I have an ambivalent view on cauliflower. On the one hand, it just looks sort of bland to begin with, right? And the part of my brain that is responsible for childhood food memories logged cauliflower as “boring, tasteless”. Then again, there are delicious ways to use that cauliflower in your crisper, and they don’t have to be complex. I’m thinking of you, whole roasted cauliflower with mint chutney, and curried cauliflower soup. Today’s cauliflower recipe doesn’t involve roasting or simmering, though: we’re talking about a very simple salad, starring steamed cauliflower, chickpeas, a few green things and tahini yogurt.
Cauliflower & Chickpea Salad with Tahini Yogurt
Note: I usually don’t stick to recipes very strictly and cook quite intuitively, so my loose quantity recommendations will be convenient for some, maybe less for others. This will be the case for all the recipes I post here, so you have been warned :) T means tablespoon, C is for cup.
Adapted from 99 federleichte vegetarische Genussrezepte, serves 2-3
- 1 head cauliflower, cut in bite-sized pieces
- 1 T fresh lemon juice
- 1 15oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2-3 scallions, finely chopped, white & green parts
- a handful of parsley, or cilantro, finely chopped
- 1/2 C of plain yogurt
- 1 T tahini
- spices according to your preference – in this case, I used a few dashes of paprika, cumin & chili powder
- salt&pepper
- 1 T toasted sesame
Steam the cauliflower for about 5-10 minutes, until soft, but not mushy. Refresh with cold water, then put in a bowl and pour the lemon juice on it. Add the chickpeas, scallions and herbs to the bowl. Make the tahini yogurt: combine the yogurt with tahini, spices of your preference and s&p until smooth. Arrange cauliflower, scallions and herbs on plates, sprinkle with toasted sesame, and drizzle the yogurt on top. Enjoy while the cauliflower is still warm. If you have leftover tahini yogurt, worry not, it also tastes very good as a dip for raw veggies.
every moment's a little bit later. 