Roasted Cauliflower, Lentil and Pomegranate Salad

The humble but oh so versatile Cauliflower is in abundance at the moment and very reasonably priced,  and should be the star of the show in this salad. However, the pink pomegranate jewels are definitely trying to steal the limelight, but it's not a competition really. I was so taken with the perfect looking and reasonably priced caulis at the markets that two found their way into my basket, and that is how this recipe evolved. I roast cauliflower all of the time now with just a little olive oil, it is a very easy way of cooking that accentuates all of the wonderful flavours, and that forms the basis of this salad.

 Cauliflower is the perfect foundation for a beautiful salad, in Winter or Summer. However some colour was needed, and the baby spinach and glistening pomegranate jewels came to the party in that regard. All that was required then was a little more earthiness and substance, and lentils happily obliged. Add a light dressing of lemon juice and olive oil, some delicious coriander and my favourite Pomegranate molasses, and I had an easy but very nutritious salad. The quantities here will feed a crowd, so feel free to halve them at the very least, however this salad keeps very well for a few days in a covered container in the frig.

It won't be long before soups are out and salads will definitely be in here, as today the weather is quite balmy. Perhaps there is one more cold snap which will take us by surprise, but bring on Spring.

Ingredients:

1 cauliflower (about 1 kg), cut into florets
2-3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
300g lentils (use brown or Puy) or whichever other variety you wish
1 cup baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup coriander leaves
Juice 1/2 lemon
1 pomegranate, seeds extracted
Pomegranate molasses

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200 deg. c

Coat the cauliflower in olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Place on a baking tray and roast for 25-30 minutes until golden.

Bring a pot of water to the boil and add the lentils. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until just tender. Be careful not to overcook them or they will turn to mush. Drain the lentils well.

Combine the roasted cauliflower, lentils, baby spinach, coriander, a drizzle of olive oil, a good squeeze of lemon juice and season well with sea salt and black pepper.

 Scatter over the pomegranate seeds and drizzle with a few drops of pomegranate molasses.

I'll give you a few ideas of other dishes that I  have made to go with the Cauliflower salad, however they are just suggestions.  When I make a new recipe, I also tend to go to a couple of other dishes which I know will work well for me and that makes life a lot simpler.



This salad is also delicious served simply with my smoky Baba Ganoush. You can find that one here, just leave the Pomegranate seeds off the Baba Ganoush if you are already serving them with the Cauliflower salad and substitute some chopped mint or coriander, or even toasted sesame seeds.

When I made Cauliflower salad the last time,  I also made a Moroccan Chickpea Salad, and my Curried Beef Lasagne which everyone seems to love.  All of the flavours worked beautifully together, and there were lots of delicious leftovers. What's not to love about leftovers?

https://happyretireeskitchen.blogspot.com/2018/12/moroccan-chickpea-salad_2.html



https://happyretireeskitchen.blogspot.com/2018/11/curried-beef-lasagne.html



There's a lot happening for us at the moment with the family, with comings and goings, so this is a rather short story today. I hope you have something really nice planned for the weekend and I'll be in touch soon.

Warmest wishes,

 Pauline