Roasted cauliflower gets snacky in this luxurious, plant-based cauliflower dip. You can make the dip and store sliced veggies submerged in water for a couple of days ahead of the potluck.
Make it a meal
Serve this dip with Herbed Chicken and Carrot Patty Lettuce Cups and wraps or flatbreads for a DIY sandwich option at your gathering.
Spiced Cauliflower Dip with Rainbow Crudités
Ingredients
- 1 small head cauliflower, core removed and cut into florets (5 to 6 cups/1.25 to 1.5 L)
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 Tbsp (45 mL) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 1 tsp (5 mL) baharat spice blend or smoked paprika, plus more to garnish
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) kosher salt
- 3 Tbsp (45 mL) tahini
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice
- Water, as needed
- Colourful crudités such as radishes, mini cucumbers, heirloom carrots, and sugar snap peas, for serving
Nutrition
Per serving:
- calories100
- protein2 g
- total fat8 g
- sat. fat1 g
- total carbohydrates6 g
- sugars2 g
- fibre2 g
- sodium174 mg
Directions
01
Preheat oven to 425 F (220 C).
02
On large rimmed baking sheet, toss cauliflower, onion, and garlic with olive oil, baharat spice, thyme, and salt. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until cauliflower is very tender and beginning to brown. Let cool for a few minutes.
03
To food processor fitted with metal blade, transfer cauliflower mixture and pulse to chop, then add tahini and lemon juice. Blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down sides as needed. If mixture is too thick, add water 1 Tbsp (15 mL) at a time, and blend again. Pour cauliflower dip into serving bowl, swoosh the top with a spoon, and then drizzle with additional olive oil and a little sprinkle of baharat and thyme. Serve surrounded by your crudités.
Allison Day, RHN
Allison Day, RHN, is a nutritionist, blogger, and cookbook author. Her cookbooks, Whole Bowls and Purely Pumpkin (Skyhorse Publishing, 2016), are out now. She is currently working on her third cookbook, Modern Lunch (Appetite by Random House).
READ THIS NEXT
SEE MORE »
Poached Sablefish and Bok Choy with Lemongrass, Ginger, and Chili
While sablefish’s texture and fat content stand up admirably to the heat of the grill, this firm fish is also delicious poached. For this recipe, sablefish’s luxurious taste is combined with a light fragrant broth of lemongrass and ginger punctuated with the heat of Thai chili. Sustainability status Sablefish, also known as butterfish or black cod, is a rich and satisfying fish, plentiful in omega-3s and sourced sustainably from the Pacific Northwest. Skin and bones Sablefish has large pin bones. Ideally, your fishmonger will remove them, but if not, before you begin, locate them along the fish’s centreline and, using a pair of needle nose pliers, grasp them firmly to remove. You can leave the skin on for this recipe, which may help the fish hold together a little better while cooking, but it can be tricky to peel the skin away from the cooked fish and discard before plating. I opted to remove the skin first and simply keep a close eye on the cooking time, being careful to remove the fish from the poaching liquid before it flakes apart.
Salmon Tacos with Red Cabbage and Orange Slaw with Lime Yogurt
These mildly spiced salmon tacos served with sweet and spicy pumpkin seeds will bring a party together. Make a small quantity of salmon go further when you pair it with a fresh red cabbage slaw featuring citrus and cilantro. Drizzled with some bright lime yogurt, the flavours come together perfectly. Sustainability status Wild salmon from the Pacific Northwest and Alaska are considered among the most sustainable, as the fishery is subject to limited harvests. With salmon stocks in decline, supporting managed fisheries such as these can help maintain populations into the future. That may also mean eating salmon less often than we do now. Salmon is a favourite Salmon is the most popular variety of fish in Canada and the second most popular in the US.
Mussels with Tomato, Saffron, and Fennel
B12-rich mussels are a very good and economical source of protein and iron. Steamed mussels are a classic way to enjoy seafood—and so is this rich, aromatic broth of tomato, fennel, and saffron. Be sure to allow saffron to fully infuse to get the full flavour benefit, and finish off the dish with the fragrant fennel fronds. Sustainability status Farmed mussels are considered highly sustainable due to their low impacts on the environment. They are easy to harvest, require no fertilizer or fresh water, and don’t need to be fed externally, as they get all their nutritional requirements from their marine environment. Mussel prep Selection: Look for mussels with shiny, tightly closed shells that smell of the sea. If shells are slightly open, give them a tap. Live mussels will close immediately. Storage: Keep mussels in the fridge in a shallow pan laid on top of ice. Keep them out of water and cover with a damp cloth. Ideally, consume on the day you buy them, but within two days. They need to breathe, so never keep them in a sealed plastic bag. Cleanup: In addition to being sustainable, farmed mussels tend to require less cleaning than wild mussels. Most of the fibrous “beards” that mussels use to grip solid surfaces will have been removed before sale. But if a few remain, they’re easily dispatched: grasp the beard with your thumb and forefinger and pull it toward the hinge of the mussel and give it a tug. Afterward, give mussels a quick rinse and scrub away any areas of mud or seaweed, which, with farmed mussels, will require minimal work.
Open-Faced Shrimp Sandwich with Celery, Radish, and Sunflower Shoots
The delicate flavour of shrimp is highlighted with just a touch of lemon and a hint of mustard, while radish and celery give some fresh crunch to this dish. Eat it in lettuce cups, on top of greens, or served on whole grain bread for a filling snack. Sustainability status Both wild and farmed shrimp can be sustainable depending on where they’re caught and how they’re raised. See our article “Sea Change” for more information about choosing ethical shrimp.