Roasted Purple Cauliflower with Crispy Chickpeas and Lemon Herb Tahini
Perfectly roasted purple cauliflower with crispy chickpeas seasoned with za'atar spice and drizzled with a creamy lemon herb tahini sauce makes a colorful and delicious vegan main course or healthy side dish.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 350kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 head purple cauliflower or substitute regular cauliflower
- 1 15oz can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 2 teaspoons za'atar spice divided
- ½ cup tahini
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 lemon juiced
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley leaves
- ¼ cup chives
- ¼ cup fresh dill
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves
- ¼ cup olive oil divided
- ¼-1/2 cup water
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Drain and rinse chickpeas and spread out on paper towels or a clean kitchen towel to dry.
- Remove leaves from the base of the cauliflower and trim the stem. Using a large chef's knife, slice vertically through the whole head of cauliflower making ¾ inch slices. Leave as steaks or cut the florets off into even pieces. See post notes on how to cut.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange cauliflower slices on it. Drizzle with two tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and half of the za'atar spice. Use your hands to gently coat the cauliflower pieces in oil and seasoning and arrange evenly on the baking tray.
- Toss dry chickpeas with remaining olive oil and seasoning and place around cauliflower slices on the roasting pan.
- Roast cauliflower and chickpeas for 25-30 minutes. Chickpeas will be crispy, cauliflower will be tender and caramelized in some areas.
- While the cauliflower and chickpeas are roasting, make the lemon herb tahini sauce. Combine tahini, herbs, fresh lemon juice and garlic cloves in a food processor and blend until smooth. Season the sauce with salt to taste. Thin the sauce with water until your desired consistency.
- Transfer the cauliflower and chickpeas to a serving dish and drizzle with lemon herb tahini sauce. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
Use whatever fresh herbs you have on hand. This is my favorite mix but you can go with what you like. Aim for about a cup of fresh, soft herbs.
Nutrition
Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Sodium: 61mg | Potassium: 684mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 934IU | Vitamin C: 97mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 3mg