Cauliflower and Potato Satay Curry

This is a very tasty satay curry. I was on a quest to use up a head of organic cauliflower that was looking a bit sad and neglected and I have to say it was delicious in this dish. I hoked and poked in the cupboards, fridge and freezer and managed to find all I needed for this curry without having to buy anything else. Using what you have at home is a great way to prevent food waste and it’s very satisfying using up odds and ends.

This curry needs the potato but add whatever veg you have that needs to be used up like peppers, carrots, courgettes, aubergine, greens. Most veg will work in here whether its fresh or frozen.

I’m a sucker for peanut butter and it helps to thicken the sauce and add that needed protein to keep you fuller for longer.

Will you give it a try? let us know in the comments below.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
  • 3 teaspoons curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
  • 1 heaped teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1 head of cauliflower, torn into florets
  • 1 sweet potato and 4 regular potatoes about 700g altogether, peeled and cubed
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes 400g
  • 1 tin full fat coconut milk 400g
  • 500g hot veg stock
  • handful of spinach
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 100g smooth or crunch peanut butter
  • 2 tablespoons peanuts, salted or roasted

To serve: boiled rice and flatbreads

Method:

Step 1: Warm a wide pot on a medium heat. Add a glug of cooking oil along with the onions, cook for a couple of minutes then add the garlic and ginger. Cook for a further 5 minutes to soften.

Step 2: Add in the spices the curry powder, turmeric, garam masala, chilli, brown sugar and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Toast for a minute or two.

Step 3: Toss in the cubed sweet and regular potato along with the cauliflower and coat in the spices.

Step 4: Pour in the tinned tomatoes, veg stock and coconut milk, stir and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Step 5: When the potatoes are cooked through stir in the peanut butter, peanuts and spinach. Taste the sauce and adjust if needed. Serve with rice and flatbreads.

Cauliflower Fritters

These curried cauliflower fritters are simple to make but taste absolutely incredible! We love them with a lime, coriander and yoghurt dip for lunch, or they make a spectacular side to a homemade curry. The batter is made with chickpea flour, so nutritious and with a gorgeous savoury crunch, it’s the perfect way to elevate the humble cauliflower. Give these a try and let us know how you get on.

Liz x

Ingredients

  • 1 mug chickpea flour
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • black pepper to taste
  • 3/4 mug water
  • 1/2 a cauliflower, finely chopped
  • vegetable oil for frying
  • 1/2 pot natural yoghurt
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 lime, zested and halved
  • a large handful of fresh coriander
  • flakey salt to serve

Method

  1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the chickpea flour, curry powder, salt and pepper with the water. You should be left with a smooth, fairly thick batter. You can add more water if it needs.
  2. Chop up the cauliflower (include any leaves) and stir through the batter to evenly coat the pieces.
  3. Heat up a couple of cm of vegetable oil in a deep frying pan to shallow fry the fritters in. While it is heating, get a plate ready with a piece of kitchen paper to drain the fritters on after frying. You can also make the dip now too. Zest the lime into the yoghurt and squeeze in half the juice. Cut the other half of the lime into wedges to squeeze over the fritters later. Chop up the coriander and stir through the yoghurt with a little salt and pepper.
  4. Now the oil should be hot and you can fry the fritters in batches. Use a serving spoon to dollop the batter into the hot oil. After a few minutes, when golden brown, carefully turn the fritters and fry the other side. Careful not to splash hot oil on yourself us you turn the fritters. Use a spatular and a spoon to turn and lower the fritters without splashing.
  5. Remove the fritters when they are cooked and place on the kitchen paper to drain. Then keep frying in small batches until all the mixture is used up.
  6. Serve sprinkled with flakey sea salt and lime wedges. Dunk in the yoghurt and enjoy!

Saag Aloo Gobi

Saag aloo gobi = greens potatoes cauliflower. It’s a classic Indian side dish, a drier curry, delicately spiced and absolutely delicious! We find it easier to mostly make it in the oven and then quickly finish it off on the hob with the spinach/kale and lemon juice. It is honestly gorgeous, we make it so often to go with our weekly bowl of dal or chickpea masala. Or to make it a meal in it’s own right, add a drained tin of chickpeas or some chopped extra firm tofu to the pan for some protein. Don’t stress if you don’t have the brown mustard seeds or cumin seeds, just leave them out. Top with sliced chilli for an extra kick. I hope you really enjoy it.

