I know I’m a bit late to the party, but I’d like to talk about cauliflower rice today. For those of you who haven’t heard, cauliflower rice is simply grated/processed raw cauliflower that (somewhat) resembles traditional rice. It can be substituted for regular rice (or other grains) in some recipes whenever a lighter, grain-free option is desired. I first tried making cauliflower rice last year, but it didn’t turn out very well. I processed it with the S-blade in my food processor and I ended up with a watery, over-processed mess. Not very appetizing. I gave up on the idea until recently when I decided to come up with a no-cook, raw tabbouleh recipe. Rather than using traditional bulgur or a pseudo-grain like quinoa (as in my Quinoa Tabbouleh With a Twist recipe), I thought, why not see what happens with cauliflower rice? As it turns out, a quick Google search informs me that I’m certainly not the only one to try out this idea!
This time, I used a regular box grater to grate the cauliflower, but a grater blade attachment on a food processor would work much faster. Grating by hand was messy (the pieces shoot everywhere) and a bit time-consuming, but it did yield a grate outcome (see what I did there?). My theory is that grating the cauliflower (rather than processing it with an s-blade) reduces the chance that you’ll end up releasing too much water in the cauliflower. When using raw cauliflower rice in a salad like this, the less watery the better. So, moral of the story – use a box grater or the grater attachment on your food processor for best results. {Note to self: find grater attachment blade!}
Despite its short-comings in the aroma department (P U), cauliflower is an important vegetable to include in our diets. Cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli, kale, cauliflower, cabbage, watercress, and mustard greens) are said to be detoxifying because they provide support for the immune, inflammatory, hormonal, detoxification, and antioxidant systems in the body. They also contain powerful anti-cancer compounds unique to this class of vegetables. One more reason to dig in!
After grating a large head of cauliflower I was left with about 5-7 cups making it the perfect volume-boosting veggie to add to this salad. I also added a pint of sliced grape tomatoes, as well as a generous amount of flavour-packed parsley and cilantro, celery, green onions, and hemp seeds for some protein power and healthy fats. The end result is a salad bursting with fresh flavour and crunch!
For the dressing, I used a very simple mixture of red wine vinegar, flax seed oil, and a touch of salt and sweetener. This tangy and lightly sweet dressing is flavourful enough to stand up to the earthy raw cauliflower. I love to use flax seed oil in salad dressings due to its high omega-3 fatty acid content, but if you don’t have flax seed oil, feel free to use extra virgin olive oil.
Just mix it all up and you have a quick and easy raw tabbouleh that would rival any traditional tabbouleh. I didn’t have high expectations for this recipe, but it totally blew me away. You’ll have to trust me on this one. I enjoy my Detox Salad recipe a lot, but this one is my new go-to, without a doubt.
My favourite way to enjoy this is served with Buckwheat Crackers and hummus. It makes a great snack or light summery lunch when you don’t want to turn on the oven. The leftovers will keep for a couple days and it tastes even better after sitting for a few hours so the flavours can develop. Just be sure to toss it well before serving.
Detox Tabbouleh
Yield
4 servings
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
A raw, no-cook detox tabbouleh, bursting with flavour! You won't see tabbouleh the same way again. My favourite way to enjoy this is served with Buckwheat Crackers and hummus. It makes a great snack or light summery lunch when you don’t want to turn on the oven. The leftovers will keep for a couple days and it tastes even better after sitting for a few hours so the flavours can develop. Just be sure to toss it well before serving.
Inspired by: Detox Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- 1 large cauliflower, leaves removed
- 1 pint (1.5 cups) grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced
- 1.5 cups fresh parsley, minced
- 1 & 1/4 cups finely chopped celery
- 3/4 cup cilantro, minced
- 2-4 green onions, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup or more)
- 2 tablespoons hulled hemp seeds
For the dressing
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons flax seed oil (or extra virgin olive oil)
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Directions
- If using a food processor, use the grater blade attachment. Drop cauliflower florets into the machine to grate. If using a box grater, quarter the cauliflower and grate each piece until just the stem is left. Scoop into a large bowl. Discard leftover stem pieces.
- Stir the rest of the vegetables (tomatoes, parsley, celery, cilantro, and green onion) into the bowl.
- Whisk together the dressing in a small glass or jar. Pour onto salad and toss to combine, adjusting salt to taste if desired. You can serve it immediately or place it in the fridge for a few hours so the flavours can develop a bit more. Just before serving, sprinkle with hemp seeds for added protein.
Tip:
Salad will keep in a container for a couple days (possibly longer) in the fridge.
Nutrition Information
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Before signing off today, I wanted to mention the tragedy in Lac-Megantic, Quebec last week. My heart goes out to everyone impacted by this horrific explosion. Thinking of you all….xo
I make cauliflower rice in the Vitamix. Works great and takes 5 seconds.
I LOVED this recipe!!! My husband and I ate the entire batch in 2 days!! I made it again for a family picnic this weekend and 3 people asked for the recipe. I’m going to send them the link!
Oh no :( I made this recipe and was not a fan at all. Off to the next recipe! :)
Hi Angela. I absolutely love your recipes! One quick question on the dressing for this. I’ve never used red wine vinegar, do you think apple cider vinegar would be alright as a substitute?? Thanks so much!
