Cauliflower Pea Salad

This Cauliflower Pea Salad was the next Vegan recipe conversion I had to try after I figured out a Vegan recipe for Ranch dressing that I liked. My mother introduced my family to the Hidden Valley Ranch Crunchy Pea Salad version about 25 years ago, and I’ve always loved that.

When we started visiting Cafe Indigo in Concord, NH, we enjoyed a creamy pea salad with onions and "bacon" bits on their Brunch Buffet. But even liking that so much, I missed the cauliflower.

So, I was inspired to figure this out. Voila! Now, I can enjoy this dairy-free version and add a more raw element by substituting raw cashews for the roasted peanuts in the original recipe, and upping the proportion of cauliflower. It’s still crunchy!

• 1/2 large head of Cauliflower, chopped into ½- to ¾- inch chunks (about 2 Cups)
  
• 1 10-ounce package of frozen baby peas (cooked & drained), or 1 ¼ Cup of new peas raw, if you like!
  
• 3/4 Cup Raw Cashews
  
• 1 Cup chopped Celery
  
• 1/4 Cup diced Red Onion
  
• 3/4 Cup Vegan Ranch Dressing
  
• Vegan “Bacon” Bits or a few drops of Hickory Smoke flavoring

If cooking the peas, do so first and let them cool after draining. I have not yet tried this with raw peas, but I plan to as soon as I am able to harvest some from my garden! Chop and combine all the raw veggies in a large bowl. Fold in the Ranch Dressing and mix well. I like this a bit… ahem… “well-seasoned”, so I tend to shake in more garlic, dill and chipotle powder.

Serve on a bed of greens.

The sample pictured was made with the Hickory seasoning as I have not yet found the vegan “bacon” bits I want to use, but I will! I sprinkled a little extra Chipotle on top for the pretty red color. You can get that with some paprika, also.

Enjoy!