Middle Eastern Wedge Salad with Crispy Cauliflower Rice

I, personally, celebrated when the old time wedge salad became popular again. They're the steakhouse classic of iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, bacon and blue cheese dressing. What's not to love? And I'm all for them never going out of style again. But there's also no reason we can't make variations of it.

Because I love Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavors, I took this wedge salad on an international journey. I made an herb tahini dressing and added some crunchy cumin roasted chickpeas. If you haven't tried those yet, I'll tell you right now they're totally addictive.

Cauliflower rice might not seem like a natural addition to a salad but trust me on this. I wanted to add a warm spice to it that would compliment the cumin but still bring a different flavor note. And here's where I turned to my well stocked Ziyad pantry of ingredients and their kefta spice blend. Kefta is the term for a meat kebab and the typical spices include garlic, salt, allspice, coriander, paprika and a few others. It's great on beef but I saw no reason not to put it on vegetables as well.

When you first smell the kefta spice, you might think it's too strong for delicate cauliflower rice. But, again, trust me on this. Heat mellows and sweetens the spice and makes the cauliflower as addictive as the crispy chickpeas. Put it all together and you'll have this version of wedge salad on repeat. Enjoy!

Yield: 4 ServingsAuthor: Anita Schecter

Middle Eastern Wedge Salad with Crispy Cauliflower Rice

prep time: 15 minscook time: 20 minstotal time: 35 mins

Recipe for a wedge salad with herb tahini dressing, roasted chickpeas and crispy cauliflower rice.

ingredients:

1 Head iceberg lettuce

1 Cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Crispy chickpeas (recipe follows)

Crispy cauliflower rice (recipe follows)

Crispy Chickpeas:

1 Can (approximately 15 oz.) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Teaspoon Ziyad ground cumin

Salt to taste

Crispy Cauliflower Rice:

1 Small head cauliflower

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 Teaspoon Ziyad kefta spice blend

Salt to taste

Herb Tahini Dressing:

1/2 Cup Ziyad tahini

1/2 Cup water

1 Clove garlic

3 Tablespoons lemon juice

Large handful parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

instructions:

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Toss the chickpeas with the olive oil and cumin. Spread out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

Cut the cauliflower into florets and add to a food processor. Pulse a few times, working in batches, until it resembles grains of rice. Add to a large skillet or cast iron pan and discard any overly large pieces.

Add the olive oil and kefta spice and saute for a few minutes, stirring often, until the cauliflower begins to soften slightly. Season with salt and remove from the heat.

Use a paper towel to clean out the food processor bowl but no need to wash it. Add the garlic, tahini, water, lemon juice and parsley. Puree until smooth and season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the salad, remove the outer leaves from the head of lettuce and cut into quarters. Place each quarter on a plate and sprinkle on the cauliflower rice and the roasted chickpeas. Add the cherry tomatoes and dress with the herb tahini.

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This recipe is sponsored by Ziyad. Thank you for supporting the products I love and use in my kitchen.