Roasted Cauliflower + Chickpeas + Mustard Dressing

Can I interest you in some roasted cauliflower? Or maybe some roasted chickpeas? These are both just about the greatest thing ever...at least in my book they are! Pair them with this mustard dressing and you've got yourself another simple dish that is sure to please. I love all the ingredients in this recipe but have to admit that once I put the mustard dressing together, I wasn't so sure if it might have too strong of a mustard flavor. I was pleasantly surprised to find that once the dressing was mixed with the roasted chickpeas and cauliflower it mellowed out immensely. This has ended up being a new favorite dish of mine for ease of preparation and great flavor. It is also a complete meal with the addition of quinoa that adds extra protein and fiber so you can be sure you are getting what you need from your plant based diet. Try adding in some brussels sprouts as well for a nice variation. 

The recipe was first spotted within the beautiful blog photos from Bluebird and originates from Gwyneth Paltrow's and Julia Turshen's cook book, It's All Good. A quick google search gave me the ingredients and more inspiration to put this together. 

Gather your ingredients and begin...

Start by preparing your chickpeas and cauliflower for roasting...roast for 45 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare your dressing and cook your quinoa. Just a note about the dressing, I chose to use lemon instead of white wine vinegar like the original recipe called for. I also sought out a Dijon mustard that didn't use white wine vinegar. My reasoning is that white wine may or may not be a vegan product as many use animal remnants in the production. After searching on the shelves I found this great Dijon mustard from Maille that doesn't use any white wine vinegar in the ingredients, just vinegar. And as luck would have it, it is an award winning Dijon mustard! Win, win. And the lemon in the dressing to me was just perfect!

Once chickpeas and cauliflower are ready...toss with the mustard dressing and serve over a bed of quinoa. Simply wonderful!

Roasted Cauliflower + Chickpeas + Mustard Dressing

Ingredients

• 1 can (14 oz) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed, drained and patted dry on a kitchen towel
• 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
• olive oil
• mineral salt
• 1 cup quinoa (I used tri-color)
• 1 1/2 cups water or vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• fresh cracked pepper, to serve
• lemon wedges, to serve

Mustard Dressing

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
• juice from 1 lemon or 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 
• 1 - 2 tablespoons evo or olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare cauliflower and chickpeas, toss together in a large roasting pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and dash or two of salt. Roast for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so.

In a medium pot, add quinoa, water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove cover and let set 10 minutes and fluff with a fork.

In a small bowl, prepare your mustard dressing and set aside. You may like to double this recipe and have some to drizzle over top your plated serving.

Once roasting is done, let cool a few minutes. While still warm, place cauliflower and chickpeas in a medium size bowl, add dressing and toss. Add in parsley last or top your portion when before serving. Tastes great warm or at room temperature.

Serve cauliflower and chickpea mix over a nice bed of quinoa along with lemon wedges.

Serves two with left over quinoa.

Enjoy often and eat more chickpeas!

MASHED CHICKPEA SALAD

Since I eat this salad all the time, I figured it was time to post it here. This is one of my favorite to go lunches lately. It reminds me of a potato or egg salad. I typically serve this on a bed of chopped romaine or sometimes arugula. I'll add sliced tomatoes and cilantro along the side and top with salt, cracked pepper and paprika along with a squeeze of lemon. This will be what I graze on for most of the day. It's completely satisfying and tastes great while giving me more than half of my required protein and fiber for the day! You could also serve this alone or pair it with some plain, or toasted, bread to make a great sandwich like this one, Mashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich. You could add in all kinds of other ingredients to this salad like olives, capers, sweet pickle relish, etc...let your imagination be your guide. 

Cheers to a good nutrient dense meal with lots of flavor. :)

Mashed Chickpea Salad

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup celery, sliced 
• 1/2 cup carrots, diced
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup scallions, sliced 
• 1/4 cup or so hummus or tahini (any vegan mayo works too)*
• 1 - 2 tablespoons mustard (stoneground or dijon)
• sea salt & cracked pepper, to taste
• dash of garlic powder
• juice of 1 lemon, optional
• small handful pepitos (pumpkin seeds), optional
• paprika/smoked paprika, garnish

Drain and rinse your chickpeas, place in medium size bowl and roughly mash with a fork, potato masher or pastry blender. Add the remaining ingredients and combine. Add more hummus if you like it creamier and taste for seasoning.

Serve however you like...make a sandwich, serve on a bed of leafy greens or scoop up with crackers or sliced vegetables like cucumbers, bell peppers, celery sticks, etc. 

Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes:

If you find your hummus is a bit thick, thin it out with a tablespoon or two of water. This will make for a perfect consistency to use as a binder without being overly thick and/or drying as well. 

Enjoy!

Here are two hummus recipes you may like to try, they both work great with this recipe...

Simple White Bean Hummus

& 

Favorite Hummus 

VEGETABLE FRITTATA

I love sriracha and this vegetable frittata was the absolute perfect accompaniment. Truth be told this is the first time making a frittata, never had one the old traditional way with eggs either. I must say it was flavorful, filling and I will definitely be making this again in the future for family and friends when needed. It can be served anytime of day. This is also great for using up produce that needs be used asap, it will handle a large assortment of veggies. This was as good if not better than I expected. Adding the sriracha chili sauce finishes it off nicely...it really does the trick.

