It’s a perfect time now to lighten up that diet which also helps with resetting eating habits . After year’s of experimenting with diets I have learned to focus on eating wholesome, nutritionally balanced food everyday than going on a fad diet. I find eating things like butter, meats and sweets in small quantities as treats on occasions is satisfying that way I don’t crave for it and binge eat.
Salads during the cold months may not be the number one meal on everybody’s mind, but they can be just as tasty and nourishing as summer salads. For winter salads I make them wholesome with nuts, roasted veggies, whole grains and beans. These ingredients make a complete meal, they are nutritional dense, warm beans and robust roasted veggies feel very satisfying to eat while it is still a salad. For this simple salad I use cooked chickpeas and sprinkle it with paprika, curry powder, salt and pepper, oven roasted cauliflower, tossed with walnuts, watercress and tomatoes. Watercress is rich in Vitamin A, C, E, folate, Calcium, a powerful antioxidant and helps control DNA damage when eaten daily. Use baby spinach, kale or chard if its hard to find fresh watercress.
Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Chickpeas and Watercress
Makes 2 as a meal or 4 as a small plate
Ingredients
- 1 medium cauliflower cut into flowerets
- 1 large bunch watercress or 2 cups baby spinach/ baby kale/ swiss chard
- 8-10 oz baby tomatoes
- 1 can organic cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- handful of toasted walnuts
- salt and pepper to taste
- extra virgin olive oil for the cauliflower about 2 tablespoons
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp curry powder ( optional)
Here’ how
Set the oven at 375 degrees F.
Drain rinse the canned chickpeas well and sprinkle paprika and curry powder evenly, set aside. In a large bowl add the cut cauliflower and massage it with olive oil salt and pepper. Now dump it on a lined baking sheet in one layer and place it in the hot oven. Roast the cauliflower for 20 mins. You should get golden brown specks on the flowerets toss to the other side and roast further for a few minutes till evenly brown. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.
Remove the hard stems from the watercress and rinse well and separate. Cut the tomatoes in half to get even sizes. In a salad bowl. Add the seasoned chickpeas, tomatoes, watercress and cauliflower. Taste to check if extra seasoning is needed. Toss and add walnuts right before serving.
Leave a Reply