I love when a restaurant dish inspires me to make something similar at home. It’s not that making it at home stops me from going back to the restaurant — the exact opposite, actually! I find that it keeps the menu item top of mind, so I actually can’t wait to return!
This dish was a restaurant-inspired salad. Roasted cauliflower and raisins might not seem like they’d be the best of friends, but the combo is really quite nice, especially when the cauliflower is roasted with the spicy heat of Calabrian chili peppers. Add some arugula, Parmesan cheese, and lemon, and you have a unique flavor explosion that is creative, healthy, fresh and crisp.
Spicy Cauliflower, Arugula Salad
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 1 head cauliflower, broken into florets
- 2-3 spicy chili peppers, finely chopped + 3 tbsp of hot pepper oil (more if you love heat)
- 4-5 large handfuls of arugula
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 4 ounces freshly shaved Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- salt
- pepper
Directions
- Preheat over to 400ºF.
- In a large bowl, toss florets with chili peppers and pepper oil until coated. Spread in a single layer on baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
- In a small bowl, add lemon juice, olive oil, salt, red pepper flakes, and pepper and whisk until combined.
- In a large serving bowl, toss arugula with lemon dressing, spicy cauliflower, and golden raisins. Top with freshly grated Parmesan.
Also try, Lemon Almond Chicken Salad.
