Hellooooo NEW favorite lunch! And helloooooooooo Friyay!!!!!!!
Seriously though, I ate this for lunch ALL WEEK (well… except today – aka Friday – since my office has lunch meetings at one of our restaurants every Friday). AND it never got old or boring. This cauliflower quinoa salad with lemon dijon dressing was just as delicious and satisfying Thursday as it was on Monday! Such a fabulous meal prep lunch or dinner option. You need this recipe in your life.
SO what’s in our cauliflower quinoa salad?
I must admit… the title is slightly misleading since there is SO MUCH MORE in this salad than just cauliflower and quinoa (as I’m sure you can see from the pictures). We’ve also got some roasted sweet potato, roasted carrots, and diced fresh apples in there! OH MY. The flavor combination between the roasted vegetables, the fresh crunchy juicy apples, and the tangy lemon dijon dressing is DIVINE. Just divine y’all. Not only is this a perfect lunch or dinner option, it could also be served as a side with a protein dish! Boom. SO MANY POSSIBILITIES. Our cauliflower quinoa salad is also extra easy to make. All you do is cook the quinoa, roasted the veggies, slice the apple, shake the dressing together then MIX IT ALL UP AND EAT.
You down? I like it.
cauliflower quinoa salad with lemon dijon dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 1 small head of cauliflower, sliced into mini florets
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- a healthy sprinkle of sea salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and ground sage
- 1 apple, cored and chopped into bite-size pieces
lemon dijon dressing*
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons honey (sub agave is vegan)
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- In a large bowl, add the cauliflower florets, sweet potato chunks, chopped carrots, olive, and a healthy sprinkle of all the spices listed. Toss to coat then lay the veggies out on baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 30-40 or until the veggies are tender, stirring half way through.
- While the veggies are roasting, cook the quinoa according to package instructions and make the lemon dijon vinaigrette - add all ingredients to a large jar or measuring cup then shake or whisk until well combined.
Place cooked quinoa, roasted veggies, and apple pieces in a large bowl then toss everything together. Divide between bowls, drizzle lemon dijon dressing over top then EAT.
Recipe Notes
* The dressing recipe makes more then you need. I like to make extra to dip veggies in throughout the week but if you are making this only for the salad, then I’d half it.
Salad can be enjoyed hot or cold, totally up to you!
SO how was your week?! This was my first full week (since I started on a Wednesday) at my new job and it was just FABULOUS. Fabulous I tell you!! It felt like a dream, but hopefully wasn’t 😉
Tonight we’re heading to a local mexican restaurant to celebrate a friend’s belated birthday. I’m super excited to catch up with everyone after the craziness of the holidays! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment or tag a photo #appetitesanonymous on instagram!! I’d love to see your cauliflower quinoa salads in action. Peace out, friends!
– a
p.s. check out one of my other favorite quinoa salads here!!
Albert Bevia
This salad looks and sounds incredible, this is something I could eat all week too! love the added apples and that lemon dijon dressing…..impressive
Adrienne
Ahhh thanks!!! It’s definitely something you can eat all week… I speak from experience ha! 🙂