AIP colorful cauliflower salad - blanched cauliflower, dried fruit, turmeric-anchovy dressing

Read the label on an anchovy paste twice before it goes in the cart. Nobody warns you that AIP asks for this kind of small, careful attention on top of everything else: a clean ingredient list on a jar most people grab without a second look. This salad rewards the extra minute. Purple cauliflower blanched until just tender, dried fruit for sweetness, and a dressing built on that anchovy paste and warm turmeric, so the bowl ends up looking like something you chose instead of something careful and beige.

Purple cauliflower is a genuinely different food than the white kind. The pigment behind that color is a form of plant polyphenol, tied to a steadier gut environment, and it works alongside the fiber already in the vegetable. Turmeric, whisked straight into the dressing instead of sprinkled on top, is one of AIP's oldest anti-inflammatory staples, and here it's doing real work, not just sitting there for color.

Give it an evening in the fridge before you serve it. The dressing settles into the florets, the flavors round out, and what started as a Tuesday-night side turns into something you'd set out for people. Bring it to the table on purpose, and give the color its due before the first bite.

Ingredients

• 1 large head purple cauliflower
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon anchovy paste (use a clean-label AIP-compliant brand)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried ground turmeric
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (unsweetened, AIP-compliant; or raisins or other dried fruit)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

AIP note: choose an anchovy paste with a clean label and no excluded additives, and use unsweetened, AIP-compliant dried fruit.

Method

Cut the cauliflower into small, bite-sized florets. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the florets briefly, just until tender with a little bite left. Drain and cool them, either under cold water or spread out to cool, so they stop cooking and hold their shape and color.

Make the dressing. In a bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, anchovy paste, salt and turmeric until smooth and combined.

In a large bowl, toss the cooled cauliflower with the dried fruit. Pour the dressing over and toss to coat well. Fold in the chopped cilantro.

Let the salad sit for a while before serving so the flavors come together. It is good cold or at room temperature and keeps well in the fridge.

Air fryer variation

For a roasted version, skip the blanch. Toss the raw florets with a little of the olive oil and air fry until tender and lightly browned (time estimated and untested). Cool, then toss with the dried fruit, the remaining dressing and the cilantro. This gives a deeper, roasted flavor instead of the fresh, blanched texture.

Bring it to the table with a little pride. Color on the plate is its own quiet medicine.

*Adapted from gutsybynature.com*