Roasted Carrot Cauliflower Quinoa Salad
Beautiful roasted carrot cauliflower quinoa salad tossed with fresh herbs, sweet Medjool dates, and salty pistachios. This vegan cauliflower quinoa salad is lightly dressed with a bright sunshine dressing for the perfect plant-based lunch or side dish!
Servings 4 servings
Calories 391cal
Ingredients
- For the veggies:
- 4 medium carrots (or 3 large), cut in half lengthwise and then cut into 2 inch segments/chunks
- 2 cups small to medium cauliflower florets
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, if you like a little heat
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
- For the quinoa:
- ¾ cup quinoa
- 1 ⅔ cups water
- For the salad mix-ins:
- ⅓ cup diced green onion
- ⅓ cup cilantro
- ⅓ cup flat leaf parsley
- ⅓ cup chopped pitted Medjool dates (or sub dried cherries)
- ⅓ cup shelled roasted and salted pistachios (or sub roasted almonds)
- ¾ cup thawed frozen peas, optional
- For the dressing:
- Sunshine Dressing Recipe
Instructions
- Roast the vegetables: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large pan with parchment paper and add carrots and cauliflower; drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with cumin, turmeric, garlic powder, cayenne and salt and pepper. Toss well to combine and coat the veggies with the oil and spices. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until carrots and cauliflower are tender and golden; flip veggies halfway through to ensure even roasting.
- Cook the quinoa: While the veggies are roasting, you can cook your quinoa: add in quinoa and water to a medium pot and bring mixture to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low and cook for exactly 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from heat and fluff quinoa with a fork, then replace the lid and allow quinoa to steam for 5-10 more minutes.
- Assemble the salad: Once quinoa is done cooking, add to a large bowl, then add in the roasted carrots and cauliflower, green onion, cilantro, parsley, chopped dates, pistachios and peas.
- Make the sunshine dressing: in a medium bowl, mix together the tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, ginger, turmeric, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Add 2-3 tablespoons of warm water to thin out the dressing so that it’s nice and pourable. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
- Pour dressing over the salad and mix well to combine. Serves 4 as a main meal, 6 as a side.
Notes
To store: keep this vegan cauliflower quinoa salad in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3-4 days.
This salad can easily be made the day before, too, and will be delicious served the next day!
See the full post for easy ways to customize this salad.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving (based on 4) | Calories: 391cal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 12.2g | Fat: 16.2g | Saturated Fat: 1.9g | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 18.7g