Liz x

Ingredients

  • 1 large red onion, peeled and sliced
  • 1 cauliflower, cut into florets
  • around 6 medium potatoes, cut into bites
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • black pepper to taste
  • the juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 200g chopped kale/spinach

Method

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 200C and find a large oven and hob safe dish (or you can just use a deep oven dish). Tumble in the chopped onion, cauliflower and potatoes then drizzle with the oil.
  2. Add the whole spices, curry powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper then mix well with your hands to evenly coat each bite with the seasoning.
  3. Roast in the oven for around 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. Check and stir the dish every 10 minutes to ensure an even bake.
  4. Now place the pan on a hot hob and stir through the lemon juice and kale/spinach. Cook until the greens are wilted. Alternatively, if you are using a baking dish that is not safe on the hob, wilt the greens separately then stir through with the lemon juice.
  5. Serve hot with rice and dal or chickpea masala. Enjoy!

Cauliflower Schnitzel Tray Bake

There is nothing more satisfying and healthy than a big plate of local, seasonal vegetables. This dish is so simple to put together, and it’s faff-free, all being baked on one tray. So perfect for a mid-week meal. The crunchy, breaded cauliflower brings delicious texture to the plate (we recommend doing the same technique with butternut squash slices too) and the creamy garlic and herb dip makes every mouthful delectable! Hope you enjoy it!

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the cauliflower schnitzel:

  • 2 large slices from the middle of a cauliflower (pop the rest of the cauliflower back in the fridge to use in another recipe)
  • around 8 tbsp natural yoghurt
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • around 8 tbsp bread crumbs

Vegetables for the tray:

  • 4 medium potatoes
  • 2 parsnips
  • 2 carrots
  • 10 brussels sprouts
  • olive oil, salt & pepper to taste

For the garlic & herb dip:

  • 100g cashew nuts
  • 100ml water
  • 2 tsp vinegar
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • a large handful of chopped herbs eg chives, parsley, sage, rosemary
  • salt & pepper to taste

Method

  1. Turn your oven on to 200C and get your steamer set up. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Cut your cauliflower into two thick steaks and pop them into the steamer for 8 minutes or until just tender.
  2. Meanwhile prepare two wide bowls, one with the natural yoghurt and one with the breadcumbs. Season the yoghurt with salt and pepper and mix well. When your cauliflower steaks are tender, drench them first in the yoghurt, then in the breadcrumbs, turning over a few times until nicely coated. Place the breaded cauliflower steaks on the baking tray.
  3. Cut your potatoes, parsnips and carrots and arrange on the tray alongside the cauliflower schnitzels. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper then place in the oven to bake for around 30 minutes. You can carefully turn everything after 15 minutes to ensure an even bake.
  4. Prepare the brussels sprouts by cutting off the base and slicing them in half. Toss in a small bowl with a little oil and seasoning, these can be added to the tray for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
  5. Prepare the garlic and herb dipping sauce. In a strong, small blender, blend the cashews, water, garlic & vinegar until completely smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then stir into a bowl with the chopped herbs.
  6. When the schnitzels and vegetables are cooked through and golden brown, divide between two plates and add a generous side of the dipping sauce. Enjoy!

Coconut & Spinach Dal with Roasted Swede & Cauliflower

What’s the meal that you have on repeat every week? In our house it’s dal. This creamy lentil curry is so good in so many ways. Firstly, it’s always delicious no matter how we tweak it. Sometimes with a tin of creamy coconut milk, sometimes with a tin of tangy tomatoes, sometimes neither. But always with some seasonal curried vegetables! Secondly, lentils are a very affordable ingredient which satisfies the whole family for a few cents. Thirdly, lentils are incredibly nutritious, full of healthy plant-protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals. I could go on but I’ll finish with the fact that they are quick and easy to cook. Add to soups and stews for body, texture and extra nutrients, or make them the centerpiece in an Indian curry like this one.

Have I inspired you to try lentils? Let me know in the comments. Top your dal with roasted veg, pickled veg, fermented veg, raw veg…anything you like to add colour and texture and taste. We went for curried, roasted swede and cauliflower as they really soak up those spices beautifully!

