Happy Monday! It’s felt like a while since I’ve had a spare few minutes to put up a post on here… life has been crazy these days! But, I was finally able to steal a few hours in the kitchen today on my day off to whip up the salad of all salads.
Next weekend is Memorial Day weekend, and that means party-season! Cheers to dining al fresco, cooking out, and spending times with friends. This year we’re hosting a few friends at our house potluck-style. As some of them follow vegan and/or gluten-free diets, I thought a big salad would be the perfect side to share. (There will also be “the meats”… but Ben is in charge of that area :P)
Vegan, gluten-free, and packed with protein for staying-power, I will definitely be tucking this one away in my recipe files! I used nutritional yeast (my first time using!) to give the roasted cauliflower and chickpeas a “cheesy” vibe, and of course a lemon-tahini dressing always takes the creamy factor up a notch.
Pair this with meat, tofu, or a poached egg to make it a meal. A few slices of avocado would be perfect here too. Oh my goodness. Get in my belly NOW.
Recipe below. Enjoy!
- 1 cup rinsed quinoa
- 1/2 cup red lentils
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp greek seasoning (or just use garlic powder)
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 large tomato (or 1 cup cherry tomatoes), chopped roughly
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- handful baby carrots, chopped roughly
- juice of half a lemon
- 2 cups baby spinach
- For drizzle:
- 1/4 cup tahini
- juice of other half of lemon
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp honey
- hot water, to thin
- Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl, toss cauliflower, garbanzo beans, mushrooms, olive oil, garlic, and seasoning. Spread in an even layer on a prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with nutritional yeast. Cook for 25 minutes until golden brown. Remove and cool.
- Meanwhile, mix quinoa and lentils in a saucepan and add 2 cups water or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 18-20 minutes until liquid is absorbed and lentils are al dente.
- In a food processor, pulse the tomato, parsley, carrots, lemon juice 3-4 times or until roughly chopped. Don’t overdo it here- you don’t want gazpacho!
- Add the chopped veggie mixture to a large bowl and toss with spinach and the cooked grains. Top with roasted cauliflower mixture and sprinkle on additional nutritional yeast if desired.
- To prepare the lemon tahini drizzle, whisk together all ingredients in a jar. Add enough hot water to thin out, then drizzle on top of salad.
Claire Tastes 
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