CELEBRATION SALAD | roasted spiced cauliflower, almond, mint & pomegranate with a creamy tahini dressing

This salad is SO tasty and such a good looking crowd pleaser. It feels quite festive with its beautiful bright colours and delicious middle eastern inspired flavours. 

It actually came about after I was trailing a whole roast cauliflower recipe and realised that it does take quite a while to roast a whole cauliflower, which got me thinking that taken to a gathering it is unlikely be hot by the time it's enjoyed. So I decided to make a salad version instead - genius! And it's so much easier to serve too. 

At the bottom of this post I have shared some ideas for swaps and additions in the cooks notes. It's worth a read as this salad is so good with plenty of ingredients that you may already have on hand. Enjoy!

x Harry 

Serves: 4 (or more as a side) 
Prep time: 20 minutes 
Cook time: 1 hour 

CAULIFLOWER
2 large cauliflower, broken into florets
2 tablespoons olive oil 
3 teaspoons ground cumin 
2 teaspoons ground turmeric 
1/2 teaspoon salt 

DRESSING
1/2 cup plant-based milk of choice, I used oat 
4 tablespoons hulled tahini 
juice of one lemon (a juicy one) 
2 teaspoons maple syrup 
1 clove garlic, peeled 


SALAD
1/2 cup raw almonds 
1 pomegranate
1 1/2 cups (240 g) cooked brown lentils, drained and rinsed
1 cup fresh mint 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius fan-forced (200 degrees conventional). 

In a large mixing bowl combine olive oil, salt and spices and mix well. Add the cauliflower florets and coat in spice and oil mixture. 

Line two large trays with non-stick baking paper and spread cauliflower over both trays. Place in the oven for 1 hour, pausing to stir a few times (I like to set my timer for 15 minutes, stir and reset the timer for another 15).

Add the almonds to a fry pan and gently toast over a low heat. Once toasted, set aside to cool for a minute before roughly chopping. 

Remove the seeds of the pomegranate and drain and rinse the lentils. 

Make your dressing by combining all of the ingredients in your blender. Pulse then blend until smooth and creamy. 

To plate this delicious salad I like to use a large serving platter. Evenly spread out half of the roasted cauliflower, almonds, pomegranate, lentils, mint and dressing. Repeat this process and voila, you have yourself a super colourful crowd pleasing and hearty veggie-full salad!   

COOKS NOTES

GENERAL:

Whole roasted cauli - If you would like to make this into a whole roasted cauli dish, I definitely suggest making it for visitors at home so that you can serve it straight out of the oven. It looks so pretty and is a great addition to a spread if you are hosting a potluck dinner too! With all of the same ingredients follow the recipe as is, but instead of preparing the cauliflower to roast in florets, cut the base off the cauliflower. Sit it base down on a baking paper-lined tray and coat in the oils and spices. Roast in the oven for 90 minutes, checking every now and then. I used a skewer or a thin knife to check when it's done. If it goes right through with no resistance it's perfect and ready. To plate this version I like to pour the dressing onto a large plate, pop the cauliflower on top and sprinkle with the other ingredients. Then cut into sections!  


SWAPS:

Almonds - You can use any toasted nut. Macadamias and walnuts would be my pick. 

Nut free - Try toasting some seeds instead. Pumpkin, sunflower or sesame seeds would all be delicious. That element of crunch is really nice in this salad so for a nut and seed free option try toasting some buckwheat kernels or even roasting some chickpeas. YUM! 

Cauliflower - If you are not a fan of cauliflower, this would also be SO delicious with some eggplant!

Lentils - - If you do not have lentils handy, some chickpeas are a yummy and hearty addition. 

Pomegranate - For that sweet element, instead of fresh pomegranate you can also use dried cranberries or even currents. SO GOOD! 

Mint - Coriander and parsley both work really well in this salad. 


ADDITIONS:

A nice addition if you want to add a salty or tangy element, are either capers or pickled red onion.