Cauliflower & Chickpea Bake with Couscous & Vegan Tzatziki
This Cauliflower & Chickpea Bake is flavored by fenugreek, cumin, and coriander. Served with couscous and vegan tzatziki, it makes a quick, easy, and delicious weeknight meal.
Chop the cauliflower into small* florets. (*see note for bigger cauliflower florets)
Drain a can of chickpeas over a bowl to save the aquafaba (aka the liquid from the can). Rinse the chickpeas and set aside.
After you measure the fenugreek, you need to remove any twigs and crush the leaves (this will help them incorporate with the other ingredients better). Either use a mortar and pestle or place 1 tablespoon at a time in the palm of your hand and use the fingers of the other hand to crush the leaves.
In a large mixing bowl, add ¼ cup aquafaba and other paste ingredients. Stir to combine. The paste will be fairly thin, a have a consistency similar to olive oil.
Add chickpeas and caulflower to the bowl with the paste. Mix gently until the paste evenly coats the caulflower and chickpeas.
Spread the caulflower and chickpeas onto a sheet pan. The cauliflower will carmelize better if they are placed flat-side down. Sprinkle the sliced onions over the top.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the veggies are crispy and caramelized.
Vegan Tzatziki
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, mix to combine, and taste to adjust seasonings. Serve as a condiment with the veggies and couscous.
Couscous
Combine 1 cup of couscous with 1 ½ cups of water in a medium sauce pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn off heat, stir the couscous, and place lid on the pot. Let rest 5 minutes, and then fluff with a fork.
Stir in seasonings. Serve with veggie bake and tzatziki.
I love the unique flavor of dried fenugreek leaves. For this recipe, I don't recommend using ground fenugreek powder. If you don't have fenugreek, you can add oregano to the paste and fresh chopped cilantro after the bake comes out of the oven. It won't be the same flavor, but it will make up for that missing component.
If you accidentally throw out your aquafaba, just substitute with ¼ cup water.
If you prefer larger cauliflower florets (or you buy pre-chopped florets), then you will need to bake the cauliflower a little longer than the chickpeas and onions. Simply keep the cauliflower separate in step 5 (giving about half of the paste to the chickpeas and half to the cauliflower). Bake the cauliflower for 10 minutes, then take out of the oven and add the other ingredients to the sheet pan. Return to the oven and continue baking for 25 to 30 minutes.