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

For the roasted veg:

  • 1/2 a swede
  • 1/2 a cauliflower
  • 1 onion
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp whole mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp salt and pepper to taste

For the dal:

  • 1 mug of red split lentils, rinsed
  • 2 cloves of garlic, grated
  • 1 thumb of fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 mild fresh chilli, chopped (or to your taste)
  • 1 tsp salt & a generous grinding of black pepper
  • 1 tin of coconut milk
  • 2 tins of water
  • 100g fresh spinach, rinsed

Method

  1. Turn your oven on to 200C. Chop the swede into small cubes, peel and roughly slice the onion and break the cauliflower into florets. Toss in a large baking dish with the oil, spices and seasoning and place in the oven to bake.
  2. Meanwhile put all the dal ingredients (except the spinach) in a pot and simmer until the lentils are cooked through and creamy. This should take around 15 minutes. Stir regularly to ensure the lentils don’t stick and burn. Turn the heat off and add the spinach to the dal. Place the lid on the pot and allow the residual heat to wilt the spinach while you take the roasted veg out of the oven and get bowls and spoons ready.
  3. Serve the dal in bowls topped with roasted vegetables. You can also serve with brown rice or breads to make it a heartier meal. Fresh coriander, sliced chillies, Indian chutneys, toasted nuts etc make great toppings too. Get creative and add extra nutrients and interest to your bowl.

Cauliflower Steak, Romesco Sauce, Salsa Verde

What’s on the menu for your Valentine this year? We’re going for this juicy cauliflower steak on silky, smokey Romesco sauce topped with tangy salsa verde. It’s light, vibrant and full of flavour! Good for you, good for the planet. Perfect with some bread to mop up the juices and a glass of organic wine to wash it down. Add the organic ingredients to your next veg box here.

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the steaks:

  • 2 thick slices from the middle of a cauliflower
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • salt & pepper to taste

For the Romesco sauce:

  • 100g almonds
  • 2 roasted red peppers
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 small garlic clove, peeled
  • 1 tbsp vinegar (apple cider, red wine or sherry vinegars work well)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

For the salsa verde:

  • 30g parsley
  • 3 tbsp capers
  • a good grind of black pepper
  • 3 tbsp olive oil

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Get your almonds in to roast for 5 minutes while you find an oven and hob safe pan and your blender.
  2. Put your pan on a high heat with the olive oil. Sear the cauliflower steaks in the pan and season on both sides. Then pop the pan in the oven for 15 minutes to cook the cauliflower through while you make the sauces.
  3. Blend all the ingredients for the Romesco sauce until smooth. Blend the salsa verde ingredients until roughly chopped. Then it’s time to plate up.
  4. Spread a luscious layer of Romesco on two plates. Top with the cauliflower steaks then drizzle over the salsa verde. Take to the table with some bread and wine and enjoy!

Sweet & Sour Tofu & Cauliflower

It’s Chinese New Year today and we will be celebrating with this homemade sweet and sour dish, a favourite from the takeaway. Delicious sweet and sour sauce is usually packed full of sugar and food colouring, this version uses maple syrup, still sugary but in a less refined-sugar way. The sourness is from vinegar and there is lots of delicious umami in the tomato puree and soy sauce. Crispy roasted tofu and cauliflower bring welcome texture and meatiness to the dish. Simple and delicious, enjoy!

Liz x

PS – get all the organic ingredients delivered to your door here.

Ingredients (serves 2)

  • 1 block extra firm tofu
  • 1/2 a small cauliflower
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp Chinese 5 spice
  • 4 tbsp cornstarch
  • 5 tbsp maple syrup
  • 4 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari for gluten free)
  • 3 tbsp vinegar (rice wine or apple cider)
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 pineapple, peeled, cored & chopped
  • 1 red pepper, deseeded & chopped into a chunky dice
  • 1 red onion, peeled and chopped into a chunky dice
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • sesame seeds
  • cooked rice or noodles to serve

