Happy Solstice and peaceful holidays. It has been a challenging year, and I hope you can celebrate with loved ones and share a special meal together. For those of us working toward more plants in our diets, I bring you Cauliflower and Spinach Vinaigrette.
Rarely do we find a naturally vegan dish we can use for a holiday centerpiece or as a delicious side dish. The spinach provides the pretty green outer ring. The cauliflower sits on top with red pepper vinaigrette dolloped on top in generous spoonfuls.
In the vast world of vinaigrette, this mixture of pimento-stuffed green olives, roasted red pepper, red wine vinegar, freshly-chopped Italian parsely.
The effect is gorgeous.
Delicious and savory, too.
Vinaigrette, a basic dressing made with an acid (lemon juice, vinegar, lime, etc.) and a bitter like shallots, onion, green olive and then emulsified with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). In Italian cuisine, it is simply called Italian Dressing made with oil and vinegar, herbs, and spices. Many recipes add a touch of mustard to help emulsify the oil and vinegar together. We can mix and match and substitute as long as we follow the basic formula. Fun examples to try: here, here, and here.
Depending where you live in the world, cauliflower, red bell pepper, and spinach are most likely in season. Yes, you can substitute any green for the spinach. Just simply steam the green (kale, chard, beet greens, chard, … go wild!). Winter greens supply so many nutrients, so I try to add them to soups, salads, sandwiches, and dips. Mother nature sure knows how to provide exactly what we need each season.
Enjoy and buon appetito!
Cauliflower and Spinach Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
- 1 roasted red pepper, peeled, seeded, and chopped
- 2 tbsp red-wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp finely chopped pimiento-stuffed green olives
- 1 tbsp flat leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil EVOO Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salad
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into 1/2 inch florets
- 6 ounces fresh spinach or other greens
Instructions
How to roast sweet peppers and cauliflower
- Roast Pepper: Wash and leave the red pepper whole. Place under the broiler for 5 minutes, then turn and roast 5 more minutes, until the outside skin is blackened. Remove from the oven and place in a plastic bag and close. Let the pepper steam in the plastic bag for 5 minutes, then remove, and set on a cutting board to cool. Once cool to the touch, peel off the blackened skin, remove the stem and seeds, and discard. Roughly chop the red pepper flesh. Roast Cauliflower: In a separate dish, roast the cauliflower florets under the broiler until just softened and a bit brown.
Make the Vinaigrette
- Whisk together olives, red pepper, and parsely. Mix in red-wine vinegar and salt. Add the olive oil and whisk or shake to mix well. Set aside.
Assemble the Salad
- Place the spinach leaves on a bottom layer on a nice serving dish. Arrange the cauliflower florets on top in a circle. Generously spoon the vinaigrette over the top. Serve cold or at room temperature.