Middle Eastern inspired cauliflower, carrots & chickpeas with freekeh

I served this vegetarian dish for a pop-up event I ran last year and it ended up being one of the most popular dishes of the night so wanted to share the recipe. It is easy to prepare and is hearty enough to satisfy even the most fervent meat eater – a real crowd-pleaser.

Serves: 4

Difficulty: Easy/Medium

Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

For the vegetables and freekeh:

1 medium cauliflower
12 to 14 slim carrots
1 can chickpeas, drained
250g freekeh (see hints and tips)
1 tbsp. coriander seeds, crushed
½ tbsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp chilli powder
½ tsp chilli flakes
1 orange, zest and juice
½ lemon, juice
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Coriander leaves, small handful
Flat leaf parsley, small handful

For the two dressings:

2tbsp tahini, from a jar
4tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ lemon, juice only
1 fat garlic clove, finely crushed
6 tbsp. Greek yogurt
1 tbsp. cold water
1 orange, zest only, finely chopped

Hints and Tips

Alternatives to Freekeh

If you have trouble finding freekeh in your local supermarket you can replace it with bulgur wheat, quinoa or couscous. Most of the healthy food aisles in supermarkets will stock a fantastic variety of different grains and other alternatives to pasta or rice, which are perfect for bulking out salads and vegetarian dishes.

Middle Eastern inspired cauliflower, carrots & chickpeas with freekeh

Method

For the vegetables and freekeh:

Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan)
Break the cauliflower into small florets and toss in a roasting tin with ½ tbsp. of the olive oil, chilli flakes and crushed coriander seeds. Season with salt and pepper.
Peel the carrots and chop in half length ways. Place in another roasting tin along with the zest and juice from one orange and the cumin seeds. Toss together and season.
Finally drain the chickpeas and add to a third roasting tin along with ½ tbsp. of olive oil and chilli powder.
Place the three tins of vegetables into the oven and roast for 20 -25 mins until they have started to turn brown and toasted at the edges.
While the vegetables are in the oven prepare the freekeh according to the instructions on the packet.
Once cooked drain the freekeh and place into a clean bowl. Add the lemon juice, chopped herbs and 1 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil. Season to taste and set aside until ready to serve alongside the vegetables.

For the two dressings:

Make a basic tahini dressing by mixing together the tahini, 2 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt and pepper.
In another bowl make a yogurt dressing by combining the Greek yogurt, 2 tbsp. tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil, water, orange zest and salt and pepper.

To serve:

Start with a generous spoonful of the freekeh, followed by some of the carrots, chickpeas and cauliflower. Drizzle over the two sauces then repeat the layering process again. Tuck in and enjoy.

Chickpea