Was resisting the whole cauliflower-subbing for grains idea for so long, but your recipe made me a believer. Just ate this for lunch and it was amazing exactly as is. I’m trying not to overeat – those cruciferous veggies, y’know. (wink)
Hi Angela:
I’ve made this salad several times and played with it a little. I added cucumber and preserved lemon in the last incarnation and it was the bomb. Thank you so much for posting!
Hello Angela,
I love cauliflower rice and make it often. Am looking forward to making this recipe now. Can you tell me what crackers are in the picture. Look like Wasa or maybe one of your creations.
Your recipes are the best.
Hi Yvonne, They are buckwheat crackers – store-bought unfortunately!
This cauliflower rice idea is life-changing! I got hooked from the first time I made this salad and then I started implementing it into other things. I mix it up with some sautéed onions, parsley and spices and it tastes heavenly. I was just wondering if cauliflower is meant to be eaten raw? I haven’t really had adverse reactions (quite the opposite actually) but since it’s become such a staple for me, I figured I should find out if it’s healthy to eat it raw so frequently. Thanks!
If you have red wine vinegar, but don’t use it often, check the expiry date before pouring it all over your beautiful vegetables!! I ruined mine with year old vinegar :(
Hello there! What would be a good substitute for the hemp seeds? In my line of work drug testing is a must, so I’m too paranoid to use those…
PS: I love, love, love your website! :)
I think in an earlier comment Angela said the hemp seeds weren’t really needed and just added on a whim:) Sesame seeds might be a nice sub. I find with Angela’s recipes that any substitutes work beautifully!
Finally made it tonight. Put in my food processor with S-blade and pulsed with the cilantro and parsley for about 1 minute. Worked great! Normally not a huge fan of cauliflower rice but wow! Loved this. Your recipes are inspiring. Also added mint, red pepper, touch of jalapeno, and cucumber and just put lemon juice and mashed avocado (left off tomatoes) into it with no oil. It was delish! Going to have to make more next time:) Thanks Angela!
I just made this and absolutely love it! Thanks for all your great recipes.
I have had some issues with cauliflower lately and prefer jicama rice, does anyone think subbing jicama for the cauliflower would be an issue?
Thanks!
That sounds yummy. Go for it!
We had the cauliflower mashed potatos with mushroom gravy for supper last night and it was delish! While typing this message there is a pot of your rooibos healing tea recipe steeping on the stove. I couldnt find tumeric root in Sudbury so I substituted it with 1/2 tsp of ground organic. I am happy to be the proud owner of your recipe book and have enjoyed many of your recipes. Keep them coming!
Made it! So tasty!
I made this last night and it was awesome! So light and refreshing, but filling. My head of cauliflower was huge and ended up being almost 10 cups, so we doubled everything and I’m glad we did. There are 6 of us, and my hubby had a little leftover to pack for lunch today. We did make one adjustment. My family is of the opinion that cilantro tastes like soap, so after a quick search online revealed that mint is traditionally used, we substituted mint for the cilantro. As I said already, awesome! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’m never disappointed when I try something from your site!
Love that you are Canadian too! Love that you post such amazing recipes & blog posts! Love that you work at & support your local farmers markets!
I’m from the Wasaga Beach area & I am retired from my career in holistic nutrition & acupuncture & biofeedback & a proud grandma of 14.
Your posts on fresh, vegan/vegetarian inspire me & makes me always want to reach out & hug you with gratitude!
I have begun a new group called My New Circle of Friends on FB & meetup. In its infancy at this point. I have been widowed twice in 15 years & know how important the “community of women” is to our being happy & healthy our entire lives.
Young women like you will inspire all of us – no matter the age – to do better, to think better & to honour our body so we can” live long, healthy & joyful loves & die short. :)
I would love it if you would ponder the idea of speaking for a group of women in the Collingwood – Wasaga Beach area in Septemeber? Obviously you would bring along your cookbook so we can support sales of it.
If it interests you – let’s get in touch?
PS – since you want to get everything fresh for your body & your recipes, have you ever been introduced to the Tower Garden aeroponic growing syste? Grow fresh, organic produce on your own back porch or patio & pick vine-ripened. Lettuces & herbs grow in 4-6 weeks & year-round growing is possible! check out my site as it is what helps me reduce my cravings & eat healthy.
Looking forward to the possibilities
OMG ~ If you really hand~grated all that cauliflower you might want to look into a Salad Shooter by Presto, unless you are off the grid and have no electricity it works great and you don’t ever have to accidentally catch a knuckle. That, my blender and my juicer are three things I could not imagine living without.
I just made this this afternoon!
1. I used a food processor for the cauliflower which couldn’t have been easier. Definitely easier than a box grater.
2. I used virgin olive oil as I didn’t have the other
3. I added some soy sauce alternative (amino acid liquid) to cut the dressing, it was very vinegary otherwise
4. Instead of having it on crackers with hummus, we mixed some hummus straight into a bowl of the tabbouleh, and put some avocado slices on top!
So so so delicious and makes enough for three plus plenty of leftovers. i can’t wait to have this again!! MAKE THIS!