We’re now in the deep depths of fall and I’ve felt incredibly unprepared for this shift in season. What with the wet, windy and dark grey overcast days; it feels like it has rained every day for the past month. It’s been a tad difficult adjusting to this dreary weather.

I haven’t cooked much lately because I lack motivation, which is weird, because you’d think dark rainy days would inspire comforting soups, rich bubbly stews and fragrant pastries to fill the house with warmth. Nope, we’ve been subsisting on meals we put together hastily and take-out. Take last weekend for example, under the dark wet afternoon sky, we gave up and ordered from a (vegan) pizza joint for our little book club gathering. When I make it to the market, I look for nourishing veggies that come together in a flash like this roasted cauliflower, chickpea and kale with harissa.

This is one heck of a fall meal to have in your repertoire. It’s become a mainstay these past few weeks. I love it for its simplicity and also how wonderful it is. Of course, the hero here is harissa. Made with chili pepper and aromatic and savoury herbs and spices, this nifty North African condiment adds tanginess, warmth and buoyant flavours to dishes. I use it in everything, from enhancing butter to spicing up stews.

For this dish, we start off by roasting cauliflower and chickpea until caramelized and browned, then sauté some onions, stir in our harissa and kale and then toss with the cauliflower and chickpea when it’s done. That’s it. It’s so simple, I almost didn’t share the recipe. On the other hand, it’s too good not to share.

[Tweet “Delicious and healthy warm #salad of cauliflower, kale and chickpea livened with #harissa #vegan #glutenfree”]