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Find a large roasting dish and line it with baking parchment.
  2. Put the chopped cauliflower and firm tofu in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of veg oil, sprinkle over the salt and 5 spice. Use a wooden spoon to mix well. Then sprinkle over the cornstarch and mix again ensuring all the pieces are coated in the floury seasoning. Tumble onto the lined tray, spread out evenly then pop it into the oven to bake and get crispy while you cook the sauce, stir fry and rice/noodles.
  3. The cauliflower and tofu should take no more than 20-30 minutes so time cooking you rice or noodles accordingly.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together the sweet and sour sauce ingredients – the maple syrup, soy sauce, vinegar, tomato puree and ground ginger. Taste and tweak if you like with more of any of the ingredients.
  5. Heat the tbsp of veg oil in a large frying pan/wok. When it’s nice and hot, add the chopped pineapple, pepper and red onion and stir fry until hot and starting to caramelise. Add the sauce and heat through.
  6. Then remove the cooked cauliflower and tofu from the oven and stir them through the stir fry and sauce. Add a generous sprinkle of sesame seeds just before serving over rice or noodles and enjoy!

Cauliflower Noodle Soup

This is THE soup to make when you’re feeling under the weather. It’s a plant based take on that classic chicken noodle soup which brings so much comfort. It’s brothy and light, bursting with vitamins, but at the same time hearty and satisfying. I used bay leaves, lemon and thyme to flavour the broth with lots of garlic and a little turmeric for it’s sunny colour and medicinal properties. You’ll feel like a whole new human after a bowl of this. Happy slurping!

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 6)

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 leek, sliced
  • 4 sticks of celery, diced
  • 3 carrots, diced
  • 6 cloves of garlic, sliced
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground pepper
  • 100g quinoa, rinsed
  • 1/2 a head of cauliflower, diced
  • 120g noodles (I prefer quick cooking ramen or Thai rice noodles here but you can also use Italian style pasta in any shape you like. Just adjust the cooking times as explained below.)
  • 1 lemon, juiced

Method

  1. In a large, heavy bottomed pot, sauté the leek, garlic, carrots and celery with the olive oil. After 5 minutes the vegetables should be starting to soften.
  2. Then add the bay leaves, thyme, turmeric and quinoa. Top up with a couple of litres of water, season with the salt and pepper then simmer. After 10 minutes, the vegetables should be soft and the quinoa just starting to release it’s tails.
  3. Add the cauliflower and simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste the broth for seasoning and add more salt if necessary.
  4. Then add the noodles* and give the soup a stir to ensure they’re not clumping together. If they are the quick cooking type, turn the heat off, put the lid on and let them cook and soften in the residual heat. If they are Italian style pasta noodles and need longer cooking then you should add them with the cauliflower during step 3.
  5. Brighten the soup with the lemon juice and serve in large bowls. Enjoy!

TOP TIP – *only add the noodles/pasta if you’ll be eating this soup immediately. If you are making this in advance, add the noodles when you reheat it, otherwise they’ll get too soggy. You can even cook the noodles/pasta separately and put them into bowls, then ladle the soup over each portion.

Cauliflower & Mushroom Biryani

One of our family favourites, this layered, one-pot curry is so so good. A rich layer of mushroom and red bean curry on the bottom, a fragrant layer of perfectly cooked rice in the middle and a succulent layer of cauliflower on top. Sounds complicated but it’s actually very easy. We make this one-pot meal regularly as a mid-week supper. It doesn’t take long to put together, then you just pop it in the oven to bake and you’ve got time to clear up the kitchen and help with homework or whatever else needs doing while it cooks. Then bring the pot to the table and dig in!

We stock organic rice in compostable bags, have you tried the range yet? White basmati is best for this dish as it cooks quickly, but we also have brown basmati and my personal favourite, short grain brown rice. We also have organic tins of tomatoes, beans and more. We do so much more than just fruit and veg. Add some groceries to your next order and save yourself a trip to the supermarket.

