A light, crisp and fresh salad can do a world of good for a hungry soul.
It nourishes with the crunch of raw, vibrant vegetables, and offers little pops of flavor and texture through the various delicious little extra bits of nuts, legumes, fragrant herbs, and tangy dressings.
The wonderful surprises found through spooning up bite after bite of a bowl of nature’s goodness is a lot like the surprises one finds when taking bites out of life itself.
Each day, like a precious bite, offers new experiences and surprisingly flavorful findings, and one only has to be willing to dive right in and taste all the good stuff that’s in there and available for consumption.
A door held open by a stranger; a warm, friendly smile from a passerby; wonderfully helpful and genuine customer service; or a few words of encouragement or uplift from a friend or co-worker are those delicious bits and flecks of tasty goodness that dot our days, our weeks and our lives.
And those flecks are what add that special something, that little bit of extra pleasure, to this ever-complicated yet amazing “bowl” of life.
They are so nutritious, and so valuable.
All of the little surprising flecks of flavor are what keep us coming back to take bite after bite of what is in this bowl before us; they are the extras that we hope to find that keep us inspired and keep us wanting for more, wanting for growth.
They add the color and the uniqueness to this delicious bowl that we have set before us, which makes for a richer and deeper—more textured—life experience.
And that makes all the difference in the world for a healthy spirit.
Taste what’s good and pass it on.
Ingrid
Cauliflower “Couscous” Salad with Red & Yellow Bell Peppers, Chickpeas, Almonds, Roasted Sunflower Seeds and Spicy Lemon-Herb Vinaigrette
by Ingrid Beer
Print RecipeYield: Serves about 4
Ingredients:
• 1 (12 ounce) bag cauliflower florets, cut into bite-size pieces
• ½ red bell pepper, cored and seeded, and diced small
• ½ yellow bell pepper, cored and seeded, and diced small
• 1 cup chickpeas, rinsed and patted dry
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoons fresh chopped mint leaves
• Spicy Lemon-Herb Vinaigrette (recipe below)
• ¼ cup sliced almonds
• ¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds
Preparation:
-Add about half of the cut cauliflower florets to the bowl of a food processor, and process for a few seconds until the cauliflower is finely processed, and resembles couscous; turn that out into a bowl, and repeat with the remaining cauliflower florets.
-To the processed cauliflower, add the remainder of the ingredients up to and including the chopped mints leaves, and gently toss to combine; drizzle in as much of the Spicy Lemon-Herb Vinaigrette as you desire, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, if needed, and again, toss to combine.
-Add the almonds and the sunflower seeds and very gently toss to combine, then add to bowls or plates, and serve. (This salad can be made a couple of hours in advance without the dressing, and kept refrigerated; just toss with dressing when ready to serve to keep it crisp.)
Spicy Lemon-Herb Vinaigrette Ingredients:
• 3 cloves garlic
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon, plus a tiny pinch, salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2/3 cup olive oil
Preparation:
-Add all ingredients up to and including the red pepper flakes into the bowl of a food processor, and process to blend well; with the processor running, slowly drizzle in the oil until everything is well blended and emulsified; use immediately, or keep covered in fridge for up to a couple of days.
I can’t wait to try this! What a unique recipe! I freakin’ LOVE cauliflower, and I’m always looking for a new way to use it. I tried a cheesy cauliflower pancakes recipe that I saw on Pinterest, and it was so good. Even my husband, the vegetable-hater, loved it. 🙂
Great-looking recipe! And an even better analogy – I love what you said about the surprising flecks in the bowl of life.
Thanks so much, Lisa!
This salad sounds lovely. Thank you.
Thanks so much, Liz! 🙂