Long weekends are a gift. I gave myself nearly three days to unplug: meditate, sleep in, spend time outdoors and, most importantly, cook. It felt good to slow down and explore a new ingredient.
On Friday I wandered into a discount grocery to look for something unfamiliar — a little culinary adventure. A stroll down the ethnic aisle revealed a jar of harissa. If you haven’t tried it, harissa is a North African chili paste made from red peppers, garlic, oil and warm spices like coriander, caraway and cumin. The jar intrigued me and, because it was on sale, it came home in my jacket pocket. I’m not the bravest with heat, so I planned to balance its spice with sweet elements in whatever I made.
I came home, searched Pinterest for inspiration and found two roasted cauliflower salads that caught my eye: one by Adrianna at A Cozy Kitchen and another by Karen at Family Style Food. Both were beautiful, and I combined ideas from each, simplified the steps and left out the cheese to keep it vegan.
The result is a bold, balanced salad that’s more sweet than scorching. The recipe yields about two entree-sized portions, though you’ll likely want to double it — it disappears quickly. Soaked raisins and roasted sweet onion bring just the right touch of sweetness to tame the harissa’s heat. It’s magic in a bowl.
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- Juice from 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoons raisins
- 1 tablespoon harissa (Tunisian hot chili sauce)
- 1 head cauliflower, separated into bite-sized florets
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 sweet onion, sliced thin
- 1 tablespoon grape seed oil (or extra virgin olive oil / coconut oil)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/2 cup loosely packed, finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1/2 cup loosely packed, finely chopped fresh cilantro
- Sea salt, to taste
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and prepare a large baking sheet.
- In a small bowl combine the lemon juice, raisins and harissa. Set aside to soak for about 45 minutes.
- On the baking sheet toss cauliflower florets, cooked chickpeas, sliced onion, oil and cumin seeds until evenly coated. Roast for about 30 minutes, turning once, until the cauliflower is lightly charred. Remove and let cool slightly.
- In a large bowl combine the roasted vegetables, parsley, cilantro and the soaked raisins with their juices. Stir to combine, season with sea salt to taste and serve.
View nutrition information on the original recipe page (scroll down once there).
Simple, affordable ingredients combine into a satisfying salad. Start by soaking the raisins in the lemon-harissa mixture; this softens them and adds bright flavor.
Roast the cauliflower, onion, chickpeas and cumin until the cauliflower has light char marks. The caramelized edges bring depth to the salad.
Toss everything together in a bowl and serve — it’s that easy and incredibly satisfying.
Harissa and I are on good terms now. If you enjoy grain-free, vegan recipes, you might like the dessert concepts in my upcoming cookbook, which focuses on vegan, grain-free and nut-free treats. Subscribers to Healthful Pursuit will receive exclusive updates and early previews.
Do you push yourself to try new ingredients? Are there foods you avoid because they intimidate or disgust you? Share your experiences in the comments — I’d love to hear your story.