Another recipe from The Rancho Gordo Vegetarian Kitchen by Steve Sando. The Lima bean in the title may have dissuaded you from looking further, but this bean is not like any lima bean I have ever tasted or seen. I just refer to it as the Christmas bean. It is really good- the texture is soft and the flavor is……a little nutty? It is a very good salad.
This is actually a warm salad and the only thing that I changed was the grated cheese at the end. Instead of Parmesan I used Asiago cheese. I like the saltiness of Asiago. The dressing is very tasty. I cut down a tablespoon of the oil and it still tasted great. The salad has so many different textures- the soft beans, mildly chewy cauliflower and almost crunchy spinach. They are delicious together. I ate it with brown rice which complimented it and made a complete protein.
Christmas Lima Bean and Roasted Cauliflower Salad
Serves 4
2 C cooked Christmas Lima beans
1 large head of cauliflower
6 T olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper
1 large lemon, juiced
1 T grainy mustard
1 T honey
4 C baby spinach
Grated hard cheese
Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut cauliflower into bite size florets and combine with 3 tablespoons of oil and salt. Spread on a large sheet pan and bake tossing occasionally for about 30 minutes or until brown and caramelized.
Warm beans in a small pan on the stove top. Add a small amount of bean broth if needed.
Combine lemon juice, mustard, honey, 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a glass container and whisk to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste and whisk again until creamy.
When the cauliflower is done, combine in a large serving bowl the spinach beans and cauliflower. Whisk the dressing again and add to the bowl. Toss salad and adjust seasonings. Top with the grated cheese. Serve warm and enjoy!
Minnesota Food Lover 