Roasted cauliflower and pumpkin, freekeh salad with date vinaigrette

Roasted cauliflower and pumpkin, freekeh salad with date vinaigrette by Assortment - Laura Bedwell and Nikki Crerar

Dress up simple roast veges with this sweet date vinaigrette paired with freekeh, which has a unique smoky and nutty flavour, crunchy almonds and fresh herbs.

Ingredients

1	cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
1	red onion, cut into wedges
½	pumpkin, cut into bite-sized cubes
¾ cup	freekeh
⅓ cup	roasted almonds
½ cup	coriander, roughly chopped
½ cup	parsley, roughly chopped
To coat	olive oil
To taste	salt and pepper

Drizzle

olive oil

Date vinaigrette

3	dried dates, soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes
2 Tbsp	reserved water from the soaked dates
¼ cup	olive oil
3 Tbsp	red wine vinegar
1	clove garlic
½ tsp	ground coriander
½ tsp	ground cumin
Pinch	chill flakes
To taste	salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees fan bake.
2. Add the cauliflower and red onion onto one baking tray and the pumpkin to another; drizzle generously with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Give the vegetables a good toss to coat well in the oil. Pop the veggies in the oven to roast for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
3. While the veges are roasting, cook the freekeh as per the packet instructions.
4. To make the dressing add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. You may need to add a little more of the reserved water from the dates to get it to a thick, creamy but pourable consistency.
5. Once the freekeh has cooked, allow to cool for 10 minutes or so before stirring through 1⁄2 of the dressing, half of the herbs and half of the roasted almonds.
6. To assemble the salad we like to get a large platter and add a layer of the freekeh mix, then a layer of the roasted vegetables and repeat until everything has been used. Top with the remaining herbs and almonds, and drizzle over the remaining dressing.

Laura Bedwell and Nikki Crerar run Assortment, a weekly menu planning service. Catch them on Instagram @assortment___ or head to assortmentfoods.com for more.