This Roasted Cauliflower salad with sweet Lemon Tahini Dressing is nourishing but not heavy, and impressive without being weird or complicated. It's the dreamiest bowl of lentils and roasted cauliflower you've ever had! You can make this salad for countless occasions and it will always be just right and this SWEET TAHINI DRESSING is out of this world delicious!!!
Where my cauliflower lovers at?!
I know you’re here and I know you’re ready for this mouth full of savoury roasted cauliflower and lentils with a creamy lemony tahini POUR-ON-EVERYTHING kind of dressing. Simple to make, yet beautiful enough for the most special of occasions, and delicious enough for weeknight cooking!
This my all-time favourite salad and the dressing is lit🔥! It's sweet and tangy, it's everything you could ask for in a Middle Eastern dressing. You'll find yourself pouring this sauce on everything! Warning!!! You may find a sudden impulse to actually drink it!.
With all jokes aside, this recipe is true love in a bowl, it the perfect delicious winter dinner with little to no fuss!.
If there was ever a reason to be a little less sad that it’s still winter and you’re going to have to stay in yet again cause it's too cold outside or the outdoors look like a tundra, this would be it. cozy up with a bowl of savoury cauliflower coated in just the right amount of luxurious creamy sweet lemony tahini sauce, speckled with lentils and pockets of sweet bliss with dates and apricots.
Here’s how this is going down.
What you'll need for this cauliflower salad.
Cauliflower. One whole head, yes the whole thing. There's no substitute for this ingredient or you won't really be making a cauliflower salad. But if you insist on substituting it, I'm sure it will be good cause Tahini sauce makes everything taste good. 😅
Spices. a bit of cinnamon, cumin, and ginger.
Olive oil. You'll just need a drizzle for the cauliflower, before going into the oven.
Lentils. Cooked or canned will do. No judgement. You do you!
Watercress. Don't have it, can't find it, Just substitute with any spicy or savoury greens you like. Spinach, kale, arugula, or even parsley.
Almonds. Whole almonds roasted and roughly chopped, we're looking for just a bit of crunch here.
Pickled red onions. Slice a whole small onion. Cover them in red wine vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. let sit for at least 15 minutes. Easy-peeze.
Dried fruit. I used dates and apricots. You can use any dried fruit you wish, I would be interested to know any variations you've tried.
Creamy Lemon Tahini sauce. The golden elixir of Eastern Mediterranean food. It's my everything sauce. The variations are endless, but I went with my favourite version style for this recipe. Tahini, olive oil, honey, garlic, lemon, and red wine vinegar.
That's it, my friends, just some simple ingredients from your pantry and you're on your way to make this dreamy creamy bowl of goodness.
How to make this dreamy cauliflower bowl.
First, we going to core and cut the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. Place the cauliflower into a large bowl. Drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle with the spices. Message the spices on to all of the cauliflower. Every piece should be coated.
Secondly, Add the cauliflower to a sheet pan and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.
Thirdly, Add lentil to the bowl the cauliflower was in. No need to dirty another bowl. Mix in the dried fruit and cooked cauliflower.
Finally, time to assemble. Get out your favourite large bowl. Add a handful of watercress then top with cauliflower mixture. Add a healthy amount of tahini, don't be shy here! Top with pickled onions, almonds, and bit more greens for that eye-pleasing effect only green can give brown food.
Oh yes, we did. Bring it in. Group hug.
If I haven't convinced you enough yet to try this salad here's a little more encouragement. 😉
This roasted cauliflower salad is:
- awake with sweet and savoury flavours
- creamy
- extremely comforting
- satisfying and super-filling
- nutritious
- kind to your gut
- JUST SO SUPER GOOD.
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Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Creamy Lemon Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin ground
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon ground
- ½ ginger ground
- ¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 small red onion pickled thinly sliced*
- 2 cups of cooked lentils
- 6 dried dates
- 6 dried apricots
- ½ cup almonds roughly chopped
- 2 cups of watercress.
Creamy Lemon Tahini Dressing:
- ⅛ cup tahini
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 3 tablespoon red wine vinegar or white balsamic
- 1 small garlic clove grated or pressed
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and prepare a baking sheet with lined paper.
- Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. Add the cauliflower to a large bowl, then drizzle the olive oil onto the cauliflower and add spices. Mix everything to ensure an even coating of spices on the cauliflower.
- Add the cauliflower to a sheet pan. Make sure to give the cauliflower space so it doesn't steam well it's baking. You want nice crispy florets!
- Bake for 15 -20 minutes or until the cauliflower is softened and golden in colour.
- Once cauliflower is finished baking allow to cool for 5 minutes. NOT too long, you want to eat it when it's still warm.
- Meanwhile. It's time to make your lemony tahini dressing. Add all of the tahini dressing ingredients into a mini blender and blitz until smooth. If you don't have a blender, add all of the ingredients into a small bowl and mix well.
- Find your favourite large salad bowl, add the cooked lentils, and watercress to the bowl. Then add the cauliflower. Top the cauliflower with dried fruits, almonds and pickled onions.
- Drizzle the tahini dressing on the salad just before eating.
- Enjoy with a loved one.
Notes
- If you wish to eat this salad at a later time, like the next day for lunch. Store the watercress & pickled onions separate from the cauilflower, lentils, dried fruit, and nut mixture. This way you can heat the salad up and then add the watercress, pickles, and tahini sauce.
- Quick Pickled Onion: Thinly slice 1 whole red onion. Cover in the onion in red wine vinegar and add 1 tablespoon salt. Allow to sit at least 15 minutes. I usually start making the pickles first.
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