In This Crazy Crunchy Salad
By Shauna Lindzon
I have noticed that every so often a new celebrity vegetable arrives on the scene. Do you remember a few years ago when cauliflower had its star moment? Think pizza crust, buns, rice etc. Recipe developers love to experiment with this versatile and healthy cruciferous vegetable. Even today, cauliflower is still making its way into recipes. I personally like plenty of texture in my food, and so I would like to introduce you to this new salad recipe that features cauliflower ‘au naturel.’ Eating it in its raw state all chopped up has such a lovely crunch to it. Once you mix it with fresh herbs, and a few extra ingredients, you will be addicted to this healthy salad.
When you are buying cauliflower, you will notice that there are so many fun colours out there. I like using a mix of white, purple, and orange cauliflower in this recipe. I encourage you to look for the different options, it really makes for a beautiful presentation. Until I started to make this salad, I really didn’t explore using the different colour options. The colourful pigments will provide you with a variety of phytochemicals. These plant chemicals are important for our health, and it is worth exploring new varieties of different vegetables.
If you can’t find pre-toasted and skinned hazelnuts, toast whole hazelnuts in a dry skillet until they are starting to sizzle (2-3 minutes). Once ready, remove and roll them in a tea towel until the skins fall off. Discard skins and chop them up. If you don’t like hazelnuts or have an allergy to them, you can substitute any other nut such as almonds, or use a pumpkin or sunflower seed as another option.
To make it a heartier dish, add a can of rinsed and drained canned chickpeas for extra protein. You can also switch up the herbs if you would like. Experiment with the recipe and make it your own!
CAULIFLOWER CRUNCH SALAD
Makes – 4 servings
DRESSING:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
SALAD:
1/2 cup toasted and skinned hazelnuts
4-5 cups chopped cauliflower (bite-sized pieces cut by hand or pulsed in food processor)
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup dried apricots, diced
1/2 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese
DIRECTIONS:
In a large serving bowl, add the dressing ingredients and whisk well.
Add the remainder of the salad ingredients and gently fold everything together.
Let sit at room temperature for 1/2 hour for ingredients to meld.
Enjoy at room temperature or cold!
Shauna Lindzon runs practical cooking demonstrations that combine scientific knowledge with culinary education. Her demonstrations are unique, informative, delicious and a lot of fun. You can find a list of her nutrition classes and recipes at shaunalindzon.com
