I was having a friend over for lunch whom I had never cooked for before, so I wanted to make something interesting but light.  We were going kayaking after lunch, so I didn’t want anything heavy that would sit in our stomachs. I had  cauliflower in the fridge, so I made a version of the roasted cauliflower and chickpea salad I found on emmycooks.com.

Emmy called for pine nuts, but I didn’t have very many, so I used a combo of pine nuts and walnuts, and it worked out great! The taste and texture of this salad is really a treat.  I wasn’t sure how I would like the raisins in it, but they fit right in.  This eclectic mix of ingredients becomes a cohesive whole after being roasted.  The flavors taste very complex for a surprisingly few ingredients.

Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad

adapted from Emmycoooks.com

1/2 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets (locally grown)

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

2 pinches of kosher salt, divided

1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

2/3 cup raisins

1/4 cup parsley, chopped (from the garden)

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Put the cauliflower in a roasting pan and toss with with olive oil and a pinch of salt.  Roast for 20 minutes, til cauliflower begins to brown.

Add chickpeas and another pinch of salt.  Roast another 20 minutes.

Add pine nuts and walnuts, roast 15 minutes.

Add raisins and roast 5 more minutes.

Add the parsley and drizzle olive oil and salt to taste.  Toss well.

Serve warm or at room temperature – enjoy!

Serves 2-3.

Related articles

• Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad (emmycooks.com)
• Recipe of the Day: Roasted Cauliflower With Olive Vinaigrette (news.health.com)
• Roasted Chickpeas (acedarspoon.com)