This cauliflower recipe features spiced cauliflower and a creamy tahini sauce; it’s a vegetarian dinner recipe perfect for Meatless Monday!
INGREDIENTS
For the cauliflower:
1 large cauliflower
3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon hot paprika
½ teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 lemon
½ cup chopped parsley
For the tahini sauce:
¼ cup lemon juice
½ cup tahini
Salt and pepper
Pinch of ground cumin
2-3 cloves of garlic
6 tablespoons water, more as needed
Fresh parsley – finely chopped
For the quinoa salad:
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed in a fine-mesh colander
2 cups vegetable stock
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
1 medium cucumber, seeded and finely diced
1 medium red bell pepper, finely diced
Handful of cherry tomatoes, finely diced
2 spring onions
1 cup finely chopped parsley (from 1 large bunch)
½ cup finely chopped mint
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice (from 2 to 3 lemons)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt & pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS Cauliflower
Preheat the oven to 200C (400F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Chop the cauliflower into small florets
In a bowl, toss the cauliflower with the oil, coriander, cumin, oregano, chili and paprika and season generously with salt and pepper. Spread it out on the baking sheet and roast for about 25-30 minutes, or until browned.
Squeeze the juice from the lemon over the cauliflower and toss. Let it cool for about 5 minutes, then toss with the chopped herbs.
Meanwhile, make the tahini sauce: In a bowl or jar, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, cumin and 3 tablespoons of water. Add more water as necessary to loosen the sauce. Finely grate the garlic over the sauce, add the chopped parsley then whisk it in, season with salt and pepper. If using a jar, simply shake everything together.
While the cauliflower is in the oven, prepare the Quinoa Salad
To cook the quinoa: place the rinsed quinoa, vegetable stock cubes and water in a medium pan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, covered, until the quinoa has absorbed all the water, about 15 minutes, reducing heat as time goes on to maintain a gentle simmer. Remove from heat, keep it covered, and let the quinoa rest for 5-10 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, and salt. Mix together and pour into a big serving bowl. Add the chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, bell pepper, spring onion, mint and parsley.
Once the quinoa is mostly cool, add it to the serving bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the roasted cauliflower on top and drizzle with the tahini dressing.
