Roasted Cauliflower and Snap Pea Salad

Here's our first recipe. We wanted to start with something simple because this is how Nat and I started cooking. The first meal we made together was a salad.

Seven years ago, this hip California babe (Nat) came over to my apartment in Boston. The stakes were fairly high because this was only our second date, and I needed to impress (I'm told I still need to impress). The plan: make a meal together.

Back then, my go-to dish was a "Big-Ass Salad with Canned Accoutrements from Trader Joe's".  I put Nat on mushroom-slicing detail, as I opened and chopped the hearts of palm and black olives. Great, I thought. Look at us, working like a team.

After assembling my ingredients, I peered at my new sous-cook's station to see how the mushrooms were coming.

My heart skipped. Thoughts of a nice date vanished.

The sliced mushrooms had piled up, but only by some miracle did Nat manage to keep her fingers. At the time, I didn’t know how to hold a knife correctly, but I knew whatever technique Nat was using was fairly unorthodox. Outside the box, if you will.

Of course, everything was fine, and we made the salad, and ended up getting married and living happily ever after. But that night started our food journey together. Our curiosity for cooking, only a sprout, began to spread its roots.

Now, out here in San Francisco, we still make salads. They're slightly more complex, we care more about the quality, and try hard to vary the ingredients. But, the general idea remains: take some fresh veggies, sprinkle in some bursts of flavor, and top with a tasty dressing.  Here's one of our spring salad recipes:

What's the first recipe you remember making? Do you still make it today?

Roasted CAULIFLOWER & Snap PEA Salad

Serves 4 

Ingredients

Salad

• 1/2 head of red cabbage, sliced
• 1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 1 cup of cooked quinoa*
• 2 handfuls of arugula or mixed greens
• 1 handful of mint, finely chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, sliced
• 1 cup of snap peas, sliced
• 2 dates, pit removed and chopped
• 1/4 cup raw almonds

Dressing

• 6 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small lemon or half of a large lemon, juiced
• 1 pinch of sea salt

*For a grain-free option, leave out the quinoa, and add another handful of mixed greens

Process

1. Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit.
2. Mix the cauliflower and cabbage with a drizzle of olive oil or melted coco oil, and season with sea salt.
3. Spread evenly on a baking sheet, and roast for 35-45 minutes. Stir once.
4. To brown the roasting veggies, move them to the top rack for the last five minutes of roasting.
5. Remove the cauliflower and cabbage from the oven, and place them in a large mixing bowl to cool.
6. Place the almonds on the baking sheet, and roast for 10 minutes, or until just turning brown.
7. Add the rest of the salad ingredients to the cauliflower and cabbage.
8. Remove the almonds from the oven and coarsely chop.
9. Place the dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid, and shake with all your might.
10. Plate the salad, and top with the dressing and chopped almonds.
11. Serve warm or room temperature.
12. Add sea salt to taste.