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This freekeh-Medjool date salad with preserved lemon dressing brings together whole grains, roasted vegetables, greens, and a sweet-savory salsa. Freekeh is a whole grain made from young durum wheat. It cooks up chewy, a bit like barley or brown rice, and gives the salad a strong base.
Roasted cauliflower adds browned edges, while arugula brings a peppery green layer. The salsa mixes Medjool dates, sun-dried tomatoes, shallot, parsley, olives, lime juice, and optional serrano pepper. It gives the salad sweetness, saltiness, and a little heat. The preserved lemon dressing adds sharp citrus flavor, and chia seeds add texture.
Read more: Kaleidoscopic Quinoa Salad
This recipe comes from The Vegan Middle Eastern Cookbook by Noha Elbadry-Cloud. It uses North African, Levantine, and Arabian Peninsula ingredients in one dish. Serve it at room temperature for lunch, as a side, or as part of a larger spread. Pine nuts on top add a simple finish, and extra dressing can go on the side.
Reprinted with permission from The Vegan Middle Eastern Cookbook by Noha Elbadry-Cloud. Page Street Publishing Co. 2023. Photo credit: Noha Elbadry-Cloud.
Prep your freekeh-Medjool date salad
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 3 cups (100 g) cauliflower florets
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 cup (165 g) coarse freekeh, rinsed
- 1 cube vegetable bouillon
- 3 cups (60 g) arugula
- Pine nuts to serve
For the Salsa
- 5 jumbo Medjool dates pitted and chopped
- ⅓ cup (60 g) jarred sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (a little oil is fine)
- 1 small shallot chopped
- ¼ cup (15 g) chopped fresh parsley
- 6 medium green olives pitted and chopped
- 1 small serrano pepper chopped (optional)
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) lime juice
- ½ tsp sea salt
For the Dressing
- ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 preserved lemon seeded and halved
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) preserved lemon brine
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) maple syrup
- 1 tbsp (2 g) fresh thyme leaves (or sub 1 tsp dried thyme)
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp (10 g) chia seeds
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, olive oil and salt. Mix well and transfer it to the sheet pan. Roast, flipping once halfway through, until golden and crispy, about 25 minutes. Remove the sheet pan from the oven, and let the cauliflower cool to room temperature.
- In a medium pot, combine the freekeh, bouillon and 2¼ cups (540 ml) of water. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook until all or most of the water has been absorbed and freekeh has softened, 35 to 40 minutes. Drain any leftover water; the freekeh should be a bit chewy, similar to barley or brown rice. Remove it from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
- To make the salsa, place the dates, sun-dried tomatoes, shallot, parsley, olives, serrano pepper (if using), lime juice and salt in a medium bowl. Mix well to combine. Set it aside.
- To make the dressing, add the extra virgin olive oil, preserved lemon, lemon brine, lemon juice, maple syrup, thyme, black pepper and salt to a food processor. Pulse it until smooth and creamy. Transfer the dressing to a jar with an airtight lid and stir in the chia seeds. Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 5 days.
- Combine the cooked freekeh, roasted cauliflower and arugula in a large bowl along with half the dressing. Toss the ingredients to mix. Serve at room temperature topped with the salsa and a handful of pine nuts and with extra dressing on the side.
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