I’ve been cooking all sorts of delicious things in my Philips AirFryer over the past couple of months, and I couldn’t love this gadget more. It allows me to make healthy, homemade meals for my family in just minutes and with less fat.  And because of the special proprietary Rapid Air technology it creates crisp and even results in minutes — crucial for me as a busy mom of two young boys! (And with a shift-working husband!) Cleanup is a breeze too thanks to the dishwasher-safe, removable drawer and food basket.

One of the recipes I took out for a spin recently was this Air-Fried Vegetable Salad with Chimichurri Vinaigrette created by the one and only Gordon Ramsay. With a few of my own modifications, of course.

Now, I could only find white cauliflower at my local grocery store, so I nabbed a broccoli crown to sub in place and used the entire head of white cauli I’d snagged. The broccoli was perfect after 6 minutes in the AirFryer — and this is going to be my new go-to for “roasted” broccoli from now on! I find shallots tedious so used a small red onion I had from our CSA box  instead. And while I love the variety of lettuces included here, I needed to keep things palatable for the husband and big kid, so I just used a mix of baby lettuces instead. I also omitted the red pepper flakes from the dressing since I’m living that nightshade-free life up in here, but I could see how it would add a bit more complexity to the final product.

I decided not to take pictures in progress, as there was an incident with the dressing making… and I am still cleaning chimichurri off my cupboards and floor. This dish was easy, flavourful, and is going to become a regular addition to my fall meals. Even my notoriously picky eater husband said it was surprisingly good, and something he’d expect at a restaurant.

Anyways, without further ado, here is the recipe so you can make this yourself at home.

Air-Fried Vegetable Salad with Chimichurri Vinaigrette

Here, Chef Gordon Ramsay shares his recipe for a beautiful salad made using the Philip AirFryer. If you can’t find cauliflower in white, yellow and purple, you can use cauliflower of a single colour. The results will be less colorful but just as delicious. You won’t need all of the dressing, but leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for a few days. Use it to dress your favourite salad or as a dip for crudités.

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 head white cauliflower, cut into small bite-size florets
• 1/2 head yellow cauliflower, cut into small bite-size florets
• 1/2 head purple cauliflower, cut into small bite-size florets
• 3 small red beets, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch (6-mm) wedges
• Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
• 1 head frisee, torn into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cups (4 oz./125 g) baby arugula
• 6 breakfast radishes, thinly sliced
• 1 small bunch mint, thinly slivered

For the cilantro chimichurri vinaigrette:

• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• 1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 bunch fresh chives
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) red wine vinegar
• Juice of 1 lemon, plus more as needed
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method: 

1. Preheat a Philips Airfryer to 360°F (182°C).
2. Place the cauliflower florets in three separate bowls, one for each colour. Put the beets in a separate bowl. Season the cauliflower and beets with salt and pepper and drizzle all the vegetables lightly with olive oil. Toss to coat.
3. Arrange the white cauliflower in a single layer in the fry basket and insert into the air fryer. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring the cauliflower once halfway through the cooking time. Transfer to a baking sheet to let cool. Repeat with the yellow and purple cauliflower.
4. Arrange the beets in a single layer in the fry basket and insert into the air fryer. Cook, turning once halfway through the cooking time, until fork-tender, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet to let cool.
5. While the beets are cooking, make the vinaigrette: Coarsely chop the cilantro, parsley and chives and place in a blender. Add the garlic, shallot, vinegar, lemon juice and red pepper flakes. Turn the blender on high speed and, with the motor running, slowly add the olive oil. Puree until the mixture is smooth and emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add more lemon juice, if desired.
6. To assemble the salad, in a large serving bowl, toss together the cauliflower and beets. Add the vinaigrette to taste and toss to coat the vegetables. Add the frisee and arugula, drizzle with a little more dressing and toss again to coat. Garnish with the radishes and mint and serve immediately. Serves 6.

Recipe courtesy of Gordon Ramsay for Philips AirFryer