Cajun Cauliflower Bowl
This Vegan Cajun Cauliflower Bowl is spicy, tangy, rich, hearty and full of perfectly baked cauliflower that is tender and juicy and has a slight sweet flavor to balance out the spicy cajun spices. Served with rice, fresh green beans and green onions and topped with a delicious Lime Tahini Sauce. The bowl is oil-free, dairy-free and totally plant-based!
Servings: 3 bowls
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) white basmati rice
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 12 oz (340g) fresh green beans
CAULIFLOWER
- 1 lb (16oz or 454g) FRESH (not frozen) cauliflower florets
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (I use my own homemade blend. See NOTES below)
- 2 teaspoons coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15g) lime juice
- 1 tablespoon (15g) water
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt (omit if your cajun seasoning has salt)
LIME TAHINI SAUCE
- 1/4 cup (64g) super runny tahini (I love the Kroger Simple Truth brand)
- 1/4 cup (60g) fresh lime juice
- 4 teaspoons (20g) water
- 2 teaspoons coconut sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (may need adjustment depending on if your tahini has salt)
- 1/2 cup fresh sliced green onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 415°F and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add the rice, 2 1/4 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a medium pot and stir well. Bring to a boil over high heat and once boiling, stir once more and cover with a lid and turn down to the lowest heat and simmer for 15 minutes until all the water is evaporated. Remove from the heat and keep covered for 10 minutes only. This will steam the rice to finish cooking and yield the perfect fluffy rice. Don't steam it longer than 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and leave the lid off.
- While the rice is cooking, prepare the cauliflower. To a small bowl, add the cajun seasoning, coconut sugar, salt, lime juice and water and whisk well.
- Add the cauliflower florets to a large bowl or large ziplock bag with the liquid spice mixture. Toss several times with a spoon to coat all the cauliflower VERY well. Or shake the bag and push the florets around from the outside of the bag, massaging them well to make sure each floret gets coated evenly with the seasoning.
- Spread the cauliflower out evenly on the lined pan. Bake for 20 minutes until tender and cooked through. Turn the broiler on and broil for 3-5 minutes for final browning and texture. Watch closely so they don't burn.
- Add the green beans to the other lined pan, season with salt and pepper and place on the rack beneath the cauliflower at the same time and cook 15-20 minutes or until desired tenderness.
- While the veggies are baking, make the lime tahini sauce by adding the listed ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Do not skip it, it completes the bowl!
- To serve, add desired amount of rice, cauliflower and green beans to bowls and serve. Garnish with the lime tahini Sauce. SO GOOD. Sprinkle the green onions on top.
Notes
- I use my own homemade Cajun seasoning recipe for this bowl since I love them more than store-bought, but you are welcome to use store-bought. Just make sure to get one without added salt. If you can only find one with added salt, that is fine, just omit the salt called for in the recipe.