Easy dinner recipes: Rich salad options for Meatless Monday

Salads are a great way to go when you’re looking for something simple yet rich and colorful. Each of these recipes comes together in under an hour and is perfect for Meatless Monday.

Curried couscous with roasted cauliflower: Roasted cauliflower and carrots lend subtle depth and richness to this salad, tossed with a savory blend of curry seasonings and folded with large Israeli couscous pearls, fresh cilantro and lime juice. You can find the recipe below.

Beet and fennel salad: A great option when you’re looking for somthing bright and colorful, this salad works well for formal gatherings and simple family dinners. Tender beet rounds are tossed with thinly sliced fennel, red onion, greens and toasted walnuts, and dressed with a tangy lemon vinaigrette.

Cool rice and cucumber salad: When you want to bring out the best in rice, cook it like pasta. In this recipe, long grain rice is cooked in a large pot of boiling water just like noodles. As Food editor Russ Parsons notes, this makes for grains that are light and separate, not gummy or clumped together. Toss the cooled grains with fresh herbs and cucumber for a light and refreshing dish. It’s perfect made ahead of time and chilled until serving.

Mendocino Farms’ curried couscous with roasted cauliflower

Total time: 50 minutes | Serves 10

1 (1-pound) box Israeli couscous or orzo
1 head cauliflower, florets broken into pieces
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, more to taste
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, more to taste
3 tablespoons light brown sugar, more to taste
3 tablespoons oil
2 small carrots, peeled, finely diced
1 cup vegan mayonnaise (or mayonnaise)
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 lime, juiced

1. Cook the couscous according to the instructions on the package. Rinse in cold water, drain well, put in a bowl and set aside. Heat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. In a separate bowl, toss the cauliflower with the curry powder, turmeric, cumin, coriander, salt, cayenne, brown sugar and oil. Spread out on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and roast in the oven until cauliflower is browned around the edges but still crunchy, about 10 minutes. Remove just the cauliflower and put it in the bowl with the pasta.

3. On the same rimmed baking sheet, place the carrots and, using a spatula, toss the carrots with the leftover spices and oil. Roast the carrots until brown around the edges but still crunchy, about 8 minutes. (If you find that the spices and oil are a little overly browned from roasting the cauliflower, toss the carrots using the same proportion of new spices, salt, sugar and oil.) Add to the couscous.

4. Fold in the vegan mayonnaise, cilantro and lime juice with the pasta. Taste, and adjust spices and seasoning if desired. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.

Each serving: calories: 390; protein: 7 grams; carbohydrates: 46 grams; fiber: 4 grams; fat: 19 grams; saturated fat: 3 grams; cholesterol: 0 mg; sugar: 5 grams; sodium: 513 mg.