Crispy Kale and Roasted Cauliflower Salad
When the idea of a mixed green salad seems mundane, try this roasted salad. You’ll add a bit of pizazz to your meal and charm your taste buds. The crunch from the kale and the caramelization of the cauliflower compliment each other well, creating a wonderful dinner side or a lunch in itself.
Crispy Kale and Roasted Cauliflower Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 Head Cauliflower
- 8 Cups Kale, about one bunch.
- 8 Cherry tomatoes
- Olive oil, extra virgin
- Sea salt. Season to taste.
- Black pepper. Season to taste.
- Balsamic vinegar, optional
- Vinaigrette dressing, optional
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 400°F.
- Prepare the cauliflower by cutting it into small florets.
- Place the cauliflower in a large bowl. Drizzle it with olive oil and season with freshly ground pepper. Mix the cauliflower so that it is evenly coated.
- Place the cauliflower in an 8 inch x 8 inch baking pan and set it in the oven to roast for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, remove the stems from the kale and cut it into bit sized pieces.
- In a large bowl, drizzle the kale with olive oil and season with freshly ground sea salt.
- Spread the kale out on a rack in a sheet pan.
- Once the cauliflower has roasted for 20 minutes, put the kale in the oven and roast both vegetables for 10 minutes. Gently stirring the kale after 5 minutes will help ensure the leaves cook evenly. The cauliflower should be tender and the kale crispy. Both may brown slightly.
- Remove vegetables from the oven and mix in a serving bowl or individual serving dishes.
- Add tomatoes immediately if enjoying as a warm salad. If a warm salad is not what you desire, let the kale and cauliflower cool before adding the tomatoes.
- Enjoy as-is, with drizzled balsamic vinegar, or with your favorite vinaigrette.
Notes
About this recipe
This recipe came about while I was searching for something different to do with all the kale growing in the garden. It was a productive year for kale. I cut a bunch for a meal, maybe leave a leaf or two on the plant, and about a week later the plant had grown into a full bush. Each plant would replenish in this fashion. It was as if the kale had decided to compete with the garden sorrel.1 I made a variety of cold salads, sautéed kale, made kale chips; I needed to expand my menu. I love crispy kale and poked around the kitchen to see how I could turn this snack into a salad. Voila! Crispy kale and roasted cauliflower salad!
Notes
- Looking to try an herb that satisfies like a leafy green vegetable? Try garden sorrel. It has tangy or tart flavor like a lemon or sour green apple. Sorrel is great raw in salads, yet tasty cooked in many other dishes. Check out the Sorrel and Potato Soup and Pecan Crusted Salmon with Sorrel Sauce recipes. This plant is easy to grow and a high producer. I can harvest it from early spring to a hard frost. In climate zone 4b, that’s mid to late May through September! I’ve been known to dry leaves in the fall to keep through the winter. The leaves become brittle, but crumbling them into vegetable soup adds a slightly savory flavor.