VEGETABLE FRITTATA

Ingredients

• 3 small potatoes, diced...either with or without the skin
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 small bell pepper, diced
• 1 small zucchini, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• handful grape tomatoes, quartered
• small handful parsley or cilantro, chopped
• shake of red pepper flakes, optional

for the blender/food processor

• 1 package organic firm tofu (14/16 oz), drained
• 1/3 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon mustard (any kind) or 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or 1 tablespoon tamari
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/8 teaspoon white or black pepper, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat, saute potatoes for 5 minutes, add onion and saute until translucent, another 5 minutes. Add the peppers, zucchini, and garlic, saute until just soft. Add tomatoes, parsley/cilantro and optional red pepper flakes, cook for one minute more. Remove from heat. I also added a twist or two of cracked pepper & himalayan salt to the veggies as well.

3. In food processor/blender, combine the remaining ingredients and process/blend until smooth. Taste, adding any additional spices as desired. 

4. In a large bowl, combine the sauteed vegetables into the tofu mixture.

5. Cut a circle out of parchment paper to line the bottom of your pie dish. Spoon mixture into the lined pie dish and using the back of a spoon smooth the top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until frittata is firm to the touch. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes. Loosen edges of frittata. Using pot holders if needed, place plate on top of pie dish and flip so frittata falls onto plate, remove parchment paper and serve. Serves 4 to 5. 

 Notes: My top was browning when cooking, but since we are flipping don't worry too much about it. If you decide not to invert you may wish to cover lightly with foil. I also accidently cooked mine at 400 which may be why it was browning so fast, but even at 400 degrees for 35 min. it came out great!

Lots of  veggies make this a fully satisfying meal...

Don't forget the Sriracha :)

Recipe adapted from PETA , Vegan Vegetable Frittata 

Tofu Scramble + Toast w/ Avocado Butter

There was a time when I was skeptical of the tofu scramble but have now surpassed that skepticism with flying colors. After a few times of making these, I can say they are a wonderful way to enjoy a scramble type of meal and I don't miss a thing from my old scrambled ways. Tofu has no flavor and will take on any flavor you add to it. It's a very versatile ingredient and good for protein intake, it has approx 9 grams per serving. You can do your tofu scramble any way you want, any time of day. I love this kind of cooking because there are no rules, you can add/subtract just about anything you like. Tofu scrambles are a great one pot meal that are easy to put together and fairly cheap depending on the ingredients you use.

In this version I decided to use some dried thyme and dijon mustard, you can also use mustard powder if you have it on hand. I used to use mustard in my scrambled eggs and found it to work well here too. Adjust all measurements to your taste, adding more or less of anything you like. 

As a friendly reminder, please consume tofu in moderation. It has plenty of health benefits, but it's also not for everyone so I encourage you to be informed. Find out more about the benefits and warnings of tofu here: Tofu

Tofu Scramble

Ingredients

• 1 block (14-16 oz) tofu, firm or extra firm
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 8 oz. package mushrooms, sliced (about 1 1/2 - 2 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 handfuls spinach
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed or olive oil
• 1 - 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme or tarragon
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• himalayan salt & pepper, to taste

Drain and slice tofu, I like to cut mine into thirds. Place slices between a few paper towels or clean dish cloth. Press it between your hands or press tofu while lying on a hard surface, paper towels/cloth will absorb excess moisture. Set tofu aside and start on prepping your vegetables. Alternately, you can skip pressing if needed. The little bit of moisture will be fine. Try both ways to see what you like best.

In skillet or wok, heat oil over medium high heat. Saute onions, mushrooms and broccoli for five minutes. Add tofu crumbling the between your fingers. Add the spices, mix to combine, add spinach and continue to cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until spinach starts to wilt, about 5 minutes or so. Using a lid/cover will help the spinach wilt faster.

Remove skillet/wok from heat. Serve as you like adding whatever extra spices or condiments you wish. I like mine especially with sambal oelek (it's a simple chile paste that adds the perfect spice).  Pair with toast and avocado butter, or simple warmed corn tortillas. Fresh fruit on the side adds a refreshing touch. 

Serves 2 - 3.

Notes: 

The mushrooms are going to add some moisture to your scramble, cook it down by keeping it on the stove a bit longer if it bothers you or omit the mushrooms altogether. I've made this with just broccoli and spinach, it was delicious!

Try different types of mustard's if you like. I have used a habanero and stone ground mustard, both were delicious. I upped the amount to about 2 tablespoons. Or use 2 - 3 teaspoons mustard powder if you have that on hand. 

Tarragon, parsley and chives would also be a great sub for the thyme!

♥ Avocado Butter ♥

Avocado is much better for you than regular butters...and if you love avocados this will work great for you.

I mashed it up in the skin and serve right onto the bread. Simple and wonderful! Add salt & pepper if you like as well.

Enjoy !