Cauliflower Salad with Pomegranate, Pistachio, and Mint

Gabriel helped me make this cauliflower salad today…It’s his favorite (though he only eats the raw cauliflower and only if its purple). I agree with him, adapted from Ottolenghi simple (my version is even simpler). I up the raw cauliflower, depend heavily on mint (I’m always growing tons of it in my garden) and lean on a sweet sherry vinaigrette instead of spices and lemon. Still I love that roasting the onions with the cauliflower makes it easier to clean up, and I simply love pomegranates and pistachios. The raw cauliflower mixed with the roasted is especially brilliant but I leave the raw chunkier (so the kids will eat it) and I like more of it in part because it makes better left overs that way. We adore this with lamb chops and it’s great the next day as the base of a lamb salad or on a sandwich.

Enjoy…maybe sweet and crunchy purple veggies will convince your kids to eat them too!

Cauliflower Salad with Pomegranate, Pistachio, and Mint

This is a surprising salad – half raw, half cooked, with crunchy nuts and juicy pomegranate bits it's sweet, tart, warm, and refreshing all in one.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Salad

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1 extra large cauliflower or two small ones 1.75-2 lbs
• 1 small onion or half a costco onion
• 1/4 cup olive oil plus more for roasting or avocado oil for roasting
• 2 Tbs. sherry vinegar or lemon juice I often have a sherry/honey vinaigrette in the fridge so I use that
• 1 Tbs. Honey
• 1/2 cup pomegranate pips
• 1/3 cup toasted pistachios
• 1.2 cup chopped mint

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 450
• Chop 1/2 of cauliflower into small florets for roasting, roughly chop the rest and the greens and set aside.  Slice the onion – I like thick chunky slices that pair well with my florets.
  
• Toss cauliflower florets with some oil and salt and put on baking sheet, toss onions with some oil and salt and put on baking sheet next to cauliflower (you can mix but I find they roast better a little separate).   Roast stirring once or twice for about 20 minutes until everything is a nice golden  brown.
• Meanwhile I like to mix the dressing – vinegar, honey, and olive oil – in the bottom of the bowl – chop and toss in the mint, cold cauliflower, pomegranate pips, and pistachios.  Add your warm onions and cauliflower and serve (it’s also fine if your timing is off and you let these cool)