Curried Cauliflower Salad with Apple & Fennel

I first discovered this combo at a networking event, at which I spent more time taste-testing all of the appetizers than talking to people. If you know me, you’re probably thinking, “typical.”

That night, after having just a nibble of a salad with cauliflower roasted with curry powder, apple, and fennel, I went home and made my own version of the same thing — one bite was not enough! Since then, I’ve made the recipe several times, tweaking it as I go. Here’s where I ultimately landed: a roasted cauliflower salad with dice apple and thin slices of fennel, tossed with arugula and drizzled with an apple cider vinegar, curry and honey vinaigrette.

Cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables to roast. I’m guilty of popping several of the roasted florets into my mouth right as the pan comes out of the oven, still piping hot. It’s super versatile, making it a very good base for this salad, which once dressed is FULL of flavor.

Fennel pairs well with curry vinaigrette because fennel seed is often featured in curry. Fennel bulb is brighter and fresher than fennel seed, and provides a satisfying crunch. Meanwhile, apple is sweet and tangy, a contrast to bitter arugula.

It’s not in the recipe, but occasionally I’ll add a handful of toasted walnuts or pepitas to this salad, too. Nuts go a long way in making a salad feel full!

Unlike most salads, I think of this as cold weather fare. Apples and cauliflower are delicious and easy to find well into late fall, and in the summer I’m not as motivated to turn on my oven to roast a pan of veggies. The curry vinaigrette is warming, and the whole salad goes well with roasted chicken or mahi mahi.

Watch the video below, or keep scrolling for the recipe!

Curried Cauliflower Salad with Apple & Fennel

Published September 22, 2016 by Caitlin Sherwood

Yield: 6   |    Active Time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the salad:

1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 apples, one diced and one sliced for garnish

1 bulb fennel, sliced thin

4 cups fresh baby arugula

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1/4 teaspoons black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Place cauliflower on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat. Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through and edges are browning. Set aside to cool.
3. Make vinaigrette: combine all ingredients for vinaigrette in a jar and shake to combine.
4. Assemble salad: place arugula in bowl, and top with cauliflower, apple, and fennel. Drizzle with half of vinaigrette and toss to combine. Add more vinaigrette as desired.

Salmon Taco Salad with Peach Salsa

Blackened salmon and peach salsa were made for each other. The combination of spicy and savory mixed with the sweet and fresh makes them a dynamic duo; beautiful counterparts that when combined. Avocado rounds out the trio, rich and creamy. Those three alone could make a meal-- just some salmon, topped with peach salsa salsa, and a bit of avocado.

It started on a hot afternoon, when my coworkers and I walked out from a skyscraper onto the streets of downtown Denver. Denver, while only a few miles away from where I live, is not somewhere I venture often. It feels like there is aways something new to explore when I visit. 

With lunch as our mission, we set off around town, until we found ourselves at a taco joint with menu items such as "The Dirty Sanchez" and "Mr. Pink". I ordered a "Mr. Orange," a taco with salmon and peaches, and found a table. 

That's where my salmon taco phase began. The very next week, I made salmon tacos at home, testing out a pineapple salsa. It was the next day that I laid my eyes on the peaches sitting in our fruit basket, and a light went off. Peach Salsa. That's what my tacos have been looking for. And, well, the rest is history. 

Salmon Taco Salad with Peach Salsa

Published August 16, 2016 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4   |    Active Time: 35 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the Salmon:

4 6-ounce fillets of salmon

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground paprika

Pinch salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon cooking oil (coconut or avocado)

For the salsa:

2 ripes peaches, diced

1 jalapeño, minced

1/4 of a red onion, diced small

1/4 cup cilantro, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

Juice of 1 lime

Salt & pepper to taste

For the taco salad:

6 cups romaine lettuce, shredded

1 avocado, sliced

1 bell pepper, sliced

1 Roma tomato, diced

Optional: 1/2 cup each black beans or corn kernels

Optional: 1/4 cup Cojita cheese, crumbled

For serving: 4 lime wedges

Directions:

1. While the salmon cooks, make the salsa. Combine diced peaches, minced jalapeño, onion, cilantro, garlic, and lime juice in a bowl. Stir to combine, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Assemble taco salads: Add romaine to serving plates. Top with avocado, bell peppers, and tomato. If using the black beans and corn, add them at this time. Lay one salmon fillet over each salad. Top with peach salsa and optional cojita cheese and serve with lime wedges.

Mediterranean Salad

It started when I was in high school: my core group of friends began doing dinners together for special occasions--birthdays, prom, etc. Most dinners had a similar landscape, including a main pasta dish with some sort of protein, a salad, and dessert (cheesecake). And Being a lover of cooking and feeling at home in the kitchen, I helped with all three dishes. But, one of those nights, I was proclaimed the Official Salad Maker. 

Now I sort of thought, salad... boooooring. But they said look, you can even make salad taste good, and that's crazy! So I moved on with no complaints. I guess it was a compliment.

Flash forward to 2016 and I'm the first to bring a salad to a party. No one is bringing salad? Don't you worry! Official Salad Maker to the rescue! (I no longer use that title, but somehow, I can't help but be the salad bearer to this day).

I have left many of my old hat tricks for salads in the dark and moved on to more innovative efforts. Candied pecans are out and extravagant ingredients from the antipasti isle are in. So are homemade vinaigrettes. Those jarred roasted red peppers in the ethnic foods section? To die for! Why don't we put those on more things? This salad doesn't last long on a table.

Mediterranean Salad

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free,    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

This salad has so many delicious ingreidents--it will be everyone's favorite!

Serves: 5   |    Total Time: 15 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 heart of romaine
• 1/3 cup roasted red peppers, sliced thin (found in near the olives and pickles or in the Italian section in the store)
• 1/3 cup Kalamata olives, sliced
• 1/2 english cucumber
• 1/4 cup feta, crumbled
• Sprinkle of dried oregano
• Sprinkle of dried basil
• Roasted red pepper dressing (I used a store-bought version)

Directions:

1. First, wash and dry the romain using a salad spinner. Then, chopped the ingredients: chop the romaine into bite-sized pieces; drain and dice the red peppers, drain and halve the olives; if you prefer, peel the cucumber, and then dice.
2. Arrange the ingredients on a serving tray in rows, including 1 row for crumbled feta cheese. Lightly sprinkle salad with herbs.
3. When serving, drizzle with dressing to taste, and then toss salad until everything is well mixed.