I first made this salad in Switzerland. (or some version of it) I was visiting my brother, dinner time was nearing and I was rummaging through his ingredients to see what I could pull together for a veg option. A recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi popped up. Cauliflower, Celery, Pomegranate and Hazelnut Salad. I loosely followed it and what a delicious combination of flavours! That was two years ago and it was always in the back of my mind to make again. 

For my salad I tossed the cauliflower in cinnamon, cumin & coriander before roasting. Toasted almonds instead of hazelnuts because I always have them on hand. Olive Oil, Lemon Juice and Maple mixed together for the dressing. Lots of fresh parsley and fresh mint tossed in at the end. What I didn't add at first, and aren't in the photograph, are a handful of chopped dates. I was munching away and decided to toss some in to see what that would be like...SO GOOD. I highly recommend simply chopping up a handful and them in. I'm a fan of the sweet bite as a contrast to the spice from the cauliflower.  

This salad has Middle Eastern inspired flavours. While I had it for dinner just by itself, it would be so delicious as side dish next to any of your favourite Middle Eastern inspired dishes. 

Serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower cut into florets
• 1 celery stalk, sliced diagonally
• 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds (less than 1 pomegranate)
• 1/2 cup toasted chopped almonds
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint 
• 4-6 tbsp EVOO divided (some for roasting cauliflower and some for dressing)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8th tsp cumin
• 1/8th tsp coriander
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Toss cauliflower with 2-3 tbsp of the olive oil, cinnamon, cumin, coriander and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. 
2. Spread evenly onto a baking sheet and roast in the oven at 425F for approximately 25 min, tossing halfway through. Cauliflower is done when there are golden roasted parts and it has softened. 
3. Cool cauliflower to room temp, and add to a large bowl along with celery, pomegranate seeds and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. 
4. Mix together the other 2 tbsp of olive oil, lemon juice and maple. Pour over the salad and toss to combine.
5. Now toss in toasted almonds, parsley and mint. 
6. Adjust ingredients to taste. Season to taste with S & P. You also might want to add a bit more of the dressing ingredients to taste, or more fresh mint. I like it to taste bright, with a nice crunch from the almonds and a good mint/parsley factor. 
7. If you wanted to add a handful of chopped fresh dates for sweetness and texture, it's delicious.  

Recipe Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Tags:

• Baked Apples
• Date Caramel
• Healthy Desserts
• Toasted Pecans
• Cashew Ice Cream
• Easy Vegan Desserts
  
• Oatmeal

Baked Apples with Cinnamon
This is a healthy (ish) apple dessert I made to enjoy over Thanksgiving. I used a combination of McIntosh and Granny Smith apples and baked them in the oven with cinnamon, coconut sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch. I kept my baked apples on the tart side, because that is how I like them. You could always add a bit more sugar if you prefer more sweetness. You can use them in a dessert like this, as a topping for oatmeal, or even on toast. Delicious. 

​I then made a "date ginger caramel", which is one of my favourite things. Simply dates soaked in water until softened, then blended with water or plant milk and fresh ginger. I use it with my spelt flour pancakes, stirred into oatmeal, or on peanut butter toast with fresh fruit. 

I sprinkled toasted pecans over the warm date caramel & baked apples, then served it with a scoop of store bought cashew vanilla ice cream. It was a sweet treat that satisfied my craving for an apple inspired dessert but didn't make me feel shitty. (I love pies and tarts and crisps, but for me refined carbs and a ton of extra sugar and fat puts me on a fast track to feeling pretty terrible. So this was an easy dessert that lightened things up a bit!!) 

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 kg apples, washed and cut into thin slices (maybe 1/8th inch) (I used a combination of McIntosh & Granny Smith)
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp cornstarch 

Method:

1. In a large bowl combine all ingredients and mix together until apples are evenly coated with sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice.
2. Pour apples in a baking dish large enough to hold them (6 cup capacity)
3. Cover with tin foil and bake in 350F oven for 25 minutes. 
4. Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until apples are cooked to your liking. Mine were softened but definitely still had a bit of texture which is how I like it.

To Serve:

1. Heat up some date caramel (thin with a bit more water or plant milk if necessary) spoon some over a portion of warm baked apples.
2. Sprinkle with toasted pecans and top with a generous scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream. 

Recipe Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Tags:

• Roasted Carrots
• Thanksgiving Recipes
  
• Christmas Recipes
  
• Festive Buffet Table
  
• Vegan Side Dish
• Vegetarian Side Dish
  

Maple Orange Roasted Carrots
These roasted carrots with freshly squeezed orange, maple, garlic, toasted almond slices and fresh parsley are a simple and tasty side dish that would be a perfect addition to any festive dinner table. Thanksgiving is around the corner and that was definitely the inspiration for this recipe. I bought sliced almonds specifically to make this vs chopping whole almonds. There's just something about them that I really like in this context. The visual aspect, or perhaps the delicate but snappy crunch they provide....but go ahead and use chopped toasted almonds if that's what you have. I made this recipe using 1 lb of carrots, which is about 2 servings. You can easily multiply the recipe if needed. 

Buying Carrots & Flavour Thoughts
I was able to get my hands on some freshly picked local carrots that were lovely. I was keeping my eye out for the rainbow variety, because I think they would have made for beautiful presentation, but alas the market didn't have them the day I went. Next time. I always taste my carrots before cooking them just to know what I'm working with. Sometimes they are deliciously sweet, other times they are kind of bland and sometimes they will taste kind of bitter. If they would have been bland or bitter carrots, I would think about how to treat that specific vegetable...perhaps in this recipe an extra tablespoon of maple (for example.) Anyhow, the point being...recipes will work to a point but in order to have more successes in the kitchen you need to get used to tasting and balancing flavours. Recognize that there will often be variables in the ingredients that following a recipe can't account for. Only your taste buds can help you there. I don't mean to say following a recipe will result in a disaster if you don't take this approach, only that often, it's the final taste and adjusting that can take a dish from good to great.