cauliflower, chickpea, and sweet potato salad with dates, wild rice, and curry tahini dressing

soooo, i’d just like to get it out there that i may be waffling about wandering into mostly-consciously plant-based land again (still? sort of? again.) i finished reading we are the weather the other day and i was smacked in the face and the gut with a lot of information i pretty-much-knew, but somehow hadn’t been thus far super alarmed over. i’m one of those people who makes an effort to recycle, who ditched plastic a long time ago, always brings reusable bags to the grocery store, leaves the lights off until darn near nighttime, walks when possible, etc etc. but i’ve yet to make a full-fledged effort into mostly plant-based eating. here’s my hand to heart commitment to keep it top of mind, to be really mindful when buying meat, to keep this blog open to variety and tasty possibility, and to keep it delicious.

anyway, that steers me hard into this NOT BORING and low key AMAZING cauliflower, chickpea, and sweet potato salad with dates, wild rice, and curry tahini dressing (*claps!!!*)

i’m a big fan of salad generally and really into this one, specifically. i’ve managed to tuck flavor and spice and a kiss of sweetness into every nook of it, and the level in which it pleased me to eat was v high, friends. it helped pivot me sideways from my typical dinner rut that i’ve been in lately - ‘throw things on a sheet pan and sprinkle some salt and chili flake, ta da’ and made me appreciate a cold bowl of veggies snuggled in with rice that was packed with delicious goods.

you’ll need: cauliflower, a sweet potato, a can of chickpeas, some dates, a couple of carrots, a bit of red onion, some lemon and parsley for freshness, tahini (for creaminess, for life), wild rice - or, honestly, any grain you have on hand - , and spices. roast roast, mix mix, yum, you’re welcome.

a few things before we get started:

- this is really hearty, but perfectly great for summer nights, vegan, salad. room temp, chilled, with tempeh, over a bed of arugula - its versatile and down for really any sort of good time
- yes i’m calling this a salad but i’m not really sure that definition holds, BUT, it might make you love salad if you’ve been hesitant thus far. it’s like a pasta salad… but not because there’s wild rice instead of pasta. pasta salad… adjacent
- we’ve got veggies! we’ve got chewy dates for sweetness! we’ve got freshness from the lemon and parsley! we’ve got a zippy curry tahini dressing that is great on pretty much anything! it’s all happening here
- you can (and please do if you’re a super planner!) prep this ahead of time. it’ll get cozier and tastier as it sits in the fridge, so absolutely no stress there
- this was my lunch almost every day this week and i honestly wouldn’t be mad if that trend kept up for the rest of summer

cauliflower, chickpea, and sweet potato salad with dates, wild rice, and curry tahini dressing
makes: 4 servings
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 30 minutes

1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
1 large sweet potato, diced
1 15oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 1/2c wild rice, cooked (quinoa, couscous, white or brown rice works great here, too - whatever you have on hand)
2 large carrots, grated
1c dates, pitted and chopped
1/2 a red onion, diced
1/2c fresh parsley, chopped
1tbsp olive oil
1tsp curry powder
1tsp garlic powder
1/2tsp cumin
1/2tsp coriander (optional, but super delicious)
1tsp salt
1/2tsp black pepper

for the curry tahini dressing:
1/2c tahini
1/2tsp curry powder
1/2tsp salt
juice from 1 lemon
water to thin

preheat the oven to 400.
toss the cauliflower and sweet potato in the olive oil and spices, and arrange on a baking sheet. roast for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway.

while the cauliflower and sweet potato are roasting, place the remaining ingredients for the salad into a large bowl.

whisk the dressing, adding water to thin as necessary (the tahini will ‘clump’ when you add the lemon juice - this is normal, and a little water will smooth things right back out.)

once the cauliflower and sweet potato are roasted, let them cool a bit then add them to the remaining salad ingredients. toss everything with the dressing, and serve room temperature or chilled.