This salad is so pretty and full of flavour. it combines a couple of my favourite things… hummus and cauliflower. I’ve been really into loading roasted cauliflower onto hummus lately and then scooping it all up with some flat bread… or just a fork. But I felt I could make the whole thing look less beige. So now we have this.

The beetroot is just gently boiled in water and this means it’s sightly less intense than when you roast it. In this recipe I feel that’s a plus, if the beetroot flavour was any stronger it would be overpowering. Like this it’s just subtle and nicely balanced.

Can we have a moment over how pretty this dish looks? if you’re still struggling with side dishes this festive season and want something a little different this pretty number has festive written all over it. The vibrant colours and fact it can be eaten warm or cold make it the perfect thing to add to your table.

It’s also great as part of a mezze spread at any time of the year. Maybe pair it with a grain salad to keep it all vegetarian or a simple middle eastern flavoured BBQ chicken.

Personally, I’m happy just eating this for lunch all by itself I feel like the lentils and hummus make it pretty filling as is!

Serves 4 as a side

Ingredients

1 cauliflower

1 Tbs olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp ground turmeric

2 cups french puy lentils, cooked

1 medium beetroot

1.5 cups hummus

1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges

1 cup mint leaves

salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 180 degrees, line two baking trays with parchment paper.

Cut cauliflower into bite sized florets and chop up stalks into bite sized pieces. Toss in the spices, spread in a single layer over the two baking trays. Drizzle with a little olive ooil. Season with salt and roast for 30 minutes in the oven. Swap the trays around so a different tray is on the top shelf and roast for another 20 minutes, or until golden.

Meanwhile gentle boil the beetroot for 20 minute until very soft. Allow to cool and remove the skin. Blend in a high speed processor until it becomes a puree. Squeeze the juice from two of the wedges into the beetroot and add the hummus. Process until well combined and smooth.

To serve, toss the cauliflower and lentils together along with 1/2 the mint. Spread the hummus over the bottom of you serving plate (can do this individually or family style), top with the cauliflower and lentil mix then scatter remaining mint over the top.

Serve with lemon wedges on the side.

HH. x