When it comes to nutrition, people often focus on what they should have less of. Less alcohol, less saturated fat, less starchy carbs, less sugar, and so on. But what if I told you that one of the simplest ways to improve your nutrition (and health) is to eat more of something? Namely more vegetables and fruits (particularly vegetables). A good rule-of-thumb is to devote half of the real estate on your plate to them. While a variety is best, it’s good practice to include some dark green vegetables in the mix every day. Personally, I’m more apt to eat a lot of vegetables when I make them the star of my plate. And this Roasted Cauliflower & Lentil Salad with Orange Tahini Dressing is a delicious example.
Whenever I just steam up some veggies and toss them, unadorned, on the side, I’m pretty much guaranteed to eat less of them because they are the least interesting thing on my plate. But if I put some thought and effort into making them super tasty, I’ll be back for seconds. And when it comes to non-starchy vegetables, like the cauliflower and arugula in this salad, feel free to have seconds!
So as the season transitions from winter to spring, I encourage you to give vegetables a starring role in your meals. I hope this Roasted Cauliflower & Lentil Salad with Orange Tahini Dressing will inspire you. And feel free to serve some roasted chicken or fish on the side if you wish.
Sign up to my newsletter today to receive the recipe and read on for more about why this salad is superlative for spring.
A superlative salad for spring
Given our climate in Ontario, spring on the calendar starts earlier than the spring vegetable harvest. So this salad is superlative for early spring because you can use frozen local cauliflower from last season and greenhouse-grown local arugula.
And if one of the reasons you don’t eat a lot of vegetables is because of the prep time, well, frozen cauliflower cuts that down considerably. No washing or chopping is necessary. It is best to roast the cauliflower from frozen too, so you don’t even have to thaw it. As an added bonus, frozen vegetables are less expensive. And purchasing frozen means that you will always have veggies on hand to use in a pinch if you haven’t made it out to buy fresh. They’re fantastic for quick soups and stews too.
Another time saver is to use canned lentils in this recipe rather than cooking them from dry. Although lentils are easy to prepare, they do take time. So having cans of precooked lentils on hand is a real boon for the time-pressed cook. Just be sure to rinse and drain them well. The 1/2-cup dry (uncooked) green lentils called for in the recipe will yield approximately 1.25 to 1.5 cups when cooked, to give you some guidance if you choose to use canned lentils instead. And if you are looking to shop Canadian when it comes to your groceries, Cullen’s Foods cans lentils and beans of all types that are 100% grown and packed in Canada (see photo at right). In fact, Canada is the world’s leading producer and exporter of lentils, producing approximately one-third of the global supply.
The recipe calls for a Moroccan Spice Blend. You can either make your own (here is a recipe), or buy one. You may see it labelled as Ras El Hanout, as in this blend by Toronto’s own Spice Trader, which is a favourite of mine.
This salad is an excellent source of fibre at 9 grams per serving. And it has a solid 13 grams of protein. Both will help keep you well satisfied, so you are less likely to snack between meals. The hint of sweetness from the dates and the orange tahini dressing makes this salad simply superlative. And I highly recommend the addition of fresh mint as suggested in the notes.
Enjoy this recipe and the advent of spring!