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, peeled and diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and diced
  • 1 heaped tbsp curry powder
  • around 10 chestnut mushrooms, halved
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tin kidney beans, drained
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 small mug of basmati rice (225g)
  • 2 small mugs of water
  • 1/4 tsp each: ground cardamom and star anise
  • 1 tsp rose petals (optional)
  • 1/2 a large cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • coconut flakes

Method

  1. Turn your oven to 200C and find a deep pot or casserole dish with a lid that is safe both on the hob and in the oven.
  2. Start by sautéing the diced onion with the oil on a medium-high heat. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon. After 5 minutes the onion should start to soften and turn golden.
  3. Then add the mushrooms, garlic, curry powder and season well with plenty of salt (about a tsp) and pepper. Stir for a few minutes to coat the mushrooms in the seasoning and allow the spices to toast and get very fragrant.
  4. Empty the tin of chopped tomatoes into the pot along with the drained beans. Stir well, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, then put the lid on and let the curry simmer for a few minutes while you rinse you rice in a fine sieve.
  5. Turn off the heat then carefully add the rinsed mug of rice to the curry. Don’t stir it in, add it in a careful layer on top of the curry and smooth it out with the back of the wooden spoon. Then slowly pour two mugs of water over the back of the spoon over the rice so that it doesn’t disturb the layer.
  6. Add some aromatics to the rice if you like eg cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, star anise, rose petals, saffron… I usually use a mix of ground anise and cardamom and a few rose petals.
  7. Then place the cauliflower florets carefully into the rice and water, sprinkle them with turmeric, salt and pepper. Put the lid on the pot and put the pot in the oven to bake.
  8. After 30 minutes, check on the rice. It should be bubbling hot and have absorbed most of the liquid. Taste a grain, if it needs longer put the lid back on and return it to the oven.
  9. If the rice is cooked through then remove the lid, sprinkle the top of the dish with flaked coconut (or flaked almonds) and return it to the oven to toast. Just 3-5 minutes should be enough. Then it’s ready to serve. Scoop out portions ensuring each bowl gets a bit of each layer and enjoy!

4 Ways With…Cauliflower

“Cooking from scratch is the single most important thing we can do…to improve our health and general wellbeing.” – “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.”

Michael Pollan

At Green Earth Organics, we are on a mission to help you Eat More Veg and Cook From Scratch. These two phrases are the cornerstones of good health, not just for us but for our planet too! Cutting down on processed food, ready meals and animal products and preparing and eating lots more whole, organic, fruit, veg, beans, nuts and grains is not only great for our health, it means less packaging, less harmful emissions from factories and animal farms and a lot less unhealthy, unnecessary ingredients.

With our modern, busy lifestyles, it can seem like too much effort to shop for groceries, fruit and veg and get into the kitchen and cook from scratch after a long day at work. It is easy to just take something out of the freezer and microwave it or pop it in the oven. But you owe it to yourselves to cook from scratch. You are worthy of home cooked, healthy food and it will positively impact the rest of your life. It doesn’t have to be complicated to be delicious and satisfying.

So as well as making it easy for you to get the good stuff straight to your door with our weekly veg box subscriptions, we are starting a new weekly series called ‘4 Ways With…’ This series will showcase a seasonal vegetable or other ingredient and demonstrate four simple ways to prepare or cook it. We want to inspire you and give you the confidence to get into the kitchen and whip up a simple but satisfying meal. Follow us on Instagram or subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch the videos each week. Please feel free to comment and share your favourite seasonal recipes with us and the rest of our community. We love to see what you make from our weekly boxes. Liz x

4 Ways With Cauliflower

First up is the humble, but every versatile, cauliflower. Cauliflower has had one of the biggest ‘glow ups’ of all vegetables over the last 10 years. Once simply boiled and relegated to the side of the plate, cauliflower is now the captain of the vegetable patch! Roast it covered in Middle Eastern spices, blitz it into a rice or cous cous alternative, turn it into steaks, batter and deep fry it and transform it into a fried chicken substitute, even use it as a gluten free pizza base! If you’ve got a need for a vegetable to pretend to be something it’s not, cauliflower is your man. And it is delicious. Cauliflower is a bit of a blank canvas and is very good as a vehicle for delicious herbs and spices. It is absolutely fantastic in a curry or to top my baked biryani. Here are just 4 of the many ways I use cauliflower regularly. Vegan Cauliflower Cheese, Winter Tabbouleh, Spicy Roast Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad and Curried Cauliflower Fritters. What is your favourite cauliflower recipe? Let us know below or over on our healthy eating facebook group. Liz x

The recipes shown in the video above are just quick ideas and inspiration for dishes you can create with a cauliflower from your veg box. Below are the same recipes with amounts adjusted for a whole cauliflower in each recipe.

Vegan Cauliflower Cheese (serves 4-6 as a side for a roast)

Preheat your oven to 200C. Find a large baking dish which will accommodate a whole cauliflower.

