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!)

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.

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:

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

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

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.