Cauliflower salad with fennel, orange and grape dressing

Zesty. Crunchy. Sweet. Tangy. All the things I like in a salad. I'm always looking for exciting ways to eat more veggies and salads with different and interesting flavours always make my list. Who said you can't make friends with salad? Because I'm besties with this one! The orange and fennel sing in this recipe while the tangy almost sour grape dressing cuts through the sweetness and buttery cauliflower. It's wonderful as a Spring/Summer side dish or enjoyed on its own.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons coconut sugar

1 large pinch of saffron threads

1 cup of red, seedless grapes, roughly sliced in halves

1/2 lemon, juiced

4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

25g butter

1/2 cauliflower, cut into thin wedges

1 fennel bulb, very thinly sliced, fronds reserved for garnish

2 oranges, peeled, thinly sliced into rounds

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

1/4 cup small fresh mint leaves

Method:

1. Cook the apple cider vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan on high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved and thickened with the vinegar (about 2 minutes).

2. Add the saffron and grapes, gently squashing some of the grapes to squeeze out the flavour. Stir and cook on medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir and cook for another 7 minutes until bubbling and then remove from heat.

3. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large pan. Add the cauliflower and cook until golden (and slightly charred if you like that flavour). Season with salt and pepper.

4. In a large bowl add the cauliflower, fennel, orange and mint and mix gently with your hands. Pour the grape dressing over the top and sprinkle the toasted pine nuts. Garnish with some fennel fronds.