Rinse and quarter the cauliflower and break it into florets. Put them in the roasting dish. Add the sliced leaves and cores too.

Drizzle over the olive oil and season the cauliflower with salt and pepper. Mix well to spread the seasoning evenly. Then pop the dish in the oven to roast the cauliflower for 20 minutes.

While the cauliflower is roasting, prepare your vegan béchamel.

Simply whisk together the flour, nutritional yeast, nutmeg, mustard and oat milk. Add a big pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper.

Give it another which and pour the uncooked béchamel over the now roasted cauliflower. Return the dish to the oven to cook for a further 15 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

OPTIONAL EXTRAS: you could add a crunchy topping to your cauliflower cheese before you return it to the oven. I like to roughly blend extra proportions of pumpkin seeds and nutritional yeast. You could also use breadcrumbs.

Winter Tabbouleh (serves 6)

  • 1 cauliflower
  • 8 large kale leaves (or use lots of fresh parsley or a mix of the two)
  • 1 red onion (or 4 spring onions)
  • 10 sun-dried tomatoes in oil (plus 4 tbsp of the oil)
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • option extras like chopped walnuts, z’atar or dukka

Grate a rinsed cauliflower into a large bowl. You should end up with a rice/bulgar wheat like grain substitute.

Rinse the kale, remove the tough stems and very finely chop the leaves. Add to the bowl of cauliflower.

Finely dice the red onion (or slice the spring onion) and add it to the bowl.

Slice the sun-dried tomatoes and add to the bowl then make the simple dressing.

Mix the juice of the mon with a small crushed clove of garlic, and 4 or so tbsp of oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and mix the dressing through the tabbouleh.

Serve as part of a salad bowl with some hummus, roasted vegetables and bread or with a tagine-type stew. It’s very good with something crunchy and nutty/seedy on top too. Simply toasted, chopped walnuts or make a dukka (a mix of toasted nuts, sesame seeds, cumin and coriander seeds) or z’atar (a mix of toasted sesame seeds, dried thyme and ground sumac).

Spicy Roast Cauliflower & Chickpea Salad (serves 4-6)

  • 1 cauliflower
  • 2 tins of drained and rinsed chickpeas
  • 4 red onions
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • about 6 tbsp of ready made chilli sauce like harissa or sriracha or a mix of your own favourite spices (eg 1 tsp chilli flakes, 1 tbsp cumin seeds, 1 tbsp ground coriander, 1 tbsp smoked paprika and 2 tbsp maple syrup)

Pre-heat the oven to 200C and prepare a large roasting dish.

Rinse and chop the cauliflower (leaves, core and all), peel and slice the onions into thick wedges and drain and rinse the chickpeas.

Put them all into the roasting dish and drizzle over the olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper and add the chilli sauce or your own mix of spices.

Mix well and roast in the oven until the cauliflower is lightly charred and cooked through – around half an hour or so.

Serve warm with salad leaves and a cooling hummus or yoghurt and tahini dip or allow it to cool and keep in the fridge for 4 days for quick salad lunches.

Curried Cauliflower Fritters (makes 12-16 fritters)

  • 1 cauliflower
  • 1 mug of gram flour
  • 1 tsp each of cumin seeds, brown mustard seeds, chilli flakes, turmeric, salt…some freshly ground black pepper and about 15 fresh curry leaves if you have them
  • vegetable oil for frying

Start with the gram flour batter. Mix the gram flour and spices with a mug of water.

Chop the cauliflower (leaves, core and florets) into small, pea sized pieces and mix it into the gram flour batter. There should be enough gram flour batter to coat all the pieces. If your cauliflower is very large and the mixture seems dry just make a bit more of the batter.

Heat a frying pan to a medium heat with a generous slick of vegetable oil. Fry spoonfuls of the batter in batches and flip them over once golden brown underneath. Ensure the heat is not too high as if it is the fritters will burn on the outside and be raw in the middle. A medium heat allows the fritters to cook slowly all the way through.

Serve warm as a side to a curry or salad or as a sandwich or wrap filling. I like mine in a wrap with some spinach or lettuce leaves, yoghurt and mango chutney.

Leftover mixture will keep well in the fridge in an airtight box for three days.