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Home » Type » Side Dishes » Roasted Cauliflower and Pearl Barley Bowls with Creamy Tahini-Dill Dressing

Roasted Cauliflower and Pearl Barley Bowls with Creamy Tahini-Dill Dressing

April 22, 2015 by Faith 20 Comments

Roasted Cauliflower and Pearl Barley Bowls with Creamy Tahini-Dill Dressing

Who doesn’t like a good party, right? Friends, fun, food. There’s nothing not to love.

Now, as a food blogger it probably comes as no surprise that I love bringing a dish to pass to a party. I usually have plenty of ideas on what will go over well. (Sports-centric = guy food, holidays = indulgence, and summer potluck = light and fresh!)

Roasted Cauliflower and Pearl Barley Bowls with Creamy Tahini-Dill Dressing 2

But what about a baby shower? I’m always somewhat baffled as to what the perfect baby shower fare is. (That is, aside from the obvious things like a crudités platter, fruit salad or skewers, finger sandwiches, and gender-reveal cupcakes, but I like to bring something original and a little unexpected.)

When Robyn (of Simply Fresh Dinners) invited me to participate in a virtual baby shower for Michelle (of Healthy Recipe Ecstasy) I immediately said yes despite not knowing immediately what I wanted to bring.

Let’s talk about Michelle for a quick minute; she is such a sweetie! She’s a supportive blogger friend and is talented on so many levels. Not only is she an inspirational food blogger (her recipes and photography are pretty fabulous…check out her Dark Chocolate Cherry Protein Bars, Zucchini Pancakes with Wild Mushrooms, Crumbled Goat Cheese, and Garlic Chili Oil, and Pretzel-Crusted, Oven-Fried Chicken with Buffalo-Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce), but she’s also an attorney as well as a new mama to a precious little boy, Alexander.

Roasted Cauliflower and Pearl Barley Bowls with Creamy Tahini-Dill Dressing 3

The theme for our virtual baby shower is Healthy Party Foods and while keeping Michelle’s tendency toward fresh, unique flavor twists in mind, I came up with Roasted Cauliflower and Pearl Barley Bowls with Creamy Tahini-Dill Dressing. It’s a play on one of my favorite Middle Eastern veggie dishes (fried cauliflower with sesame parsley sauce) with a few tweaks. Roasted cauliflower is served on a flavorful pearl barley pilaf, topped with a creamy tahini dressing that’s brightened with dill, and then garnished with toasted pine nuts for nutty crunch. Every bite is bursting with flavor and texture and better yet, this dish can be served warm, room temperature, or cold and can be made in advance. Dish it up in little bowls and you’re good to go. Perfect party food, right?

Here’s our Baby Shower Menu:

Baby Shower Menu

You can check out everyone else’s recipes here:

Appetizers

Asparagus Tomato Crostini with Fresh Mint and Chives from Simply Fresh Dinners

Manchego Cheese Fritters with Honey Mustard Ranch from Cooking and Beer

Strawberry Bruschetta with Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar from The NY Melrose Family

Entrees

Mahi Mahi with Dragon Fruit-Pineapple Salsa from No Gojis, No Glory

Curried Fish Tacos with Cabbage and Carrot Slaw from Omnivore’s Cookbook

Spicy Asian Chicken Puff Pastry Bites with Hoisin Peanut Sauce from Climbing Grier Mountain

Kimchi Salmon and Rainbow Pickles from Bam’s Kitchen

Chipotle Sweet Potato Black Bean Tacos from Natural Chow

Sides

Asian Jerk Meatball Wraps from Healthy Nibbles & Bits

Warm Corn Salad from The Complete Savorist

Roasted Cauliflower and Pearl Barley Bowls with Creamy Tahini-Dill Dressing from An Edible Mosaic

Salads

Asparagus with Grated Egg and Capers from Pinch and Swirl

Grilled Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Salad with Coconut Curry Almond Butter Vinaigrette from Food Faith Fitness

Strawberry Spinach Salad from Bitz & Giggles

Desserts

Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt Cheesecake with a Cookie Dough Crust from Vitamin Sunshine

Coconut Sorbet from House of Yumm

Almond and Caramel Date Tart with Chocolate Ganache from The Crafting Foodie

What a beautiful baby shower, right? Thank you to Robyn and everyone else who helped organize this event, and huge congrats to Michelle and her husband Alasdair on the precious new addition to their family. xoxo

Roasted Cauliflower and Pearl Barley Bowls with Creamy Tahini-Dill Dressing 4

Print
Roasted Cauliflower and Pearl Barley Bowls with Creamy Tahini-Dill Dressing
Prep time:  20 mins
Cook time:  35 mins
Total time:  55 mins
Yield: 4 to 6 side dish-sized servings
 
