Charred Cauliflower Salad

As a kid, I never liked veggies...well, that is probably an understatement - I detested them! And not just some veggies but pretty much the entire food group! I could stomach some salad (sorry, not a raw tomato though!) but warm or hot veg literally had me dry-reaching.

My poor mum was so worried about my lack of veggie-eating, she took me to a nutritionist just to make sure I was getting all the nutrients I needed from fruit (sorry mum!)

But, I am here to tell you, I turned that right around and now if I am cooking just for myself it’s usually a big bowl of veggie salad.

So, what happened? Well, I learnt that sometimes veggies are really just a vehicle to carry other delicious flavours...Enter the Cauliflower.

Cauliflower might be beige but all that really means is it is super adaptable and can take on so many different flavour profiles. From Middle Eastern spices through to subtle Asian flavours, the combinations are endless.

For my fellow Cauliflower fans, here is my version of Charred Cauli Salad to prove that salads don't have to be boring!

Ingredients

• 1 cup cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2 cups of rocket
• ½ cup of walnuts
• ½ cup chickpeas or croutons
• 1 tablespoon of pomegranate kernels
• Meredith Goats Cheese
• 1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses
• 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar,
• 4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
• Pinch of salt

Directions

• Preheat oven to 180°
• Spray cauliflower with oil and sprinkle with salt and place in oven for approximately 20 minutes until golden brown
• Once golden brown, remove cauliflower and allow to coolMix together the rocket, cauliflower, walnuts and chickpeas/croutons together in a bowl.
• For the dressing, mix pomegranate molasses, sherry vinegar and a pinch of salt.
• Add the olive oil to the mix and stir in the dressing into the salad and top the with pomegranate kernels and Meredith goats cheese.

Enjoy!

Simone