Cauliflower Shawarma Bowls

My sister-in-law brought the most delicious curried roasted cauliflower over to my house for dinner the other night. It was tender and caramelized and full of sweet savory curry flavors. We gobbled it up alongside pork tenderloin and a big green salad.

We sat and ate, kids talking over us as we chatted and caught up. I told her I needed a fun recipe to share here in the paper to kick off January. We both agreed it needed to be something light and delicious, nothing too heavy after a holiday season full of cookies, mashed potatoes and buttery rolls. As I took another delicious bite of her cauliflower, I knew I was going to take her recipe and run with it.

As I rifled through my over-stuffed spice cupboard the next day in preparation to make her dish, it became quickly clear that while I have every sort of dried herb you could imagine and enough dried mustard to share with the entire neighborhood, I did not have any curry powder. Thankfully I did have turmeric, cumin and coriander; spices typically used to make curries.

I found some great inspiration from several food blogs I love and adapted this recipe from a website called What’s Gaby Cooking. This easy vegetarian recipe is perfect for make-ahead lunches or a meatless Monday dinner option. At the same time; if you have meat eaters at your house that insist on some protein with their meal, cooked chicken or flank steak would be a lovely addition to this recipe.

Feel free to build your salad with whatever components you have on hand or prefer. Bell peppers or a little red onion might be a nice touch. I love kicking off the new year with a few new recipes to add into my meal rotation and this one checks all the boxes: healthy, delicious, nutrient-dense and quick to throw together.

Cauliflower Shawarma Bowl

• 2 pounds cauliflower florets

• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 cup hummus

• 1 cup mixed greens

• 1 cup shredded purple cabbage

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1 cup English cucumber, diced

• 1 tablespoon chives, minced

• 1/2 cup crumbled feta OR goat cheese

• Lemon Tahini dressing

• Flour tortillas or Pita bread

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the florets on the baking sheet.

In a separate small bowl combine the olive oil with the turmeric, cumin, coriander, paprika, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine and then pour over the cauliflower. Using clean hands, gently toss the florets on the baking sheet until the oil mixture evenly coats all the cauliflower. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes until the cauliflower is caramelized, deeply brown and tender when pierced with a fork.

To assemble the bowls, spoon hummus generously into the bottom of a bowl (a couple tablespoons or as much as you like). Top the hummus with equal parts greens, cabbage, cucumbers and tomatoes. Pile about 3/4 cup cauliflower on top the salad and sprinkle with crumbled cheese and chopped chives. Drizzle generously with the lemon tahini dressing and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Lemon Tahini Dressing

• 1 cup tahini

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

• Water

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until perfectly smooth. Stream in 1 to 2 cups water, a little bit a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Taste and adjust the salt if needed.