Detox Tabbouleh

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

Vegan, gluten-free, no bake/raw, nut-free, oil-free, soy-free

Yield
4 servings

Prep time
25 minutes

Cook time
0 minutes

Total time
25 minutes

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

1. 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.
2. Stir the rest of the vegetables (tomatoes, parsley, celery, cilantro, and green onion) into the bowl.
3. 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

(click to expand)

Serving Size 1 of 4 servings | Calories 110 calories | Total Fat 3 grams
Saturated Fat 0.5 grams | Sodium 125 milligrams | Total Carbohydrates 19 grams
Fiber 6 grams | Sugar 6 grams | Protein 7 grams
* Nutrition data is approximate and is for informational purposes only.

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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