Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Lentils & Dates
Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Lentils and Dates
Author: Adapted from Food and Wine
Recipe type: Lunch or Dinner
A perfect fall salad
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw almonds (or ½ cup dry-roasted unsalted almonds to save time)
- 1 cup beluga or green lentils, rinsed and picked over
- 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into 1 to 1½ inch florets
- ¼ cup plus 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- Pinch of cayenne
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 Tablespoons tahini
- 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp honey
- 10 medjool dates, pitted and chopped
- ½ small red onion, sliced
- 6 cups loosely packed spinach and/or arugula
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the almonds in a pie plate and toast for 10-12 minutes, until golden (omit this step for pre-roasted almonds). Let cool, then coarsely chop. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees.
- Meanwhile, in a sauce pan, combine the lentils with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain well and cool.
- On a large rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper, toss the cauliflower pieces with ¼ cup of the olive oil and the cumin, cinnamon, ginger and cayenne; season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, turning, until the cauliflower is tender and golden.
- In a large bowl, whisk the tahini with the lemon juice, honey, the remaining 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and 2 Tablespoons of water until smooth. Add the lentils and season with salt and pepper if desired; toss to coat. Scrape the roasted cauliflower into the bowl and add the toasted almonds, dates, onion and spinach/arugula. Toss the salad, transfer to a platter and serve.
