I love using veggies in salads and get tired of grating the usual carrots, beetroot, fennel and other ‘beige’ vegetable so, when I found this recipe and had time to add my own twist, I wanted to share. It has a warming smoky flavour. One needs to have a love of spice or have a glass of milk handy if you’re going to give this a go!

Ingredients

1 x head of cauliflower

1 x red or white onion

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Lemon Tahini Dressing

1/3 cup tahini

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/4 tsp salt

Spiced Chickpeas

1 x can of chickpeas

Olive oil

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Sprinkling of cayenne

Salt and Pepper to taste

How to

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees
• Chop the cauliflower into small florets, finely slice the onion, place on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season salt and pepper.
• Roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Keep checking and stirring. The cauliflower needs to be tender and browned on the edges.
• While the cauliflower and onions are roasting, make the lemon tahini dressing. Add the tahini, water, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, cayenne, and salt to a blender. Blend until smooth, place in the fridge.
• Drain and rinse 1 x can of chickpeas. Place on a baking sheet and cover in olive oil, smoked paprika, cayenne, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the chickpeas over medium heat for about five minutes until they sizzle and become slightly crispy. Remove from the heat.
• To build the salad, mix the roasted cauliflower and onions in a bowl with the spiced chickpeas. Pour the lemon tahini dressing over the top and combine. Serve warm or cold.