This flavorful cauliflower salad is made with arugula, white beans, crunchy celery, olives, almonds, and a lemon basil vinaigrette. Each serving provides nutrients like vitamin E, choline, magnesium, and lutein and zeaxanthin—important for brain health—plus 6 grams of fiber for gut health.
A FEW WORDS ON FIBER:
A fiber-rich diet can keep our bodies healthy and help to alleviate everything from heart disease and certain cancers to oh-so-unpleasant constipation.
On average, American adults eat just 10 to 15 grams of fiber per day, but the dietary guidelines for Americans recommend we eat a lot more: 25 grams daily for women and 38 grams for men.
Dietary fiber is also known as roughage or bulk, and it includes the parts of fruits, veggies, nuts, beans and other plant foods your body can’t digest or absorb.
Fiber provides multiple health benefits. Research shows it can play an important role in regulating body weight (it fills us up!), lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes, reducing the risk for cardiovascular disease and certain cancers, supporting healthy digestion (it keeps things moving through the GI track, so it’s good for regularity), and feeding the trillions of beneficial bacteria that live in our gut. When your microbiome is well fed and thriving, everything from your immune system to the level of inflammation in your body benefits.
If you’re a woman, for example, and trying to meet the recommended goal of 25 grams a day, you may want to add more fiber-filled foods to your diet, including beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and fruits and veggies. Here’s a list of some of my favorite food options and the fiber they provide:
Fiber in Foods
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds: 6 grams
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds: 5 grams
- 1 cup raspberries: 8 grams
- 1 cup blueberries: 4 grams
- 1 medium apple: 4.5 grams
- ½ cup cooked lentils: 8 grams
- 1 cup edamame (aka, immature green soybeans): 8 grams
- ½ cup canned cannellini beans: 8 grams
- 1 cup green peas: 7 grams
- 1 cup walnuts: 5 grams
- 1/3 medium avocado: 4 grams
- 1 cup collard greens: 4 grams
- 1 cup cauliflower: 2.2 grams
- 1 cup Raisin Bran: 7 grams
A FEW WORDS ON DIET AND BRAIN HEATLH:
Eating for brain health is especially important to me. That’s why I follow the MIND Diet.
MIND is an acronym for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. The MIND Diet is a blend of two popular diets: the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). Together, they deliver a powerful one-two punch against Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and cognitive decline. Research shows that moderate to strict adherence to the MIND Diet can reduce AD risk by 35% to 53% respectively and slow the rate of brain aging.
The MIND Diet includes foods rich in brain-supporting nutrients like vitamin E, antioxidants, and omega-3s. Eating this way every day is like the Fountain of Youth for your brain. While it’s not a magic bullet—there’s no such thing!—the MIND Diet can play a positive role in reducing the overall risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia.
For a list of the top 10 foods on the MIND Diet, check out this blog post on Liz’s Healthy Table.
Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Arugula, White Beans, and Celery
Author: Liz Weiss
Serve as a main-meal salad on its own or top with grilled fish, shrimp, chicken, beef, hard-boiled eggs, or feta cheese. Each salad serves 4 to 6 people. To add an extra gram of fiber, toss in ¾ cup shelled edamame.
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 medium cauliflower (about 2 pounds), but into 2-inch florets (about 7 cups)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Generous ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups arugula
- One 15-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup thinly sliced celery
- ½ cup pitted green olives (about 10), sliced in half
- 2 to 3 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds
- Basil leaves
Dressing
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 small garlic clove
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- For the salad, place cauliflower florets in a large bowl. Drizzle olive oil over florets and gently toss to combine. Season with the salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Bake, turning halfway through, until golden and tender, 20 to 24 minutes.
- While the cauliflower is roasting and before assembling the salad, prepare the dressing. Place the olive oil, lemon juice, basil, Dijon mustard, honey, and garlic in a Mason jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake to combine. Adjust flavor with salt and pepper.
- To assemble the salad, arrange the arugula, beans, celery, and olives in a large, shallow bowl. Pour half the dressing over the mixture and toss gently to combine. Top with the cooked cauliflower; add remaining dressing. Toss to combine. Top with sliced almonds and garnish with basil.
Notes
Each serving provides 6 grams of fiber.
When adding more fiber to your diet, take it slow so your body and your microbiome have a chance to adjust.
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You’re going to love this salad!
