Hi! It's me! Entreé salad lady, here at your service. Want to know the secret to a salad that's actually satisfying? Turning up the texture game, adding in elements that are both hot and cold, and of course, a solid dressing. This cauliflower salad has it ALL.
It's bi-coastal, baby. On the west coast, you've got a cleansing celery slaw with lots of fresh thinly sliced fennel and quick pickled red onions. On the east coast, you've got a warm roasted cauliflower and chickpea situation that is filling and deeply flavorful with cumin and coriander. On top of it all, we've got a soft-boiled eggs, and an herb shower. WOWZA!
My best friend Anna taught me how to make this salad on Instagram a week ago, and if I do say so myself, we made quite a good cooking show out of this salad! #watchoutfoodnetwork
It took us 40 minutes to make it but that includes lots of time for best friend chit-chat time and many explanations. At home, you can make this start-to-finish in 25-30 minutes flat. I would recommend making double because you're going to want to pick at the leftovers for at least a day. In my house, there were no leftovers. It's that good!
If you love:
- salads that are actually filling
- salads that are not boring
- salads that consist of more than leaves/rabbit food
- salads that are texturally exciting
- salads that are ready in 25 minutes
- a mish-mosh of veggies and seasonings galore disguised as a "salad"....
THEN THIS WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY! Questions?
Woah. This seems like a lot of components?
Yes it is but also no it's not. It's 3 elements (warm cauli/chickpea mix, slaw, and soft-boiled egg). It's truly a marriage made in heaven. The whole purpose of this salad is that you get something new in every bite which is HELLA exciting.
Wait, raw celery? Raw Fennel? Really?
Yup! Don't KNOCK IT TILL YOU TRY IT! The secret here is slicing both celery and fennel really thin. That way, they add crunch without much bitterness. They also sit in some lemon juice with red onions which makes them easier on the ~palate~
How the heck do you soft-boil an egg?
So simply! Just add a room-temperature egg (great tip Anna!!!) to salted, boiling water, lower the heat and cook for 6-7 minutes depending on the size of the egg. I usually go for 7 minutes with a truly large egg but 6 for one of my more petite ladies.
What is the dressing for this salad?
It's pure genius, that's what it is. And it's literally, no literally, zero work. All we do is mash some feta or stir some greek yogurt into our onion pickling dregs. And add some salt. LAZY PEOPLE UNITE! #NoWhiskRequired Also, depending on how soft your yolk is, it will droop all over the veggies and contribute to the dressing factor. Oh yes, yes it will.
Onwards and upwards!
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Warm Cauliflower Salad With Crunchy Fennel Slaw
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
A texturally exciting and filling salad made with roasted cauliflower and chickpeas+ a celery and fennel slaw! Simply dressed in a lemony-yogurt dressing
Ingredients
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 small or 1/2 large cauliflower, broken into florets
1/2 fennel head, thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced*
2 eggs
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 red onion or 2 shallots, thinly sliced into half moons
1/4 cup fresh parsley or cilantro or dill, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
Olive oil
1/4 cup Greek yogurt or feta cheese
salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400º Fahrenheit
- In small bowl slice onion and add a pinch of salt and juice of half lemon. Set aside.
- In big bowl add the cauliflower florets and can of drained chickpeas. Season with a big pinch of salt, cumin, coriander and 3 tablespoons olive oil.
- Mix to coat cauliflower in spices and add to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Do not wash your bowl that has the leftover oil and spices in it. We will use it again. Just set aside for now.
- Roast cauliflower and chickpeas for 20 minutes.
- Bring small pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Once the water boils gently place eggs into water and set timer for 6-7 minutes depending on your egg.
- Once eggs are cooked, remove and run under cold water or add to ice bath. Leave the eggs in the ice bath while you prepare the rest of your salad (this makes them easier to peel).
- In the meantime, remove fennel top and slice razor thin. Use a knife or a mandolin if you've got one to get thin slices, about 1/4-inch thick.
- Add to bowl which previously held cauliflower. Slice celery 1/4-inch thick (ideally on a slant) and add to bowl. If your celery has leaves, you can add those whole as well.
- Add pickled onion to bowl with fennel and celery, saving the remaining lemon juice.
- Add yogurt or small chunk of feta to lemon juice. If using feta, mash with a fork to incorporate to the lemon juice. Add a pinch of salt. Add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice if necessary.
- Prepare two serving plates. Spread 1/2 yogurt mixture on each plate. For each portion: add chickpea and cauliflower mixture to one side.
- Then, place fennel and celery mixture on the other side.
- Add runny egg on top of each salad.
- Shower with herbs and a little more salt and pepper
- Enjoy!
- Category: Salads
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American, Middle Eastern
Keywords: cauliflower, chickpeas, fennel, celery, salad, cauliflower salad, celery slaw, fennel slaw, cumin, coriander, middle eastern recipes
In the mood for a meatier salad? Try my crispy lamb, halloumi and fresh herb salad!
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