Ingredients
Roasted Cauliflower:
  • 1 small (450 g) head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Pearl Barley:
  • 1 cup (200 g) pearl barley
  • ½ small onion, minced
  • 1 small clove garlic, crushed
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon fresh lemon zest
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
Creamy Tahini-Dill Dressing:
  • 3 tablespoons tahini
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons cold water
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
Other:
  • 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, for garnish
Instructions
  1. For the cauliflower, preheat the oven to 400F. Toss the cauliflower, oil, salt, and pepper on a baking sheet and roast until the cauliflower is golden in places, about 30 minutes, tossing once halfway through.
  2. For the barley, bring a large pot of salted water up to a boil. Add the barley to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 30 minutes; drain. Whisk together the onion, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in the barley and parsley.
  3. For the dressing, use a fork to stir together the tahini and lemon juice. While stirring continuously, gradually drizzle in enough water to make the dressing creamy. Stir in the salt and dill.
  4. To assemble, divide the barley between 4 to 6 individual bowls and divide the cauliflower on top. Drizzle on a little tahini dressing and sprinkle on a few pine nuts.
  5. Serve warm, room temperature, or cold.
Notes
To Make Ahead: You can make this up to 2 days ahead and store it in the fridge; just hold off on adding the tahini dressing and pine nuts until right before you want to serve it.
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Filed Under: Arabic and Middle Eastern, Side Dishes, Vegan Tagged: Cauliflower, Dill, Healthy Recipe Ecstasy, Make-Ahead Side Dishes, Party Foods, Pearl Barley, Picnic Foods, Potluck Foods, Recipes, Roasted Cauliflower, Side Dishes, Side Dishes That Can be Served Warm or Cold, Tahini, Vegan, Virtual Baby Shower, Whole Grains

Comments

  1. Kristen @ The Endless Meal says

    April 30, 2015 at 10:23 pm

    I love roasted cauliflower, and covered in a tahini dill sauce sounds too good to be true!

    Reply
  2. Maggie says

    April 26, 2015 at 9:41 am

    Love roasted cauliflowers! It is such a nice healthy bowl and tahini dill dressing sounds absolutely fascinating! :)

    Reply
  3. Joanne says

    April 25, 2015 at 10:10 pm

    I love how you guys put a healthy spin on all this baby shower food! Totally what I would want if I was a new momma. That tahini dill sauce sounds like something I need to pour all over EVERYTHING in my life.

    Reply
  4. Cassidy Stockton says

    April 23, 2015 at 10:53 am

    This looks wonderful, Faith! Pinning now!!

    Reply
  5. Lisa @ Healthy Nibbles & Bits says

    April 23, 2015 at 10:03 am

    I’ve been looking for a good tahini sauce for the longest time, I’m so glad you shared this recipe, and so glad I found your blog through the virtual baby shower! I’ll take a bowl of this, please!

    Reply
  6. Julia says

    April 23, 2015 at 9:18 am

    My gosh, this is the first time I’ve heard of Michelle and Healthy Recipe Ecstasy and I’m SO happy to have come across her! What a great shower with such wonderful bloggers! I absolutely love that little placard and your roasted cauliflower looks amazing, m’dear! P.S. I’m always the one who brings the veg to the shower, too, ha! ;)

    Reply
  7. Laura (Tutti Dolci) says

    April 23, 2015 at 12:47 am

    I love roasted cauliflower, what great looking bowls!

    Reply
  8. Bam's Kitchen says

    April 22, 2015 at 9:07 pm

    It is only breakfast time here in Hong Kong but I am already making a grocery list and have just added cauliflower so I can try your gorgeous dish. Love all of the contrasting textures. Take care, BAM

    Reply
  9. Marissa | Pinch and Swirl says

    April 22, 2015 at 11:34 am

    Faith, you have a way of coming up with dishes that are SO mouthwatering. For not knowing what you would bring, you sure came up with something fabulous!!

    Reply
  10. Robyn @ Simply Fresh Dinners says

    April 22, 2015 at 9:56 am

    Hi Faith,
    I’m such a big fan of roasted cauliflower and the addition of barley and the flavourful tahini-dill dressing is brilliant. Such a delightful mix and something I would want to eat again and again. Lovely photos, too!

    Reply
  11. Erica says

    April 22, 2015 at 7:10 am

    Sorry I’ve been a bad commenter lately! I promise I still read every post :) This is a shower I want to be invited to! All of the food sounds incredible. I’m a huge fan of cauliflower…especially when roasted! Delicious creation

    Reply
  12. Rosa says

    April 22, 2015 at 7:04 am

    My kind of food! I love that creamy tahini-dill dressing. It pairs wonderfully well with the roasted cauliflower and pearl barley.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Baby News! Plus a Spring Baby Shower Menu - No Gojis No Glory says:
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  5. A Virtual Baby Shower! - simply fresh dinners says:
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  6. A Spring Baby Shower says:
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  7. Asian Jerk Meatball Wraps + Giveaway! - Healthy Nibbles & Bits says:
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  8. Grilled Sweet Potato Salad with Almond Butter Vinaigrette | Food Faith Fitness says:
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Hello and welcome to An Edible Mosaic! This is my recipe collection of international favorites and updated American classics with an emphasis on seasonal dishes. Here you’ll find a focus on real foods that sustain body and mind, bring people together, and make a house a home.

 

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I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to email me with questions or comments.

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affiliate disclosure

An Edible Mosaic is monetized in part though affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on an affiliate link and/or purchase an item after clicking on an affiliate link, I may receive a percentage of the sales price. I only recommend products that I love and use. To learn more, please read my Privacy Policy.

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