexy says

    August 22, 2020 at 4:34 pm

    Do you think this would work with an Air Fryer?

    Reply
    • kevin says

      August 24, 2020 at 7:47 am

      Yes it will!

      Reply
  24. Teri says

    January 5, 2021 at 10:41 pm

    This is so good! I need to just figure out how to keep my cauliflower crispy in transit to work!

    Reply

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