Roasted cauliflower salad with a lemon herb dressing. Nutty quinoa mixed with roasted cauliflower and chickpeas. Great for batch cooking and making in advance. This salad is packed full of nutrients and tasty ingredients, with everything you need to fill you up and keep you feeling satisfied for the rest of the day.
Pre heat oven to 200 degrees C. Remove the outer green leaves from the cauliflower and use a large knife to chop the florets off the main stem and then chop into smaller bitesized pieces.
Place chopped cauliflower florets in a bowl along with the drained chickpeas, oil, salt and pepper and lemon juice.
Toss together well with your hands then transfer to a baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, shuffling the mixture half way through.
Whilst the cauliflower is cooking place the quinoa in small saucepan with a wedge of lemon and covered with double the amount water. Place the pan on a medium heat and bring to the boil, then place on a lid and simmer for 15 minutes.
With the cauliflower in the oven and the quinoa cooking in the pan, the dressing can be prepared. In a small bowl or container mix together the oil, mustard, creme fraiche, parsley, salt and lemon juice. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
After the quinoa has been simmering for 15 minutes, take off the heat but do not remove the lid. Set to one side and leave with the lid on for 10 minutes.
When the cauliflower is cooked remove from the oven and transfer to a large bowl. Once the quinoa has been sitting for 10 minutes, remove the lid and discard the wedge of lemon. Fluff up the quinoa with a fork and then add to the bowl alongside the cauliflower. Next add the chopped apple, hazelnuts, fresh parsley and half of the dressing.
Mix together well then serve with the remaining dressing.
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Notes
Why should I roast the cauliflower? This recipe makes the most of the roasted flavour of cauliflower. Boiling cauliflower will cook it, but it won't have the same flavour as roasted cauliflower. Roasting cauliflower not only locks in flavour but also lock in its nutrients.How to store? This salad is excellent for a bit of meal prep. Once made, place in one large bowl and cover or divide up into sealable containers. Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Great for making up on a Sunday and having ready for weekday lunches or as a side for your evening meals.TIPS:
Cut cauliflower up on the tray that you intend to roast it on so that the bits of cauliflower are caught on the tray (makes it quicker and easier when cleaning up).
Roughly chop the cauliflower into bit size chunks. Try not to chop into tiny pieces as these can become mushy upon cooking.
Chop the apple up just before mixing into the salad to keep it fresh and prevent any browning.
The dressing for this recipe takes seconds to put together and really does transform the salad. The more you make - the better!! Place all the dressing ingredients into a small dish and mix together with a spoon...... Super easy and very tasty. I like to mix half of the dressing directly into the salad and leave the other half to drizzle on top.