Thai-Style Cauliflower Lettuce Wraps
Thai chicken lettuce wraps used to be one of my favourite meals to order when going out to eat, so why not make a vegan version! The sauce really is the most important part anyways, and they turned out fantastic. This has easily become one of my new quick & easy weeknight go-to meals.
Roast the cauliflower for 30 minutes at 375 C in a little bit of sesame oil, soy sauce and garlic powder. Once it's cooked you will set it aside and add it to the other cooked ingredients and the sauce at the very end.
While the cauliflower is baking, chop your peppers, mushrooms, onion, and combine the sauce ingredients. I used natural peanut butter so when I added it to the rest of the sauce ingredients it was a bit lumpy. This is ok because once it is heated up in the pan it comes together and thickens up quite nicely.
*Always combine your cornstarch with water separately and then add it to the sauce, because this way the cornstarch won't end up lumpy. If the cornstarch is lumpy it doesn't end up smoothing out like the peanut butter will. You should do this for any sauce that calls for cornstarch.
Begin by sautéing the onions in some coconut oil for about a minute on medium heat and then add the mushrooms and peppers. Cook everything for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the baked cauliflower and the sauce and stir until everything is coated and the sauce has thickened. This won't take very long, and you can turn the heat off.
Take an iceberg lettuce leaf and put about a 1/4 cup of coleslaw mix on the bottom. If your leaves ripped a bit don't fret, you can just double them up.
Scoop the filling in the leaf on top of the coleslaw and dress up with some chopped peanuts, parsley or cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. If you aren't worried about being 100% vegan, then I suggest eating these with some crunchy egg noodles on top, but don't worry about that if you're veggie.
And there you have it! A totally vegan, healthy, and easy meal that comes together in about 45 minutes. This will serve 2 very hungry people, but they're so yummy it's tough not to go back for seconds!
*serves 2
Ingredients:
Cauliflower
1 head cauliflower, seperated into florets
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce (tamari for GF)
1 tsp garlic powder
Veggies
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
2 small bell peppers, diced
1 cup mushrooms, diced
Sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce (tamari for GF)
1 tbsp hoisin sauce (can use GF hoisin)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 tsp sweetener of choice (agave, brown sugar, honey, coconut sugar, Xylitol, Swerve, etc.)
1 tsp sweet chili sauce
1 clove crushed garlic
1/2 tsp grated ginger (or 1/4 tsp ginger powder)
1/2 tbsp corn starch (1/4 tsp xanthan gum for GF)
1/4 cup water
To serve
1 head lettuce
1 cup coleslaw mix (red & green cabbage, carrot)
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
Preheat oven to 375 C and prepare a baking sheet with parchement paper or a silicon baking mat.
Add cauliflower florets, soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic powder to a large bowl and toss until the cauliflower is coated.
Spread the cauliflower florets on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. While the cauliflower is baking, prepare the other veggies and the sauce.
Dice the onion, mushrooms and peppers and set aside.
Combine the cornstarch and water in a small measuring cup first. Whisk with a fork until the cornstarch has dissolved and there are no lumps. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and whisk with a fork. I use natural peanut butter so the sauce doesn't completely combine, but it doesn't matter because once it heats up in the pan it melts together.
Heat 1 tbsp coconut oil on medium in a large skillet and saute onions for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and peppers and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the baked cauliflower florets and the sauce to the skillet and stir for another minute or 2, until the sauce thickens and all the veggies are coated.
Serve in iceburg lettuce leaves with coleslaw mix, chopped peanuts and chopped cilantro or parsley. Enjoy!
