When I'm on vacation and in an unfamiliar kitchen without my own arsenal of kitchen ingredients, I love to make up recipes. Oh, when you're on vacation you love to relax, shop, get facials? You sound normal. I sound not normal. However, I gotta be, gotta be, gotta gotta be me (all I listen to is the Teen Beach 2 soundtrack). I made up this salad the other day, and while it may not look very appetizing (I think it could use some chopped chives on top?), it really, really was. Roasted vegetables, fluffy quinoa and crunchy garlic croutons... a perfect side dish for just about anything!
Roasted Cauliflower & Corn Salad
(Serves 6-8)
1 head cauliflower
1/3 cup olive oil, plus more to make croutons with
1 tsp cumin
Zest of one lime, plus juice for salad
Salt and pepper
4 ears corn
1 box quinoa, cooked
4 pieces bread, chopped into small pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Break up cauliflower into florets and place on a baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, cumin and lime zest. Pour over florets and toss with hands. Season with salt and pepper. Wrap each ear of corn in foil. Roast corn and cauliflower in oven for 30 minutes. I use this time to make my croutons. In a large skillet, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add bread and garlic, and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, until bread is golden and crispy. Once veggies are roasted, place cauliflower in large bowl. Let corn cool enough to handle, and then slice kernels off and add to bowl. Add cooked quinoa and croutons to bowl, and toss. Finally, add cotija cheese and squeeze some lime into bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper!
