I like the old favorites: cole slaw, potato salad and so on. But after a couple of months of summer, the same old grilled food accompaniments get a bit boring, so I begin to make more vegetable salads instead.
Ages ago I discovered that cauliflower is one of the good vegetable choices for salad. I love cauliflower hot, any way at all: plain old steamed or roasted with herbs or sprinkled with cheese. But the cauliflowers have been so especially good this year that I’ve experimented using them in whole grain salads and even as the main salad item itself.
I served this cauliflower salad at a party recently and it went over very well.
Cauliflower Salad with Olives, Sun Dried Tomatoes and Peas
1 head cauliflower
1/2 cup chopped imported olives
1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
1/2 cup thawed frozen peas
3 scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
toasted pignoli nuts, optional
Trim the cauliflower and cut the florets into bite size pieces. Wash and place in a saucepan, covered with water. Bring to a boil, cover the pan, lower the heat and cook for about 6 minutes or until tender but still crispy. Drain and place the pieces in a bowl. Add the olives, sun dried tomatoes, peas and scallions. Pour the olive oil over the vegetables and toss. Pour in the lemon juice and sprinkle in the oregano. Toss ingredients to distribute them evenly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Mix in pignoli nuts if desired. Let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings