Lentil, Corn & Cauliflower Salad
The addition of lentils makes this a satisfying and nutritious main coursel salad. It's easy to make year-round if you use frozen corn kernels. Ground sumac and pomegranate molasses may not be in your pantry or even in a store near year. See the Notes section for ideas on alternate flavourings for both the corn and the vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- 1 ear sweet corn (about 3/4 to 1 cup; you can substitute frozen corn kernels)
- 1/2 tbsp olive or grapeseed oil
- 1/2 tsp ground sumac
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1-1/2 cups very small cauliflower florets (or just chop it if you'd rather not take the time to separate the florets)
- 1/2 small red onion, cut lengthwise and finely sliced
- 1 to 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
- 1-1/2 cups cooked large green lentils (or any lentil of your choice except red split lentils, which become mushy when cooked)
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- kosher or fine sea salt to taste
How To Make This Recipe
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Preheat the barbecue or a griddle on medium high heat. If you don't have corn on the cob, you could use frozen corn and quickly stir-fry it in a hot pan with the oil and spices.
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Shuck the ear of corn. Mix the oil and spices in a small bowl, then brush generously over the corn cob. Grill the cob, turning frequently until it starts to caramelize in some areas and the spices darken. Be careful: some of the kernels may pop and send oily spices flying around (yup, it got me!). This only takes a few minutes — you're not trying to cook the corn through. When done, remove the corn cob from the grill and set aside in a bowl to cool. Once it's cool enough to handle, stand the corn cob upright on its base in the bowl and carefully slice off the kernels.
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Mix the spiced grilled corn kernels, cauliflower, onion, mint and lentils in a large bowl. Dress with the vinaigrette below, then add freshly ground pepper and salt to taste.
Recipe Notes
I appreciate that not everyone has access to or is willing to try some flavourings like ground sumac and pomegranate molasses. Even ground cumin may not be your thing. I flavoured this salad to my liking, and you can easily do the same to make this salad your own. Assuming you're not going to use the sumac and molasses, here are a few ideas:
- Season the corn with ground cumin and chili powder
- Or, leave out the spices and simply season the corn with a bit of salt and pepper
- Not a fan of mint leaves or not willing to buy a package for one recipe? Just leave it out, or perhaps use dried mint if you have some on hand.
- If you have any fresh parsley or cilantro around, they would work well in this recipe—totally up to you!