Very Vegan: Roasted Cauliflower Fattoush
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The New Vegan, a collection of recipes from dedicated herbivore Aine Carlin, is a far cry from the crunchy tomes of yesteryear. Bring your vegan repertoire up to date with this vibrant, flavor-packed recipes that don't force traditional animalistic fare into a unwilling mold. All these recipes are spot-on delicious, so try this cauliflower fattoush on for size.
Salads don't have to be dull and boring. All they need is a little tender loving care (and perhaps the odd dash of spice) to really bring them to life. Here, I'm talking "in yer face" roasted cauliflower florets paired with toasted pita pieces and a creamy tahini dressing that will end your limp leaf memories and catapult you into what I've dubbed "21st Century Eating." That's where we have our cake (or in this case,salad) and eat it... flavor, texture, and freshness combined — there's very little not to like about this recipe. So much so, I'd happily serve it for lunch, dinner, and even at parties — it never fails to get a bounty of enthusiastic "mmms" and "wows." Now, when's the last time you heard that said about a salad?
- 1 small cauliflower
- 1 little gem lettuce
- 5 to 6 cherry tomatoes
- 1/3 large cucumber
- 5 to 6 radishes
- 2 pitas
- 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 teaspoon agave nectar
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chili paste from a jar (e.g. sambal oelek)
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon agave nectar
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons hummus
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 teaspoon agave nectar
- juice of 1/2 lime
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the cauliflower florets in a baking dish. Whisk the marinade ingredients together, along with some seasoning, to form a smooth paste and pour over the cauliflower florets. Toss together until everything is coated and bake for about 45 minutes or until nicely browned.
- Put the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and radishes in a large bowl. Whisk the chile dressing ingredients together and pour about one-third over the salad. Mix together.
- Lightly toast or grill the pitas and cut into triangular bite-sized pieces. Drizzle over about onethird of the chile dressing and add to the salad bowl.
- Finely chop the parsley, cilantro, and mint together on a clean cutting board and sprinkle two thirds over the salad bowl ingredients. Gently mix.
- Whisk the tahini sauce ingredients together with 1/4 cup water until smooth, adding more water if necessary.
- Remove the roasted cauliflower from the oven and lightly season with some sea salt. Add to the salad and gently toss. Serve in a bowl, drizzle with the tahini dressing and a smattering of smoked paprika, and garnish with the remaining parsley, cilantro, and mint.