Roasted Cauliflower and Carrot Noodle Salad with Lentils
Try this Roasted Cauliflower and Carrot Noodle Salad with Lentils recipe
Try this Roasted Cauliflower and Carrot Noodle Salad with Lentils recipe
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- for the dressing:
- â¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- 1 leaf
- 1 medium cauliflower chopped into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
- â½ teaspoon coarse salt
- â¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2/3 cup dried brown or green lentils
- 2 cups firmly packed baby arugula
- â½ small bunch kale stemmed and finely chopped
- 2 carrots peeled, blade d, noodles trimmed
- â¼ cup warm water plus more if needed
- â¼ cup tahini
- â½ teaspoon maple syrup
- Carbohydrate 1431.03375896363 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 11.3356975056214 g
- Fiber 31.8455622175199 g
- Protein 19.091663749902 g
- Saturated Fat 1.58663250094505 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (3039g)
- Sodium 310.721500043096 mg
- Sugar 1399.18819674611 g
- Trans Fat 1.31857950002385 g
- Calories 5651 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with the oil until evenly coated.
- Sprinkle with the lemon zest, cumin, salt, and pepper and toss again.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until the edges of the cauliflower are beginning to brown and crisp, stirring once halfway through the baking time.
- Meanwhile, add the lentils, water, and bay leaf in a medium pot and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes or until tender.
- Put the arugula, kale, and carrot noodles in a large bowl.
- To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup and whisk until evenly blended.
- If the dressing is thicker than you’d like, whisk in water by the tablespoonful to achieve the desired consistency.
- Pour half of the dressing over the arugula mixture and use your hands to massage it into the vegetables until they’ve softened.
- Add the cauliflower, the lentils, and the rest of the dressing and toss gently until well combined.
- Divide into bowls.
- Serve right away.
Boiling the brown or green lentils alongside the roasting cauliflower requires synchronized timing. The oven needs a steady 400 degrees Fahrenheit to brown the cruciferous edges without burning the cumin. Meanwhile, the lentils demand twenty minutes of gentle simmering until tender. Massaging the raw greens with tahini dressing breaks down their tough cellular walls. Tough kale and delicate arugula respond differently to friction. Rubbing them firmly with half the sesame paste ensures proper softening before the warm elements enter the bowl. Tahini thickness varies widely by brand. Thin the paste using warm water added one tablespoon at a time until it pours smoothly from a whisk.
Managing Texture and Substitutions
Green lentils hold their shape better than red varieties if simmered past twenty minutes. Brown lentils serve as an acceptable structural swap. Tahini can be replaced by sunflower seed butter at a one-to-one ratio, though the resulting flavor shifts noticeably nutty and earthy.
- Stir the cauliflower precisely at the fifteen-minute mark to promote even browning across the baking sheet.
- Check lentil tenderness at eighteen minutes to prevent mushy legumes.
- Store dressing separately from greens if prepping components ahead of assembly.
