Please take note… If I am ever giving you a salad recipe, it’s going to be amazing. Not that I don’t normally eat salad or think salad is great….it’s just….doesn’t everyone already know how to make a salad? You chop up your favorite things, throw them in a bowl, pour dressing over and VOILA! SALAD!!
This salad is different. This might be the best salad, ever. This salad makes Cobb salads cry and Greek salads wilt in fear. Caprese doesn’t even stand a chance. Even the classic Caesar can’t romaine calm around this salad. (I’m trying not to incorporate too many salad puns, but that one was kale-ing me).
Lettuce continue. So what makes this salad so good, you may be wondering. Is it the nutty flavor of the warm roasted cauliflower? The toasted pine nuts? The fresh zing you get from the dill and mint? Or the creamy lemon tahini dressing….with hints of…..what is that….cinnamon? Am I tasting cinnamon? YES! I can’t decide. It all just works so well together. I didn’t even mention the pickled red onions, soft boiled egg, lacinato kale or the steamed green lentils!
The steamed French green lentils by they way are one of my favorite things I buy from Trader Joe’s. We buy them almost every week, dress them with olive oil and vinegar, throw them on top of salads or scoop for a snack. They’re low in calories, packed with protein, and full of fiber. If you don’t end up making this salad right away (WHY ?!?!)… at least go out and buy the lentils and let me know what you think.
Back to the salad. If you’ve never worked with tahini before it’s time to start. Tahini is is a sauce made from toasted ground hulled sesame seeds. It’s usually served as a dip on its own or as a major component of hummus, baba ghanoush, and halva. We also buy tahini almost every week at Trader Joe’s or Fresh Farms. I’ll also be showing you eventually how to make your own tahini at home. I frequently use the dressing you’re going to be making for this salad drizzled over chicken, roasted vegetables, or lamb. It is so simple to make, but adds a unique delicious nutty flavor to everything.
Let’s get started.
Step 1: Give the cauliflower some oven lovin’. Preheat the oven to 400°. On a large rimmed baking sheet, drizzle the cauliflower florets with the olive oil. Season them with salt and pepper and toss well. Roast for about 30 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender and golden brown.
Step 2: Kale-ing me softly. As your cauliflower roasts, devein your kale and chop it. Add your kale to a large mixing bowl and massage it for 2-3 minutes until the leaves are softened and a more vibrant green. Now, you can either thinly slice your red onions or elevate your game by following my quick pickled red onion recipe.
Step 3: Messin’ with dressin’. Make salad dressing. Whisk together tahini, lemon juice, cinnamon, water, and cumin. My favorite tahini for this dressing is the fresh version in the refridgerated section of Trader Joe’s. I find it is lighter and fluffier than many of the thick pastier tahinis you find elsewhere. Taste your salad dressing and if it seems like it may be too thick or concentrated you can either add an additional tablespoon water or 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar.
Step 5: Eggs. Soft boil your eggs. Bring a small pot of water to boil. Add eggs for 6 minutes, lower to and simmer. After 6 minutes remove to an ice bath for 2 minutes. Peel.
Step 6:Dressed to kale. Remove cauliflower from the oven. Combine with kale, red onion, mint, dill, lentils, and pine nuts. Pour tahini dressing over salad and toss.
Step 7: Eggsactly what this salad needed: Top each salad with soft boiled egg. Enjoy!
Dressed to Kale {Roasted cauliflower and kale salad with lemon tahini dressing}
Ingredients
- 1 small head cauliflower broken into florets
- 1 1/2 cups cooked green lentils (I buy steamed green lentils from Trader Joe's)
- 1/4 red onion thinly sliced or pickled red onions
- 1 bunch of Italian or Lacinato Kale
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons chopped mint
- 2 tablespoon chopped dill
- 2 eggs
For the dressing:
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1 1/2 lemons juiced
- 3 tablespoons water to thin (if your tahini is a very thick paste, you may need additional water)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°. On a large rimmed baking sheet, drizzle the cauliflower florets with the olive oil. Season them with salt and pepper and toss well. Roast for about 30 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender and golden brown.
- As your cauliflower roasts, devein your kale and chop it. Add your kale to a large mixing bowl and massage it for 2-3 minutes until the leaves are softened and a more vibrant green.
- Make salad dressing. Whisk together tahini, lemon juice, cinnamon, water, and cumin.
- Soft boil your eggs. Bring a small pot of water to boil. Add eggs for 6 minutes and remove to ice bath for 2 minutes. Peel.
- Remove cauliflower from the oven. Combine with kale, mint, dill, lentils, and pine nuts.
- Pour tahini dressing over salad and top each salad with soft boiled egg.