Roasted Cauliflower and Pumpkin, Freekeh Salad with Date Vinaigrette

This Week

2 Dec - 8 Dec

Roasted Cauliflower and Pumpkin, Freekeh Salad with Date Vinaigrette

Dress up simple roasted veggies with this sweet date vinaigrette paired with freekeh, which has a unique smokey and nutty flavour, crunchy almonds and fresh herbs.

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Meal Prep Guide

Pre chop the vegetables. (Store in an airtight container in the fridge)

1 cauliflower (cut into bite-sized florets)
1 red onion (cut into wedges)
¼ pumpkin (cut into bite-sized cubes)
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Cook ¾ cup of freekeh as per packet instructions. (Store in an airtight container in the fridge)
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Make the date vinaigrette. (Store in a airtight jar in the fridge)

Ingredients:

3 dried dates (soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes)
Reserved water from the soaked dates
¼ cup olive oil
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 small garlic clove
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
Pinch chill flakes
Salt and pepper

Method:‍

Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Add 1 Tbsp at a time of the reserved water until you reach a thick, creamy and pourable consistency.

Tips

‍Tips

When making the date vinaigrette make sure you save the liquid that the dates have been soaking in, as you’ll add some of this to the dressing. If you do accidentally throw this away, you can substitute for water.
Make sure your oven has reached temperature before cooking the veggies, this helps them get nice and crispy. Head here to read more tips on roasting veggies.

Shortcuts

Vegetables

You can swap out the cauliflower and pumpkin for any roasted vegetables you’d like. This salad works really well with roasted carrot and parsnips or sweet potato.

Protein

One of the great things about salads like these is that you can serve them alongside any protein you’d like, we’ve chosen halloumi but you could make a protein side from our basics section like chicken, salmon or steak or even use some leftover roasted chicken or smoked salmon for an easy option.

Other

You can swap out the freekeh for brown rice, black rice or any ancient grain like quinoa or amaranth.

Ingredients

1 cauliflower (cut into bite-sized florets)
1 red onion (cut into wedges)
¼ pumpkin (cut into bite-sized cubes)
¾ cup freekeh
⅓ cup almonds (roasted and roughly chopped)
½ cup coriander (roughly chopped)
½ cup parsley (roughly chopped)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

180g halloumi (sliced)
Olive oil or butter
Salt and pepper

Date Vinaigrette

3 dried dates, soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes
Reserved water from the soaked dates
¼ cup olive oil
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 small garlic clove
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
Pinch of chilli flakes
Salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees fan bake.
Add the cauliflower and red onion to one baking tray and the pumpkin to another; drizzle generously with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Give the vegetables a good toss to coat in the oil. Pop the veggies in the oven and roast for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
While the veggies are roasting, cook the freekeh as per the packet instructions.
To make the dressing add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Add 1 Tbsp at a time of the reserved water until you reach a thick, creamy and pourable consistency.
Once the freekeh has cooked, allow it to cool for 10 minutes before assembling the salad. Once cooled, add half of the dressing, half of the herbs and half of the roasted almonds; stir to incorporate.
Then grab a large platter or plate, add a layer of the freekeh mix and a layer of the roasted vegetables; repeat until everything has been used. Top with the remaining herbs, almonds and dressing.
Cook the halloumi just before serving. Add about 1 Tbsp of olive oil to a large pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the halloumi. Cook for a couple of minutes on either side until golden brown but still soft in the centre.

Variations

Vegetables

You can swap out the cauliflower and pumpkin for any roasted vegetables you’d like. This salad works really well with roasted carrot and parsnips or sweet potato.

Protein

One of the great things about salads like these is that you can serve them alongside any protein you’d like, we’ve chosen halloumi but you could make a protein side from our basics section like chicken, salmon or steak or even use some leftover roasted chicken or smoked salmon for an easy option.

Other