#338: Roasted Cauliflower, Garbanzos and Chicken Salad

Everyone has officially been converted to 'vegetable roasting.'  It is everywhere.  I'm not exaggerating, it really is!  All over Pinterest and most food blogger pages are roasted vegetables, which are then used in some form or the other...as a side dish, on eggs benedict, mixed with quinoa, on the infamous avocado toast, and a whole other slew of recipes.  But, trust me, I'm not complaining, and in fact, I'm hopping on that roasted vegetable bandwagon.  And, I'll be real, it isn't just because the vegetables get this amazing flavor when they're blasted with this intense oven heat, no, it's also just plain simple to make.  Plus, you can throw any sort of flavors you want on them and get your fix on anything from Mexican to Thai to Indian fod.  This roasted veggie salad goes the Indian route and throws in a bit of boiled chicken, which I then roasted for a quick 5 minutes just to get all the yummy spices rubbed all over the vegetables and beans onto the chicken, but you really could just use the boiled chicken as is.  It's perfectly juicy!  Sidenote, I've never boiled chicken before, but this month I've done it twice and I gotta say it is so simple, healthy AND makes the chicken so freakin juicy.  A great way to cook chicken!  

Roasted Cauliflower, Garbanzos and Chicken Salad

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets

1 (15 oz) can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 or 1 teaspoon of cayenne, depending on the level of heat you like

1/2 tsp salt + pepper

2 tablespoons coconut oil 

lemon juice (fresh cilantro too, if you have some)

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

For the Dressing:

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder

1 13 tablespoons honey

3/4 teaspoon salt 

1. Boil chicken breasts in water:  Place chicken in a saucepan large enough to hold the chicken pieces.  Add water to cover the chicken.  Bring to boiling on medium-high heat; reduce the heat.  Cover the pan and simmer until the chicken is no longer pink.  I used skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, and it took about 15-20 minutes.  Drain the chicken and cut into 1 inch cubes. 
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  In a large mixing bowl, toss cauliflower, chickpeas with spices and olive oil.  Lay in single layer on foil lined baking sheet and roast about 25-30 minutes, cauliflower should be softened. Sprinkle with lemon juice (and cilantro if you have it).  Set aside.  
3. Add the cubed chicken to the cauliflower/chickpea mixture in the oven, about 5 minutes before the cauliflower/chickpeas are done.  Toss them throughly with the cauliflower/chickpea, so the chicken can pick up some of the spices.  
4. Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small below.  Set aside. 
5. Prepare the Salad:  Baby spinach on the base of the salad.  Top with roasted chickpeas and cauliflower and chicken.  
6. Drizzle dressing over the salad and sprinkle with sliced almonds or green onions.