Spiced Cauliflower and Spinach Salad with Brazil Nuts and Pomegranate
I’ve been making this spiced cauliflower and spinach salad for a couple of weeks now and just can’t get enough of it!
I love the Christmassy colours of the spinach and pomegranate, even though it’s only November… I think this might be the perfect salad for Christmas day! It’s full of vibrant flavours, packed with phytonutrients and super easy to prepare.
The spice roasted cauliflower combines perfectly with the fresh spinach leaves, herbs, and piquant pomegranate seeds to create a flavour explosion in your mouth. The soft textures of the cauliflower and greens are complemented perfectly by the crunch of the pomegranate seeds and lightly toasted brazil nuts. When it’s served with a creamy lemon tahini dressing (such as the one below) and/or dollop of hummus this salad is heaven on a plate!
Best of all it’s so simple to prepare. Combine the cauliflower with spices and roast in the oven until soft and fragrant. Once cooled, toss with spinach leaves, chopped herbs such as coriander, mint and parsley, pomegranate seeds and some lightly toasted nuts. Exactly which spices you use is entirely up to you. I’m loving a Berbere spice mix at the moment which is a combination of cumin, cardamon, allspice, fenugreek, coriander, cloves, pepper, ginger, turmeric, sweet paprika, cinnamon and ajowan. If you haven’t come across this one on your supermarket travels, just use a combination of your favourite warming spices. If I’m out of the Berbere spice mix or want a slightly spicier result I’ll shake over a combination of paprika, turmeric, cinnamon and cayenne.
This versatile salad can be served warm or cold, depending on the temperature of the roasted cauliflower when you combine all the ingredients. Hummus or lemon tahini dressing is optional but makes an amazing addition, lifting the flavours even further and adding some extra plant based protein. If you want to make this an even more substantial meal simply add any protein of your choice such as pan-fried tempeh, chicken or extra nuts and seeds.
If all this hasn’t yet sold you on this beautiful salad, it also makes great leftovers for lunch the next day. Make an extra big batch for dinner and you’ve literally got your lunches sorted for the next few days, win win!
I hope you love this salad as much as I do and if you know anyone else who might love it please share it with them too. Enjoy!
Do you have a favourite salad recipe? Any questions or comments about this one?
Leave your comments down below!

Spiced Cauliflower and Spinach Salad with Brazil Nuts and Pomegranate Seeds
Serves: 6
Prep time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes
1 head of cauliflower
2 Tbsp spices such as: Berbere mix or Paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne
2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 large handfuls spinach leaves
1 pomegranate
1 handful fresh herbs such as parsley, mint and coriander, roughly chopped
1 handful nuts such as brazil, macadamia or hazelnuts (optional to lightly toast)
Lemon tahini dressing
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp filtered water
freshly ground salt & pepper
Preheat oven to 180ºC fan bake and line a baking tray with baking paper or a baking mat.
Rinse the cauliflower then cut into small bite-sized florets. Place the cauliflower florets into a small bowl and toss with the oil and spices. Spread the seasoned cauliflower onto the prepared baking tray and place in the oven to roast for 30-40 minutes. The cauliflower is ready when it has turned a slightly golden colour and can easily be cut with a butter knife. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Prepare the spinach leaves by rinsing well under filtered water and leave to drain.
Cut the pomegranate in half and then over a bowl carefully break into pieces and pop out the seeds.
Prepare the herbs by rinsing under filtered water and chopping roughly.
If toasting the nuts, place them on an oven proof tray in a 160ºC oven for approximately 10 minutes until just start to colour. Lightly toasting nuts is another way to remove the enzyme inhibitors from their outsides to make them more digestible.
To serve the salad warm, combine all the ingredients with the cauliflower while still warm and serve immediately. Alternatively, wait until the cauliflower is cool them combine all the ingredients. Serve with a drizzle of lemon tahini dressing and/or dollop of hummus.
Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To make the lemon tahini dressing: Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend or in a jar, close the lid tightly and shake until well combined. Test the consistency, ideally you want it to be pourable. If it’s too thick add a little more water. This dressing can be stored in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 3 days, simply shake again before using.
