Raw Food Wednesday: Cauliflower Tagine, Spinach and Fennel Salad with Pomegranate Seeds

Raw Food Wednesday 10/10

Cauliflower Tagine
(recipe below)

Spinach and Fennel Salad with Pomegranate Seeds

I've been thinking about making some kind of tagine for a while now, but it was only until we picked up some local cauliflower yesterday that a recipe came together. The result was really, really... really good.

The salad was nice as well -- the pomegranate seeds add not only a hit of color, but a burst of sweetness that pairs surprisingly well with the fennel along with the creamy pine nut/lemon/garlic dressing.

Cauliflower Tagine

1 small head of cauliflower
1 turnip, small dice
1 carrot, small dice
1 tbs. garlic, minced
1 tbs. shallot, minced
2 dried apricots, diced
2 dates, diced
4 leaves dinosaur kale, chopped
2 tbs. pine nuts

2 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. nama shoyu

1 tbs. tamarind, soaked at least 30 minutes in 3 tbs. water
2 tsp. cumin seed
2 tsp. corriander seed
1 tsp. fresh tumeric root
1 tbs. cilantro
1 tbs. mint
1 jalapeno, minced

To prepare the cauliflower, you want to break it down to the smallest piece you can -- the best way we've found is to grab a large piece and start by snapping off the big stem and begin to "flake" the smaller pieces off by working around the head using your thumb to pull them apart. It's a little tedious to be sure, but you really want small pieces here. Add them to a large mixing bowl.

Dice the carrot, turnip, dates and apricot into small 1/4" pieces. Mince the jalapeno, shallot and garlic. Shred the kale into 1/4" strips. Add all of these plus the pine nuts to the cauliflower mixture.

Add the olive oil and nama shoyu, stir to combine.

Push the soaked tamarind pulp through a fine mesh strainer over the bowl. Stir to combine.

Add the freshly ground cumin seed, coriander seed, grated turmeric root, black pepper, chopped mint and cilantro. Stir to combine.

Check for seasonings -- it may need a pinch of sea salt to balance the tamarind.

At this point you could eat it as is -- or you can dehydrate it for two hours at 105F to bring all of the flavors together. You may need two dehydrator shelves so it lays in a single layer.

Tags: raw food wednesday, raw food, raw, tamarind, cauliflower, kale, pomegranate, mint, cilantro, fennel, spinach, apricot, dates, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666