Freekeh & Roasted Cauliflower Bowl with Kale and Walnuts

I haven't written a recipe on Borrowed Salt in a really long time. Last time I even thought about it, I promised a teammate to recreate the lemongrass meatballs from Shophouse. I did, but it wasn't exactly how we remembered, and I then I got too lazy to write it.

It's actually a good thing. I started writing recipes because I was bored at work; now, I'm up to my gills in stuff to do, in a brand-new industry that's fascinating, in a role that's fulfilling. And every day, I'm surrounded by better writers, better chefs, and better photographers than me.

Wait a sec. Is it a good thing? Or am I just being lame? Am I holding myself to an impossible and unnecessary standard? It's easy to forget, when I spend so much time pushing stories for other people -  this isn't for anyone else, it's for me. 

So I'm back in the saddle, for today at least. Here's my latest fridge-dive bowl concoction, fueled by post-gym adrenaline and an urge for superfoods after a January full of self-care resolutions (You want that ice cream, you get that ice cream, girl!).

Tasty roasted cauliflower is a great excuse to figure out something to put under it. I sauteed garlic and walnuts with freekeh, threw in some kale and preserved lemon, and sauced it all up with tahini yogurt and za'atar. 

I hope to be back here soon. 

Freekeh & Roasted Cauliflower Bowl with Kale and Walnuts

Yield: 2-3 main dish servings

Prep Time: 10 min    Cook Time: 25 min    Total Time: 30 min

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower

1 shallot, sliced into thin rings

1-2 tsp minced garlic, divided

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped 

1 cup freekeh

1 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water

1 small bunch kale

1 lemon, halved

1 Tbs minced preserved lemon rind

1 Tbs tahini paste

2 Tbs plain yogurt

1 Tbs za'atar

Olive oil

Salt and freshly cracked pepper

Roast the cauliflower: Preheat oven to 425F. Chop cauliflower into small florets. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. In a bowl, toss cauliflower with sliced shallots, a glug of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on baking sheet and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping cauliflower once, until browned.

Meanwhile, make the freekeh: Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add half the garlic and the walnuts and saute for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the freekeh and saute another minute. Add water or stock, cover and turn down heat to medium-low. (Season with a large pinch of salt if using water.)

Strip the kale leaves from the stalks and coarsely chop leaves. Add kale to saucepan, without stirring, and return lid to pot. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, until freekeh has been cooking for 15 minutes or so. Stir kale and juice from half the lemon into freekeh, return lid to pot and cook for 5 more minutes.

While freekeh cooks, make the sauce: Combine tahini, yogurt, remaining garlic and remaining lemon juice in a small bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.

Finish the dish: Turn heat off from freekeh, and remove cauliflower from oven.  Stir preserved lemon into freekeh and season with salt and pepper. Dole out freekeh between bowls, top with cauliflower, and drizzle with yogurt sauce and za'atar.  Serve warm.