Roasted cauliflower and chickpea quinoa salad with jalapeño-lime dressing

It’s time for guest post number 2! This time we have Julia from The Roasted Root, who’s one of my favourite bloggy friends. This girl is completely lovely, and super talented too – gorgeous photos, gorgeous recipes, and she’s pretty much hilarious. This salad looks incredible (my favourite type of salad – no lettuce), and jalapeño-lime dressing? Wowww. I hope I’m digging into things this amazing in Mexico… I don’t cook with cauliflower very often so I’ll definitely have to give this a go!

Well hello there, Amuse Your Bouche-ers! I’m Julia from The Roasted Root – my little corner of the internet where I share mostly vegetable-based recipes and gluten-free treats. Becca asked me to join you while she and her brand spanking new husband are on their honey moon!  I so very enthusiastically accepted, so today I’m stringing along a roasted cauliflower and chickpea salad, and I have a feeling you’re going to la-la-loooove it!

Because I adore me some veggies, Becca’s recipes are always right up my alley and her beautiful photos always make my mouth water. Amuse Your Bouche was one of the first food blogs I came across when I began blogging and I have been hooked on Becca ever since. Like a straight up magnet. I love Becca’s approach to food and her wit always tickles me pink. If Becca and I lived in the same neighborhood, I’d be banging on her door every day around dinner time.

Thiiiiiis salad…it’s incredible! I adapted the recipe from My Darling Lemon Thyme and couldn’t believe how wonderfully it turned out. Chock full of roasted cauliflower, roasted chickpeas, all wrapped up in quinoa with a delicious herb-infused jalapeño-lime dressing, this salad is packed with flavor and texture.

If you’re into cauliflower and chickpeas and have never tried one or both of them roasted, I highly suggest you do! The roasting process deepens the flavor and adds a nice crispy texture. This salad is perfect as a side dish for entertaining guests or as an entrée, and it can also be served both warm or cold.

Many thanks for having me here, and huge congratulations to Becca on her marriage! Hope to see you again soon, AYB!

Print Recipe

Roasted cauliflower and chickpea quinoa salad with jalapeño-lime dressing

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Light lunch

Servings: 6 -8

Calories:

Author: Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 1 medium head cauliflower chopped into florets
• 1 14- ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 3 tablespoons to 4 olive oil divided
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder divided
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin divided
• 1.5 cups uncooked quinoa
• ½ cup unsalted roasted almonds
• Salt and Pepper

For the Dressing:

• 2 jalapeños seeded and finely chopped
• Zest of 2 limes
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 green onions finely chopped
• ½ cup loosely packed fresh parsley chopped
• ½ cup loosely packed fresh mint chopped
• 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt to taste

Instructions

To Roast the Cauliflower and Chickpeas:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Chop the head of cauliflower into florets and spread the florets out on a baking sheet.
• Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the cauliflower, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, salt and pepper. Use your hands to massage the oil/spices into the florets so that everything is coated.
• Lay the chickpeas out on a separate baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, salt and pepper. Again, use your hands to coat everything in oil/spices.
• Place both baking sheets in the oven to roast for about 20 minutes, or until both the cauliflower and chickpeas are tender, crispy, and golden-brown. Stir half-way through the bake time.

To Prepare the Quinoa:

• While the cauliflower and chickpeas are roasting, cook the quinoa.
• Rinse and strain the quinoa well. Add it to a medium-sized pot with 3 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and set aside until ready to use.

To Prepare the Jalapeño- Lime Dressing:

• In a bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.

To Prepare the Salad:

• Add the cooked quinoa, roasted cauliflower, and chickpeas to a large serving bowl.
• Pour all of the dressing over the ingredients and toss together.
• Serve warm or cold with roasted almonds!

Want another new way to cook with chickpeas? Try pâté! Walnut and roasted garlic chickpea pâté: