This is a salad which is nutritious, delicious and surprisingly easy to make. I would happily eat a big bowl of this on its own as a meal however it’s also a lovely addition to a salad buffet and it introduces healthier grains to the table in place of the usual pasta or potato salads. Keeping the cauliflower slightly al dente is key here and if quinoa isn’t your favourite grain swap it out for an equal weight of brown rice or bulgur wheat. With fresh herbs, toasted nuts and sweet little nuggets of dried apricot in the mix it’s a salad which is packed with flavour and fragrance and it’s full of plant diversity points. It’s a great one to keep up your sleeve if you need to take a dish to a party.
Ingredients:
Serves 4-6
150g quinoa (dry weight) cooked and cooled
1 x medium cauliflower cut into small florets
2 x tbsps light olive oil
1½ tbsps korma paste
½ tsp seasalt
100g toasted flaked almonds
1 x 400g tin chickpeas drained and rinsed
75g of golden sultanas or chopped dried apricots
Handful fresh coriander finely chopped
Handful fresh flat parsley finely chopped
To make:
1. Mix the olive oil, sea-salt and korma paste together and toss the cauliflower florets through, coating evenly. Bake on a foil lined tray at 180 degrees for 20 minutes and set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl mix together all the other ingredients. Toss the spiced cauliflower florets through when cool. Mix thoroughly and serve in a large salad bowl with some extra herbs sprinkled on top.
