Charred cauliflower & chick pea salad with a curried yoghurt dressing

After the hottest August bank holiday on record, temperatures have cooled considerably but I am resisting the urge to reach for some socks as it's still officially summer. Working from home after a hectic week of work related trials and tribulations and needing the comfort of a little spice, I knocked up this simple salad to perk up the return to work after a long weekend.

Charred cauliflower & chick pea salad with curried yoghurt dressing - Serves 2

1 small cauliflower

½ red onion, very thinly sliced

1 tin of chickpeas

6 dried apricots, sliced

1 red chilli

1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

1 tbsp kalongji seeds

handful of fresh coriander, chopped

handful of wild rocket

squeeze of lime

2 free range eggs, boiled

3 tsp curry powder

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp low fat natural yoghurt

pinch of sea salt

1 tbsp mixed seeds

Heat the oven to 200℃ and place a small baking tray in the oven to warm. Thinly slice the cauliflower and sprinkle with a heaped tsp of curry powder and a pinch of salt. When your baking tray is nice and hot, add the sliced cauliflower in a thin layer and roast for about 10 minutes until nicely browned at the edges and a little smoky. In a separate bowl add the drained chickpeas, ginger, finely chopped chilli (I use the whole chilli but its up to you), red onion (use a mandolin for really thin slices), apricots, coriander, kalongji seeds and wild rocket and squeeze over the juice of a lime. Take the cauliflower from the oven and toss into the mix whilst still hot. For the dressing mix together the yoghurt, mayonnaise and remaining curry powder with a pinch of salt. Serve the salad with a sliced boiled egg, a drizzle of the dressing and a spoonful of crunchy mixed seeds.

Perfect with a cup of turmeric tea to put back a little sunshine yellow in a rainy day x