Za'atar Roasted Cauliflower + Date Salad

Last summer I had the pleasure of becoming friends with the sweetest people of all time, the Dubbaneh family of Z&Z DC. You can read more about their story on their website, but let’s just say they know how to do Middle Eastern food right. To be honest, I didn’t know much about the well-known spice that they named their business after, za’atar, until I tried their incredible food at the farmers market, but now I don’t consider my spice pantry complete unless it’s in there. Za’atar is a unique blend of dried sesame seeds, sumac, and other herbs and spices such as oregano and thyme, though every combination is different.

I love to sprinkle it on my eggs, add it to salad dressings, and roast my vegetables with it, but this salad recipe is at the very top of my list when it comes to how I like to use their za’atar spice. I can’t take full credit for it (thank you, Pinterest) but it is seriously so simple and easy to make. The savory flavor of the za’atar roasted cauliflower combined with the sweetness of medjool dates is unlike anything I’ve ever had — I can’t get enough — the recipe is below!

Ingredients

head of cauliflower
za’atar spice (you can find Z&Z locally here in DC, or find some in the spice isle)
mixed greens
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup medjool dates, sliced
juice of 1 lemon + 1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. cut up cauliflower into florets, spray with some coconut oil and then sprinkle with za’atar spice
3. roast the cauliflower for 15 minutes or until crispy around the edges
4. once the cauliflower is roasted, place it on a bed of greens, add the chopped dates and pine nuts, and then add the olive oil and the juice of 1 lemon for a super simple dressing
5. enjoy!