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.
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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
This looks yummy!…but sadly, raw cauliflower makes me painfully bloated. :(
Me, too. But I discovered if I lightly sauté the grated cauliflower, just until it’s heated through, I have no problems. I add the dressing to the warmed cauliflower and it soaks up so nicely. Then I cool the mixture, then add the remaining ingredients. Try a small sample and see if this works for you.
Looks delicious! I’ve been meaning to try cauliflower rice for a while, and tabbouleh sounds like perfect way to incorporate it. Thanks for the recipe!
I just logged on looking for a delicious and healthy side for lunch and this was perfect! What a great idea!
Looks good. Where did you get the buckwheat crackers from? I am going gluten free and looking for crackers.
I just read through the comments and found that you already posted where the crackers are from. Thanks
Sorry for the delay in reply – they are from Organic Garage, but as I mentioned you might be able to make them at home as the ingredients are just buckwheat flour, salt, and water I believe. :)
This looks great. I have a question – what do you mean when you say quinoa is a pseudo-grain?
Hi Laura! Quinoa is technically a seed, but cooked quinoa can be used in recipes the same way grains (rice, millet, wheat berries, cracked wheat, etc.) would be used. Hence, pseudo-grain. Hope that helps!
I enjoy Tabbouleh with Mmmm Sauce (peasandthankyou.com) on crackers or an English Muffin. You should try it. Thanks for the recipe
Love this idea! I’m a huge fan of cauliflower rice, I have a couple recipes using it in a variety of ways! Thanks for sharing your take on it ;)
AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO HATES CAULIFLOWER? UGH. IT COULD BE KICKED OFF THE PLANET AND I WOULD REJOICE! I know…i should grow up! ha this does look interesting…
I have been curious about cauliflower rice but not in love with the thought of the smell/taste, but the dressing looks delicious and looks like it would really cut down on the harshness of the flavor. Thanks for sharing!
Cauliflower gets a bad rap! I love it! I’m glad to see you give it a little love here. Great idea including it in tabbouleh!
Looks amazing! I love cauliflower so this is right up my alley. My boyz always complain about the stink when I eat it ;-). My only problem is not liking cilantro – which everyone seems to LOVE! I will have to make some with and some without. I have come very far in liking so many foods that I did not used to like – but this one still gets me!
Thanks for another great one Angela!
Tabbouleh is one of my favourites yet surprisingly I haven’t made it myself at home before. Love that I have this recipe to guide me :).
Love love love this recipe – I made it for lunch today! I put all the dressing ingredients in my vita mix along with the hemp seeds and blended until the dressing was nice and creamy. It was so tasty!
Another incredible recipe! I need cauliflower in my life but never seem to be able to get it organically grown! I may need to visit a farmers market in the near future! Thanks for sharing this INCREDIBLE idea! Love + Shine courtstar
Well, now I know exactly what to do with that head of cauliflower in my fridge now! yay!
This looks amazing!! I am allergic to celery, what would be a good substitution? I do not have any other veggie allergies.
Thanks!
what about cucumber?
Perfect! That is what I will do. Can’t wait to make this tomorrow. I have yet to make a recipe of yours I didn’t like, I’m sure this will be delish!!
I have already preordered your cookbook…can’t wait for it to come out!! :)
I really love that you post salad recipes as detox recipes! There is a common misconception that to properly detox, a juice cleanse, master cleanse, or some type of “cleanse” is required! But look no further than simple flooding our bodies with nutrients and yummy salads! I like your style :)
I just made this and added some olives, sprouted mung beans, and sprouted chickpeas. Delicious!!!!
I’ve used my Vitamix to make cauliflower rice and it worked surprisingly well–very easy too!
Great Idea! I like alternatives to slathering sauce and cheese on cauliflower! Btw, have you read Eating on the Wild Side by Jo Robinson? They were talking about the book on Canada AM the other day. I bought it and HIGHLY recommend it. From what I’ve seen in your blog over the last two years, it would be right up your alley!!! :) Cheers!