Roasted Cauliflower, Orzo and Feta Salad

This has been my lunch all week! OMG! SO Good! If you you love lemon, feta, and garlic, you will love this salad! Even if you are not a fan of cauliflower, it has so much garlicy goodness that the roasted cauliflower tastes more like garlic. This recipe is adapted from Chrissy Teagan’s “Cravings” cookbook. One thing I love about it is that you can adapt it so many different ways!

For the Cauliflower/Orzo…

Ingredients

• 1 small head of cauliflower
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup orzo

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

1. In a bowl toss the cauliflower with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, salt/pepper
2. Spread cauliflower on a baking sheet (pro tip- be sure when roasting veggies they are in a single layer, otherwise the veggies will steam instead of roasting)
3. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges are crisp
4. Let cool and set aside

To Make the Orzo

1. In a pot of salted and boiling water, cook the orzo according to directions. However, boil 1 to 2 minutes less than the package says.
2. Immediately drain in a colander, rinse with cold water, and pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil on orzo (while still in colander).

For the Dressing

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red pepper (I omitted this and it was still delicious!)
• 1 cup (or more) crumbled feta cheese
• 2/3 cup dried cherries
• 4 cups baby spinach

To make dressing…

1. Mix together olive oil, fresh lemon juice, honey, dijon mustard, salt/pepper
2. In a large bowl add dressing, cauliflower, onions (if that’s your thing), feta cheese, dried cherries
3. Serve on a bed of baby lettuce

Other ways to tweak this recipe…

1. serve on a bed of kale or arugula
2. Try different dried fruits…cranberries would be good! I bet even adding some fresh fruit would be tasty!
3. Sans onion (obvi)
4. If you decide to meal prep this for the week, put your greens in one container and your orzo/cauliflower mixture in another.