Korean Cauliflower

I'm not into fad diets. However, I return to macrobiotics when I feel off-balance, sluggish and in need of a healing food plan. I don't go hungry. I don't live on boring salads. When I'm in my macro-mode, I slurp my immune-boosting 5-minute Miso Mushroom Soup  or my Hearty Miso Soup With Mushrooms & Wild Rice. I make lots of simple vegetable dishes. I walk on the beach with my beagle, even in winter. I love the off-season here in New England. It's so peaceful with the sun low in the sky.

I sip Macrobiotic & Metabolism-Boosting Green Teas too. I'm not fanatical about this healing food plan. It doesn't need to be very strict to work its magic.

Macrobiotics is easy to stick to when you get creative in the kitchen. I take a small detour from strict macrobiotics by using Korean red pepper paste in this recipe. I found a great brand of Korean pepper paste. One that's all-natural, made with brown rice syrup instead of white sugar. I use this paste in a sauce to perk up cauliflower. The cauliflower is steam-fried and then topped with a Korean-sesame sauce. The sauce has powerful nutrition from tahini and nurturing probiotics from the Korean pepper paste. The creamy sauce also livens up steamed rice, fish and tofu.

On Friday, I packed this cauliflower recipe with brown rice. I also took along some nuts and seeds as a snack. It gave me the stamina I needed to get through a busy shift at the crisis center.

A fried egg or a piece of fish is also nice with this dish. Sliced avocado isn't a bad idea either. If you're interested, more of my macrobiotic recipes are found in the Recipe Index.

Korean Cauliflower Recipe 

Serves 2 with Brown Rice

Some Notes:

Natural Korean red pepper paste is wonderful. I suggest reading the labels. Many of them contain corn syrup and preservatives. Here's a link for a natural Korean red pepper paste: wholly gochujang, premium gluten-free chemical-free unpasteurized artisanal korean hot pepper paste.

Ingredients

• 1 large head of cauliflower, chopped
• 2 scallions, diced
• 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons of  well stirred tahini paste
• 3 tablespoons of Korean red pepper paste. I use Wholly Gochujang brand.
• 2 tablespoon of brown or white rice vinegar or a few squeezes of lime juice 
• 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or your preferred sweetener
• Drizzle of toasted sesame oil or Asian sesame oil
• Oil for cooking. I use a teaspoon of light olive oil for steam-frying.
• Sea salt to taste  

Instructions 

Make the sauce by combining the tahini paste, Korean red pepper paste, rice vinegar (or lime juice) and maple syrup. Stir in a tiny drizzle of sesame oil. If the sauce seems to thick, you can stir in a little water. Set aside.

Put some oil in a large fry pan. Heat the pan on medium to medium-high heat. Saute the cauliflower until tender. I often use a nonstick pan to steam-fry it. Once the cauliflower is tender, add the sesame seeds and a drizzle of sesame oil. Stir to combine. Serve the cauliflower with the scallions and the sauce. Enjoy!

Bon Appetit & Blessings!

xx ~ Jilly