This salad was really something special. I keep looking at this photo of gorgeous fresh veggies, baked gluten free bean and seed balls and tangy mild mustard dressing. Usually my everyday salads are pretty simple, but sometimes I love to spice things up. I have eaten cauliflower and tomato combo in a salad for quite some time now. I love how the acidity of the tomato goes so well with crunchy cauliflower florets. Add some radishes for color, a load of spinach and your have a beautiful looking healthy salad.
I thought this salad needed some extra protein, so I decided to make bean and seed balls. They only take 10 minutes! I wanted to bake them this time. Usually when I have tried to bake different vegan patties or cutlets or balls, they tend to get really dry and remind me of a savory cookie. No thanks! So this time I figured out a way how to bake them properly so I don't end up with a batch of bean cookies. Just use a really high temperature and only bake them for 8-9 minutes. This way they will get firm enough to hold together but not dry inside. I will definitely make them often and add them to veggie wraps, pastas, salads and rice dishes.
For the dressing, I decided to go with one of my favorites - mild mustard. Similar dressing also makes an appearance in this recipe, but this time there is no orange juice and I added a big bunch of fresh herbs. I hope you enjoy it!
Preparation time: 15-20 minutes.
Serves: 2-3 people
Ingredients:
For the bean and seed balls:
- 14 oz / 400 g canned beans (white beans or kidney beans for example)
- ½ cup / 75 g peeled sunflower seeds
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 bigger clove of garlic, crushed
Mild mustard dressing:
- 2 Tbsp mild mustard
- 1 tsp dark cane syrup or unrefined sugar
- 1 Tbsp cold pressed olive oil
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 3 Tbsp water
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- handful of chopped fresh herbs
For the salad:
- about 2 cups / 50 g fresh spinach
- couple of handfuls of fresh cauliflower florets, sliced
- couple of handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved
- a few radishes, cut into four
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 480 F / 250 C. Drain and rinse the beans. Mash them with your hands and add all the other ingredients. Mix well and form medium balls. Put the balls on a baking tray covered with parchment paper. When the oven has reached its temperature, bake the balls for 8-9 minutes.
For the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together until you have a creamy salad dressing.
To make the salad, take a big plate and first add spinach. Then cauliflower florets, cherry tomatoes and radishes. Now add the bean balls and drizzle the dressing over the salad. Serve right away.
Tip: these baked bean and seed balls also go well in wraps, pastas and different salads.
