Wonderfully seasoned Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Salad is so good you’ll forget your eating a mega-healthy meal! Chock-full of nutritious goodies.
Do you like having salad for lunch or dinner?
Do you get your 5 servings of fruit and veggies daily?
Well…………….. I have to be honest with you…..my family loves veggies……..I’m the hard sell on that score! I’m, “that kid”, grown up! You know, the one that feeds their veggies to the dog, under the table, when no one was looking. The kid who counted french fries as the only veggie they’d ever eat. The kid who thought jam counted as a serving of fruit! My hubby actually STILL calls me out for not eating enough fruit and veggies! I know how important nutritious food is but so often it’s just boring or it tastes yucky!!!!
So, when I eat a salad or veggies, they have to be yummy!
They have to be interesting!
They have to be SPECIAL for me to actually change my evil ways!!!! This is the kind of recipe I’m constantly on the lookout for. I know I need great nutrition. I need healthy food that I will, not only actually eat, but will also ENJOY. This recipe totally hits both marks.
This is a main-dish Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Salad that is complimented with almonds, dates, and red onion. The cauliflower is seasoned with a delicious blend of spices then roasted. The lentils are quickly cooked on the stovetop then cooled and there’s even a really easy, unique homemade dressing to toss the whole kit and kaboodle with. To balance out the flavors and add more great nutrition there’s arugula or spinach added as well.
So, there you have it! A salad that is all kinds of wonderful. Super yummy, sweet and spicy, hearty and filling, interesting, and seriously nutritious. I LOVE it and I hope you’ll try it and, you too, can get your veggies ON!!
Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Sliced Almonds
- 1 Cup Green Lentils, Rinsed
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Head Cauliflower, Cut into 1-1 1/2 Inch Florets
- 1/4 Cup, Plus 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin
- 1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1/4 Teaspoon Dried Ginger
- 3/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 Tablespoon Tahini
- 3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 Teaspoons Honey
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoon Water
- 1/2 Cup Dates, Pitted and Chopped
- 1/2 Small Red Onion, Thinly Sliced
- 4 Cups (Loosely Packed) Arugula or Spinach,
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, spread the almonds and cook in preheated oven until lightly colored about 8 minutes. Cool and move to a small bowl and set aside. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees.
- In a medium saucepan, add lentils and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer lentils, adding more water if necessary, until lentils are tender about 20 minutes. Drain lentils thoroughly, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and mix thoroughly, then cool to room temperature. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, make the spice mix by combining cumin, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. On a rimmed baking sheet (used the same one you toasted almonds on), toss cauliflower with 1/4 cup olive oil and until evenly coated. Evenly sprinkle spice mix over cauliflower. When oven has reached 425 degrees, roast cauliflower 20- 25 minutes or until it's browned nicely on the bottom. Allow to cool and set aside.
- In a bowl, large enough to later accommodate all salad ingredients, make the dressing by whisking the tahini, lemon juice, honey, 1 Tablespoon olive oil and 2 Tablespoons water together until smooth. Add the room temperature almonds, cauliflower, lentils, then dates, red onion, and arugula or spinach and toss until evenly coated with dressing. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.
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I LOVE making this salad for potluck meals. It covers the gluten free and dairy free needs of so many of my friends. Friends are always asking for the recipe! Thank you for your creativity.
The only changes I make are to substitute creamy peanut butter for the tahini, I buy pre-roasted almonds (to skip the roasting step), I’ll substitute raisins if I’m out of dates and lastly, I increase the flavor every time with double the cumin and double the cinnamon on the cauliflower.
SOOO good!
Hi, Rachel! Thank you so much!! I’m so happy that you and your friends like it! Your tweaks are perfect, you are creative too! <3 <3
wow looks amazing and so healthy
Yes it is! Better yet its really yummy 🙂