I have a wealth of cauliflower salads on this blog but I can’t stop making them. This might be the best one yet. The combination o f sweet and slightly acidic pomegranate with the golden, salty haloumi and crispy cauliflower is so delicious. This is definitely the type of salad I’d make when having friends over. Or add some grilled chicken breast and a little quinoa for a heartier meal.
The bright herbs add a little freshness to this middle eastern themed salad and the slightly nutty and lemony tahini dressing is the perfect flavour combo with the cumin and paprika laced cauliflower. Every bite is full of flavour. You could actually stuff this salad inside pita pickets with a generous dollop of hummus too.
My favourite way to eat it would be as a side with baked or roasted chicken, a steak or even just as is for a light lunch. Baked chicken pieces would be super easy and these baked but kinda taste like fried chicken pieces could be the perfect choice. That said…
This roast chicken recipe would be amazeballs with it.
And this simple steak recipe too.
It’s super easy to make thanks to the simple processes involved. You can do most of it while your cauliflower roasts and have it on the table in less than 30 minutes. I’d recommend not cooking the haloumi until everything else is ready as it’s really at it’s best when it’s still a little warm. I also think the acidicy of the lemon is super important with haloumi as it balances the salt and fat in it to make the taste super moorish and addictive. But who am I kidding, haloumi is always a good time.
Serves 4 as a side
Ingredients
1/2 head of cauliflower broken into florets
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp smoked parpika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/8tsp all spice
200g haloumi cheese, sliced 3 mm thick
1.5 cups parsley leaves
1 cup mint leaves
1 small pomegranate
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 Tbs tahini
2 Tbs water
Salt and pepper to taste
Extra lemon wedges to serve.
Directions
Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line a tray with baking paper.
Toss cauliflower florets with the cumin, smoked paprika and all spice and then add the oil and toss again. Spread in a single layer on the tray, season with salt and pepper and roast for 20-30 minutes or until golden and crispy.
Slice the pomegranate in half then break into quarters. Remove the aerils and discard the skin and white pith. I find it’s easier to do this by breaking it apart in a bowl of water as all the little white bits float to the surface of the water and the aerils sink. You then scoop the debris off the top and then drain the aerils and you’re done with minimum mess. (Full credit to me friend Georgia for introducing me to this little trick!)
Make the tahini dressing by combining the tahini, lemon juice and water. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and stir well to combine.
When the cauliflower looks ready, remove it from the oven. At this point heat a non stick pan over medium high heat and add the haloumi sliced. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute each side or until golden. Squeeze over one of the lemon wedges reserved for serving.
Combine the cauliflower, parsley, mint, and pomegranate (reserve 1 TBS) in a bowl and toss gently. Spread on your serving dish and add the crispy haloumi. Drizzle over the dressing and scatter over the remaining pomegranate and the lemon zest.
HH. x
