Boring salads are so yesterday. If you’re gonna make a salad, make it a good one. You should put lots of veggies (raw and/or roasted), grains, cheeses, and of course, a killer dressing.

The original recipe for this salad did contain all the things I just mentioned, but I made a few adjustments. Since I just wanted this as a side salad, I decided to omit the farro. I figured it would be too heavy if I kept it in. As well, I didn’t use feta cheese, which made this salad dairy free and vegan.

I made another change, to the lettuce, for personal taste. I don’t like the strong flavour of arugula so I chose a more mild option. I used a spring mix which had spinach and baby romaines. It worked really well with everything.

The real winner of this salad is the roasted cauliflower and bell pepper. Tossing them with the little bit of cinnamon and cumin gives them so much flavour. They are so tasty and they nicely offsets the stronger taste of the tahini in the dressing.

It was a well-balanced salad and the perfect side to my meal. If you make the original recipe (with farro), it would almost be a meal in itself. Maybe add a piece of bread and you’re good to go. If you’re going to make this ahead of time, remember to dress the salad right before serving to avoid wilted greens.