Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Lemon Tahini Vinaigrette

This Roasted Cauliflower Salad is here for all of your nutrient needs and cravings for a bowl full delicious veggies! Roasted cauliflower mixes perfectly with chopped kale, raisins, pine nuts, red onion, and then topped with a delicious lemon tahini vinaigrette. Paleo, Vegan, GF, Keto, and Whole30 friendly!

Life can often get busy, crazy, and exhausting that we forget to take care of ourselves. Has this happened to you lately? For me, and many of those I care about, we are forgetting about the small things. Like taking the time to eat a really good, nutrient dense, and fresh meal.

I am in the middle of a “gentle” September reset. One of my goals was to spend more time in the kitchen making nutrient dense meals. I know what you’re thinking: “aren’t you always doing that?” Truth is, NO. Although I feel like I am spending a ton of time in the kitchen, often times I am recipe testing baked goods or just trying strategically plan a quick dinner.

This week, I was able to enjoy some of my favorites: Broccoli and Apple Rainbow Salad, and Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh. With some extra ingredients on hand, I knew it was time for a new fun salad recipe. I set to work on a Roasted Cauliflower Salad, reminiscent of a recent meal I had at restaurant recently.

If you have been taking part in my Wholesomelicious Nutrition group, you’ll know that we’ve been talking about fiber, antioxidants, and healthy fats all week. This recipe is packed with cruciferous veggies to help deliver all the good stuff!

Most importantly, it tastes amazing!

How to make Roasted Cauliflower Salad:

Gather up these ingredients:

• head of cauliflower
• chopped kale
• raisins
• pine nuts
• red onion
• avocado oil (or olive oil)
• lemons
• tahini
• dijon mustard
• red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper

The star of this dish is the roasted cauliflower. First, preheat the oven to 425 and chop the cauliflower into florets. Coat with a few tablespoons of oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.

Transfer to the oven and roast for 25-27 minutes. At the 13 minute mark, flip the cauliflower over. This gives us the crispy browned edges!

Meanwhile, make the rest of the salad. In a large bowl, toss in chopped kale, red onion, raisins, and pine nuts. In a small jar or container with a lid, make the dressing by combining avocado oil, vinegar, lemon juice, dijon mustard, tahini, and salt and pepper. Shake vigorously until smooth! You may need to add in a bit of water.

Once the cauliflower is ready, toss in with the kale. Pour the dressing on top and toss to combine.

Variations:

Greens: If you don’t love kale (not everyone does!), feel free to swap with some arugula, romaine, or spinach. You can also do a combo of mixed greens!

Nuts: Pine nuts are expensive, you may not want to use these. You can substitute with almonds or pecans for the added crunch.

Raisins: I love that the raisins add in that variation of sweetness. I would still include this element, but maybe swap out with sliced apples, dried cranberries, or dried cherries.

Feta cheese: Oh yes, this would be a good addition.

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Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Lemon Tahini Vinaigrette

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Servings 6

Calories 337 kcal

Author Amy Rains

5 from 4 votes

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Ingredients

For the Salad:

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 3 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• 6 cups finely chopped kale
• 1/2 medium red onion
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1/3 cup raisins

For the Lemon Tahini Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup avocado oil or olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tbsp tahini*
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• pinch of sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Chop the cauliflower head into florets. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with 2 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on the cauliflower.

2. Spread the cauliflower on a large baking sheet, flat side down if possible. Transfer to the oven and roast for 13 minutes, then flip over the cauliflower. Roast another 12-13 minutes. Remove once the cauliflower looks nice and crispy.

3. Meawhile, make the salad. Place the kale inside a large salad bowl. Place 1 tbsp of oil and 1 tbsp of lemon juice on top of the kale. Gently "massage" or rub the kale leaves with the oil and lemon mixture. This helps to soften up the kale and makes it easier to eat! Now toss in the red onion, raisins, and pine nuts.

4. Make the dressing by combining all of the dressing ingredients in a jar or container with a lid: oil, lemon juice, tahini, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, and sea salt. Shake vigoroursly until smooth and combined. It may require 1-2 tbsp of water to thin out.

5. Add the cauliflower into the salad. Pour the dressing on top and toss until combined. Serve immediately!

Recipe Notes

*Tahini can sometimes be extra thick if coming from the fridge. Warm up just a bit before adding to the dressing ingredients. 

Calories 337kcal

Fat 28g

Saturated fat 3g

Sodium 88mg

Potassium 796mg

Carbohydrates 22g

Fiber 3g

Sugar 3g

Protein 8g

Vitamin A 6693%

Vitamin C 134%

Calcium 135%

Iron 2%