Recipe: Roasted Cauliflower Kale Salad

This recipe is proof that salads can be filling, flavorful, and delicious without sacrificing their amazing health benefits. In our roasted cauliflower kale salad, we take shredded kale, toss it in an easy homemade dressing, and top it with pistachios, dates, and spiced roasted cauliflower. It’s an incredibly simple recipe that can be served as a tasty side or paired with your favorite protein as a main dish. This perfect summer salad travels well, too—just keep the greens and the cauliflower in two separate containers until you’re ready to serve.

Let’s talk about the health benefits. This salad is packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory ingredients that help you thrive, including:

• Kale and cauliflower, which contribute significant amounts of vitamin C and K, essential for immune support and bone health
• Nutritional yeast, a powerhouse for B vitamins, which support energy and brain function
• Dietary fiber (from the cauliflower, kale, nutritional yeast, and dates) to support digestion, help maintain stable blood sugar levels, and promote a feeling of fullness
• Olive oil and pistachios, which provide the healthy fats that our bodies use to actually absorb all the nutrients in this recipe and to promote heart health

If you’re sticking to any particular diet, this salad is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and corn-free, and vegetarian. To boost its protein, we recommend adding a handful of chickpeas or a soft-boiled egg. For our friends avoiding nuts, try swapping the pistachios for sunflower or pumpkin seeds. Vegan friends, try maple syrup or agave nectar instead of honey. And if medjool dates are not for you, roasted sweet potato, pomegranate seeds, or caramelized onions will give you a touch of sweetness and fiber.

Roasted Cauliflower Kale Salad

Overview

Prep + Cook Time: 45 min

Serves: 2-4 (feel free to double or triple this recipe)

Perfect for: Lunch, Dinner, Potluck, Side dish

Benefits: Gluten-Free, Anti-inflammatory, Dairy-Free, Corn-free, Soy-free, Vegetarian, High in antioxidants, High in fiber

Health coaches, this roasted cauliflower kale salad is particularly good for your clients who are:

• Bored with vegetables and need some creative inspiration to increase veggie consumption
• Looking to boost their digestive health and cultivate a healthy microbiome
• Regulating blood sugar levels as part of diabetes management
• Working on weight management and seeking meals high in dietary fiber that fill them up and make them feel satisfied
• Cultivating cognitive health. The healthy fats from olive oil and pistachios, along with the B-vitamins from nutritional yeast, support brain function

Worth noting: Raw kale isn’t easy for everyone to digest. This recipe calls for the kale to be finely shredded, which aids digestion by making it easier to break down. You might also try massaging the kale with the dressing and leaving it to “marinate” for a few minutes before assembling and eating. When in doubt, start with a smaller portion and see how your body responds.

Like any good everyday recipe, roasted cauliflower kale salad is versatile and can be prepared with whatever you have on hand. Walnuts, almonds, or pecans would work well in place of the pistachios. Other varieties of kale or spinach can stand in for the lacinato kale. And the dressing can be made with an array of creative substitutions: vinegar instead of lemon, maple syrup instead of honey, onion powder in place of granulated garlic, grated cheese in place of nutritional yeast. If you try it out with a swap we haven’t mentioned here, let us know! We’d love to hear how you make this recipe yours.

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat oven or air fryer to 350 F.
2. Prepare the dressing: Thoroughly whisk together lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, granulated garlic, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. Add 2 tbsp of the extra virgin olive oil, whisking to emulsify. Add another 1 tbsp and whisk again. Check the consistency and flavor, adding any additional lemon juice, olive oil, or seasoning to taste. Once it’s to your liking, toss the kale in the dressing and set aside. Use as much or as little dressing as you like—you may have additional dressing leftover.
3. Drizzle or spray cauliflower in avocado oil and toss with turmeric, granulated garlic, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Place on a roasting pan, cast iron skillet, or air fryer tray and put into preheated oven or air fryer. Cook, stirring halfway through, for 25-35 minutes, depending on the size of your florets and how roasted you like them. If you’re not sure, once they’re soft and just starting to brown, they’re done.
4. Set aside to cool slightly (or fully—cold roasted cauliflower is just as good on top of this salad as warm cauliflower!)
5. Assemble the salad: Toss kale with dates and pistachios, serve, and top with warm cauliflower. Enjoy!