Last month I was traveling to Chicago for a short business trip. It was one of those quick in and out trips where I checked in for my return flight to Dallas even before I boarded my flight to Chicago.
With a jam packed work schedule I knew I would not have much time to explore any restaurants in the city. I was staying in a really fun and hipster-ish part of town near the Fulton Market and was supposed to meet a colleague for lunch at a near by restaurant, Beatrix.
It was a cute restaurant with an extremely farm to table vibe and had a ton of vegetarian options (woohoo!!). I got the Roasted Cauliflower Salad and absolutely loved it!! It had some toasted pistachio and currants which added the right amount of nuttiness and natural sweetness! I couldn’t wait to come back home and recreate it.
My version of the salad is very similar to my delicious lunch in Chicago, with just a few changes based on what I had available in my pantry. I retained the arugula, roasted cauliflower and pistachio in my recipe. The pistachio were probably the best part about the salad!! I swapped out the currants for some raisins and used some freshly shaved parmesan cheese instead of cheddar cheese.
I kept the vinaigrette really simple – olive oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic, lemon juice and some seasoning. My recreation of the salad turned out just as good, and I was elated! Even Roshan, who is never too excited about having a salad for lunch, devoured it!
Roasted Cauliflower Salad
Ingredients
- For the Roasted Cauliflower
- 1 head cauliflower chopped into big florets
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp fresh crushed black pepper
- A pinch of salt
- For the Dressing
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp freshly crushed black pepper
- A pinch of salt
- For the Salad
- 6 handfuls of arugula
- 1/4 cup pistachio nuts
- 1/8 cup raisins
- A few shavings of fresh parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- To roast the cauliflower: Pre-heat the over to 425F. Spread the cauliflower in a single layer on a sheet pan. Drizzle olive oil, oregano, black pepper and salt. Mix well so that all the florets are well coated. Roast in the over for 25-30 minutes until the cauliflower is tender and the edges start browning.
- In the mean time prepare the dressing. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing in a jar and keep aside.
- In a large salad bowl mix together the arugula, pistachio and raisins.
- Add in the roasted cauliflower and dressing and toss well to mix it all together.
- While serving top the salad with some fresh shavings of parmesan cheese.
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