BANG BANG BROCCOLI

My husband thought I was crazy having this for “breakfast” one day but I love starting my day with a spicy bang! Besides, “breaking the fast” for me is around 11AM since I usually only eat 2 meals per day in an 8 hour window.

The recipe is by Lauren Hartmann at “Rabbit and Wolves” blog: Vegan Bang Bang Broccoli. I made a couple of changes to make it healthier and baked the broccoli instead of frying it in oil. I don’t have an air fryer or could have used that.

You can watch these 2 videos by Dr. Michael Greger to learn more about “time-restricted feeding” where you only eat within a certain number of hours each day:

Time-Restricted Eating Put to the Test

The Benefits of Early Time-Restricted Eating

BANG BANG BROCCOLI

Ingredients

Bang Bang Sauce:

1/4 cup vegan oil-free “mayo” (You will probably have to make your own to have oil-free. I used homemade vegan aioli since I had some left over.)

2 Tablespoon chili paste (I used chili garlic sauce)

1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Batter:

1 cup almond milk (I used cashew milk)

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup whole grain flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon salt (I used 1/2 tsp)

2 teaspoon hot sauce (I used chili garlic sauce)

Other ingredients:

2 cups Panko bread crumbs (I used 1 1/2 cups)

1 head of broccoli (I used bagged florets until I ran out of batter)

Chives for garnish, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk together the “mayo,” chili paste/sauce and maple syrup in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. Add the apple cider vinegar to the almond milk in a small bowl and let sit for a few minutes to make vegan “buttermilk.” 

4. Combine the flour, cornstarch, and salt in a medium sized mixing bowl.

5. Add the hot sauce and almond “buttermilk” to the dry ingredients and whisk together until combined.

6. Put the panko bread crumbs in a separate bowl. (I used a “Better Breader” container.)

7. Cut broccoli into florets. Dip each floret of broccoli in the batter, then into the panko and coat thoroughly.

8. Place the coated broccoli pieces on the baking sheets so that they are not touching each other. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

9.  Serve immediately with the Bang Bang Sauce.