Chickpea and Cauli Salad with Cumin & Honey Dressing

It's July, so I think we can agree (in the northern hemisphere at least) that salad days are here again. So here is an unusual but no less tasty salad that will serve you well as a satisfying and nutricious, meat free main course.

The two main ingredients in the salad are, as the title suggests, chickpeas and cauliflower. Chickpeas, as you probably know, are the main ingredient of the Middle Eastern dip, hummus. But they also find their way into stews, curries and, of course, salads. Chickpeas are pretty good for you - they're low fat, relarively high in fibre, protein and folate. The only think chickpeas don't have going for them is taste - like most legumes they are pretty much tasteless so they need a good accompanying flavoring. But more of that later.

As for cauli, living in the UK I always get the sense that it is an underrated vegetable. Think cauliflower and most people here seem to think of a soggy, pale, watery mess that would rather push around their plate than eat. On the other hand, cooked right (which means steamed or simmered until just soft but no more) , cauliflower makes a great salad vegetable (and you can even eat it raw as a rice substitute.) Nutrition wise, cauliflower contains some key antioxidants that it is hard to find anywhere else such as choline and sulforaphane - so it really is worth including it in your diet on a regular basis.

Moving on to the dressing - the flavors derive from cumin, lemon juice, garlic and honey plus a little salt, so as you can imagine, you're getting a little sourness, a little sweetness and the aromatic, smoky flavour of the cumin. Not only is the dressing full of flavour but you will also be getting more antioxidants from the cumin as well as a boost of vitamin C from the lemon juice.

So, as I think you will agree, this all makes for a very healthy, tasty dish for those days when you want a bowl of fresh, healthy (mostly raw) food.

Interested? You can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Chickpea and Cauli Salad with Cumin & Honey Dressing or just scroll to the bottom of the page. The recipe is just below.

Here's to healthy eating! Kurumi XXXX.

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ingredients:

(makes 2 servings as a main course)

350g / 12oz cauliflower

1/2 tsp salt

3 stalks of celery

1 bell pepper (I use red for the colour but any bell pepper is fine)

1 can (400g / 14oz) of chickpeas

for the dressing :

1 clove of garlic

2 lemons

1/2 tbsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp of salt

1/4 tsp of pepper

1/2 tbsp honey

4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

some parsley or coriander for a garnish

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how to:

remove the leaves and stalk from a cauliflower. then break off the florest. cut any large florests into bite sized pieces

bring about 3cm / 1.5 inches of water to the boil in a saucepan. add 1/2 tsp of salt and cook the florets for 2 mins, then drain

slice the celery stalks and put in a large mix bowl

cut the top off the pepper and remove the seeds and any white flesh. slice and then chop into bite sized pieces. add to the mixing bowl

drain a can of chickpeas and add to the bowl

add the drained cauliflower florets to the bowl

to make the dressing;

crush a clove of garlic and add to a jug. add in the juice from squeezed 2 lemons, the ground cumin, salt, pepper, honey and extra virgin olive oil. stir well until combined

pour the dressing over the salad in the large bowl. mix well so that all the veg and the chickpeas get a good coating of dressing

sprinkle with some chopped parsely and your salad is ready to serve

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