Serve this hearty salad warm or cool – it can be a meal in itself or a great side dish. A side of spiced yogurt, tzatziki or bread would be a great accompaniment. To get the charred effect, the cauliflower needs to be cooked in a hot oven until it’s almost burned at the tips so that you build that smoky taste that goes really well with the fresh herbal additions and citrus. I threw in some chunks of feta, but you could substitute some halloumi or goat cheese, keeping in mind that you should only add soft cheeses right before serving, as you want to the cheese breaking down into bits, and getting spread throughout the salad.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower, broken into medium-sized florets

1/2 cup quinoa

1/2 cup fresh herbs like parsley & mint

1 tsp cumin seeds

3/4 cup feta cheese (crumbled or cubed)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Juice of one – two lemons

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons pine nuts – toasted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Spread cauliflower florets onto one baking tray and add 1 tablespoon of oil, cumin seeds and 1/2 teaspoon salt over florets. Bake for 30 minutes or until florets are black in places with browning all over.

Cook quinoa according to package directions adding 1/2 teaspoon salt to the pot. Fluff with a fork at the end of the cooking time.

In a large bowl, add chopped herbs, toasted pine nuts, cauliflower, quinoa, remaining oil and lemon juice – mix well. Add feta cheese only after everything is well combined.

Serve with labneh or yogurt. Enjoy!